Dynamic Earth - Edinburgh

I was lucky enough to be able to visit Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh this week. I loved it, a lot of money has been spent in order to justifyingly convey to the public how special and dynamic our planet is. No single factor really makes our planet what it is (prob the Sun though). There are so many factors that create and shape our planet that it has to be marvelled at.

Everything is expertly laid out so that all ages can really grasp what has happened to our planet since the Big Bang to the present day, without perplexing anyone.

Biospheres!!:

This is something I have studied a little but I will look into it more. The spheres are habitats in which life has adapted to this particular way of life - they have EVOLVED to maximise the uses of their surroundings to ensure they survive and carry on the existence of their species.

The Wildest Weather in the Solar System!!:

A great video/tour filmed by National Geographic that shows the extreme weather that is out there.
Highlights include:

Venus' red hot (400 degrees celsius) atmosphere
The dust storms of Mars
Jupiters great red spot - a storm raging for at least the last 400 years
Titans Methanological cycle - like our Hydrological (water) cycle but with a twist



Some key facts that stood out to me from elsewhere inside Dynamic Earth were:

Cactus' spikes - why do they have them? Well, water is so rare in a desert so when a Cactus is able to take in water they want to keep it. Specific animals roam about and would find it easy to pierce the Cactus to get to this water. This is where the spikes come in, they are a defence from these water-predators (I made that title up) and they preserve their water so they can use it to photosynthesise.

Deserts - why do they have the climate that they do? Well, they are near the Equator, so its very hot, however, a lot of rain hits around the equator so why not in the desert?

Okay, hot air rises from the Equator until it is cooled at the top of the troposhere (1st atmospheric layer), forming clouds which then release rain when they can no longer hold the weight (the cloud becomes too dense), then this air has no where to go when the cloud has gone and due to the constant rising of the hot air from below, it is pushed to the side. It then falls as there is no upward pressure, now it's directly in the desert with no clouds above which means no rain and no protection from constant sunlight. This creates a very warm and dry climate.

Adam King

20/04/2012