Why Is There No Snow on Mauna Kea?

Picture from Hawaii Tribune Herald

I have seen a little snow on Mauna Kea this winter but not very much, and it seems to disappear quickly. What is causing the lack of snow?

There seems to be two reasons for the absence of snow: lack of precipitation and the flow of the jet stream. Scientists have been saying that there has just been too few storms to produce any precipitation for snow. There was one in December, one in January, and one in February. This lack of storms means no moisture to fall and freeze. Scientists are also saying that we are experiencing a weak El Nino effect and with it a course change of our jet stream. The jet stream is a moving river of air that circles the globe above 20,000 feet. The jet stream ususally pushes storms our way, but due to El Nino, the jet stream has been pushing storms from west to east. An article in the Hawaii Tribune Herald states that there is still hope for snow on the white mountain, if it happens before April or May 1st.

All About Rainbows

Rainbow Diagram

This week I am taking Anneliese's suggestion and using my blog to collect information for my concept map on rainbows. My question is: What makes a rainbow?

To make a rainbow you need sunshine, rain, and colors. The arc and the spectrum of colors are made when rays of light (sunshine) hit spherical raindrops. When the light passes into the raindrop, it refracts (bends). Then the light hits the back of the raindrop, then reflected (turned back), and finally bent again as it passes out of the raindrop. The bending of light at different angles causes the bow effect and the spectrum of light. In a rainbow, the full spectrum of light is there from ultraviolet to infrared, but because our eyes can only pick up a portion of this continum, we only see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Also, we will only see rainbows in the morning or afternoon. The sun needs to be at our back and in our line of vision. If the sun is too high, as at noon, it cannot produce the angles needed for us to see a rainbow.

Are There Any Good Viruses?

Herpes Simplex Virus

The video The Future of Food showed us how genetic material is inserted into cells by the use of viruses. My immediate reaction was "yuck," especially when it was mentioned that the viruses used were linked to infectious diseases. My question is: Are there any good viruses?

I found out that viruses are microscopic particles that can infect animals, plants, and bacteria. They consist of DNA or RNA material that is protected by an outer coating of protein. They cannot reproduce on their own , but multiply by attaching themselves to cells and injecting their genetic material inside. Because of viruses' inability to reproduce on their own, most virologists do not consider viruses to be alive. Viruses usually enter the body by the respiratory system or the mouth, where they infect cells of the mucous membranes which lack any protective barriers. Once in the body, the only defense against viruses is the body's own immune system. A healthy immune system will produce enough white blood cells and antibodies that will kill viruses. Some people think that antibiotics can kill viruses, but they have no affect on them. If you have the flu or a cold, you just have to wait it out. So, are there any good viruses? There are a few: Some create beautiful colored tulips, some can be used to create vaccines, and some can be used to inject desirable genes into cells. But the vast majority of viruses is harmful.

A Symbiotic Relationship

Neal Chamberlain's Gallery of Bacterial Pathogens

The video we watched on Thursday explained how GMOs invade cells by using bacteria, and it got me thinking about bacteria in general. I know there are bacteria on my cutting board and there are bacteria in my yogurt, so my question is: Are there good and bad bacteria?

Most of the time we live in a symbiotic relationship with bacteria, which means each organism benefits by living together. At any given time we have about 200 kinds of bacteria living within our bodies. For example, E. coli bacteria has a place to live in our intestines while helping us to digest our food and produce vitamins. We use the lactobacillus acidophillus bacterium to make yogurt from milk. There is also bacteria that is harmful to plants and humans; they invade cells or produce poisonoius toxins. These are called pathogenic bacteria: anthrax, smallpox are a few examples. So the good bacteria live with us harmoniously, while the bad bacteria can make us very sick. Good hygiene, like frequently washing hands, can help prevent bacteria from entering the body.

Mold & Mildew: What are they good for?

I spend quite a bit of time combatting mold and mildew in my house, especially around the fridge. I know bleach kills mildew and whitens any discoloration, but we have a cess pool and my husband says, "Don't use bleach!" Just what are mold and mildew, and why are they so happy at my house? How can I make them feel less welcome?

Mold and mildew are classified as fungi (fungus is the singular and fungi is the plural). Fungi do not make food of their own, but absorb the nutrients they need from plants, food, and dry leaves. They are are among the world's decomposers, which help break down dead materials inorder to be used again as soil. Mold organisms can be white, orange, green, or black, and mildew is white and powdery. Both reproduce by spores and can be a health hazard if left unchecked. These fungi need moisture, a food source, a place to grow, so the first step in controling them is to eliminate the source of moisture, then clean the area with detergent and water, followed by a cleaning solution of bleach and water. For those who cannot use bleach, there are bleach alternatives. So, like centipedes, mold and mildew have their job to do in our world. There is the classic mold experiment that young children can do: You will need a sandwich size ziplock bag, a half a piece of bread, and a small amount of water. Place the bread and water in the bag, seal it, and let the children observe the bread as the mold grows over the next few days. Even before the experiment, let the children draw or write their predictions on what will happen. By the way, that is not a picture of my house; I got the picture off the web.

Centipedes:What are they good for?

Centipedes: What are they good for? I do not like centipedes; they scare me. I think they are ugly and aggressive, and they are hard to kill because of their speed. So why are there centipedes?

The Hawaiians call centipedes kanapi. The anatomy of a centipede is segmented and long. The number of legs can vary from 50 to 100. The first pair of legs are poisonous jaws which are used to kill insects such as cockroaches, mothes, flies, worms and even small animals. They like to live in moist places such as your compost pile, rotting wood, or under stones. So, like geckos, centipedes help keep the insect population down and in that way are helpful to us. If you want to keep the centipedes out of your house, clear out all rotting wood, compost piles, grass clippings, and stones from the foundation of your house. I thought I once heard that centipedes were decomposers, but I counld not find any information to support that.

From keweahoaks.com

Short on Soil

I live in an area of Puna where the soil is not very deep. In some parts of my property the soil is only a few inches deep. I would like to grow vegetables and make flower beds. How can I increase the soil on my property?


I found a Hawaii Island web site that says composting creates soil and is good for the environment. Their brochure says that compost is decomposed organic matter and is an essential part of soil, and anyone can create their own composting bin right in his or her own backyard. To start composting you will need green material which is high in nitrogen: grass clippings, weeds, manure, seaweed, nutshells, coffee grounds, and brown material which is rich in carbon: tree and shrub trimmings, dry grass and leaves, shredded paper, newspaper. Next, find a covenient spot about 3 feet long and 3 feet wide. First place a layer of green material and then a layer of brown material and wet each layer. Keep alternating the layers until the pile is about 3 feet deep, and make sure that the pile is moist. Last, turn the pile once a week. You will know that the material is decomposing because the temperature will rise to about 130 degrees. In about a month you can have compost to add to your garden. I also found another site which has lots of information on composting, explained in a way that kids can understand.

Another environmentally friendly way to increase and improve soil for gardening and/or farming is vermiculture, or worm composting. Hawaii Island has a terrific resource for vermiculture in Piper Selden. She conducts vermiculture workshops island wide and has a well-developed Web site with information on worm composting with a local flavor.

This is the India Blue worm, Perionyx excavatus which is the best composting worm for Hawaii.

These sources are a good start for local folks who want to develop the soil on their property, as well as serve the environment in several ways.