What Makes The Seasons Change?

Many people look forward to changing seasons: the brilliant colors of fall, gentle snows of winter, fragrant blossoms of spring and sunbathing days of summer. The rhythm of winter to summer and back again is so predictable that few stop to remember why this happens.

While the Earth’s orbit around the sun is a key player in making sure the seasons change, the most important aspect is the tilt of our planet's axis of rotation, which comes to about 23.5 degrees. The tilt is always there, but as Earth makes its laps around the sun, the amount of daylight we receive varies.

So why is the Earth tilted in the first place? Most of our planet's landmass and ice buildup is in the Northern Hemisphere, making it a bit top-heavy. If it weren't for the tilt, our seasons would have very little variation, making fall, winter, spring and summer somewhat one-note.

In a Northern Hemisphere summer, the planet is oriented toward the sun and receives enough solar radiation to thaw out and warm things up. While this is happening, the Southern Hemisphere experiences less solar penetration and colder temperatures, thus inaugurating its winter. Six months later, thanks to the Earth's orbit, the opposite is true. In between these two dominant seasons come spring and autumn, which help serve as a healthy transitional period.

3 quick facts about the changing seasons:

·         Other planets in our solar system also tilt at various degrees. Uranus rotates almost sideways at 97 degrees and has extreme seasons. The axial tilt on Venus is 177.3 degrees, causing very little variation to the seasons.

·         Earthquakes can shift the Earth's axis, but only by an infinitesimal proportion.

·         Earth is decreasing in obliquity, or tilt. An increase in tilt can lead to ice-age conditions, while a decrease in tilt can warm the Earth's surface.
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Healthy Is Your Home? Series Final

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

 

6 Home-Safety Tips

Preventive measures can make a home safer as well, according to Amy Artuso Heinzen, program manager at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit organization in Itasca, Illinois.  "Every family and every home is different," Heinzen said. "Walk around and assess potential hazards, particularly for the dynamics of your specific family."

Here are some of her tips:

1. Install a fence around a swimming pool to keep out unsupervised children who can slip silently into a pool and drown without a sound being made.
2. Keep toilet seat lids closed, never leave a bucket of water unattended and never leave a young child in a bathtub without an adult present. A young child can drown in a small amount of water.
3. Create an emergency evacuation plan and practice it twice a year with your family, preferably during the day and at night. Plan at least two ways to exit your home in case one route is blocked.
4. Make sure your home's windows aren't painted or nailed shut. If they are, get someone to open them so you and your family can escape in an emergency.
5. Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. Test alarms monthly. If you or someone in your family has impaired hearing, install alarms that vibrate or flash a light.
6. Make sure your hallways and bathrooms are well-lit at night to prevent slips, trips and falls.

"We all live with a certain amount of hazard," Heinzen said. "It's important to educate yourself and take proactive safety measures to do your best to avoid illness and injury while actively living and enjoying life."
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Healthy Is Your Home? Series Part 2 - Four Healthy Home Tips

4 healthy home tips

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

These tips from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can make your home safer and healthier:

1. Keep your home clean and dry to discourage mites, cockroaches, rodents and mold
2. Be careful with pesticides. Improper use can make health problems worse since residues pose serious health risks.
3. Keep your home free of lead paint, radon gas, pesticides, carbon monoxide, asbestos particles and other hazardous chemicals
4. Keep your home well-maintained. Remediate peeling paint promptly, especially if you live in an older home.

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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Healthy Is Your Home? Series - Part 1 - Home Inspection

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

Home inspection

Many home hazards were originally introduced by builders and contractors, says Jay Gregg, director of marketing at Pillar to Post Professional Home Inspections, a Tampa, Florida-based franchise company with 450 outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

One way to find these hazards is get a home inspection, but that's only a starting point. A home inspector can't move furniture or boxes without the homeowner's permission and even a vacant house isn't 100 percent accessible.

First-time homebuyers especially should seek the help of a home inspector as they have never been through the home buying process before and are not aware of the potential problems they could encounter as homeowners.
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.