Topic 1: Living in a Sea of Waves We often take for granted that when we
speak t
Topic 1: Living in a Sea of WavesWe often take for granted that when we speak the sound
will travel to whomever we are chatting with and that we can see objects around us. In both
cases waves are carrying the information that our ears and eyes are able to intercept, and
our brain is able to process. When we start to think more about waves it turns out that they
are all around us. Some we would consider beneficial such as the sound waves and
electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum that allow us to hear and see. Others would
be considered problematic such as the waves that carry the destructive energy of an
earthquake or large tsunamis that can wipe out coastal areas. The sun, like other stars,
emits the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves containing energy in all directions
which provides energy for life on earth to flourish, but it can also pose a threat. Solar flares
are large emissions from the sun that send large amounts of energy towards the earth all at
once. Sometimes these emissions interact with the earth’s magnetic field to create auroras
such as the aurora borealis that can be seen at night. But if the sun’s emissions are large
enough, they are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and the electromagnetic energy they
emit can interfere with transformers, satellite communications, and electronic
devices.Reflect on the ways that different types of waves impact your daily life and review
the Discussion resources.Then, discuss the following.Choose one type of wave to research
that is different from your classmates and share your findings with the class. Discuss how it
impacts our lives, and if these impacts are positive or negative.The earth’s magnetic field
and atmosphere help protect it from solar radiation, but they cannot protect the planet
completely from larger CMEs. The largest CME on record happened in 1859 and is called the
Carrington Event. During this event telegraph communications were disrupted. Do some
research on CMEs and discuss how a large one would impact your life and your community.
Is there anything you can do to be better prepared for a CME event?As we learn more about
our universe, we see that humans will not be able to live on the earth forever. At some point
the sun will die and make the earth uninhabitable. Don’t worry, it is not forecasted to
happen for another 5 billion years. The earth faces other dangers from space such as
asteroid impacts and gamma ray bursts (from the death of larger stars) to name just a
couple. Humans also pose a threat to their own existence with climate change. A runaway
greenhouse effect could make the earth more like Venus. This is one argument for
promoting space travel and developing technology for colonizing other planets.Do you think

more effort and resources should be put into colonizing the moon and other plants? Why or
why not?If you were able to be part of a mission to go to Mars, or another planet, would you
want to participate? Would it make a difference if you knew you would never be returning
to earth?Some of the threats to the earth cannot be prevented, but things like climate
change can be altered by how humans behave. Should we be putting more resources into
understanding how climate change can impact our planet and take steps to prevent it? Why
or why not?