Student Name
ID No.
Total Word Count: 550
Seeding the Sky
Introduction (50)
Cloud seeding should be considered necessary to amplify water
resources. The increasing
demands for water, are depleting our water resources, droughts
and a growing population
threaten our water supply. Cloud seeding will help replenish
depleting water sources, shorten
long periods of drought and will provide a steady source of
water.
Analysis (316)
Depleting water sources is the first reason to consider cloud
seeding. Cloud seeding delivers
precipitation to an aimed cloud, thereby making it rain, adding
clean, unpolluted water, to the
water sources available to us. More than a quarter of the world's

population or a third of the
population in developing countries live in regions that will
experience severe water scarcity
(Seckler, 1999; 29-42). With demand for water increasing,
cloud seeding is one augmentation
technology that would help replenish scarce water resource
(Witt, A. W. 2016; 105-144). Water
depletion is not the only reason we should consider cloud
seeding necessary.
The next reason to use Cloud seeding is that it could
significantly change areas with long periods
of drought. Steady access to water has been difficult for the
population in these drought areas.
Droughts cause some of those people to lose their lively hood.
During droughts people are losing
crops and their livestock, which dominos into losing money.
According to a study by the national
research council droughts in the United States cause an average
annual economic loss of between
six and eight billion dollars (Currier 2017; 949-973).
Implementing cloud seeding would allow
people access to water they would not have otherwise. However,
money is only the second
reason we should consider cloud seeding beneficial to

amplifying water resources in areas of low
precipitation or drought.
The human population is growing, and with the growing
population comes growing demand for
water. Water resources that people need to run companies and
for agricultural needs will not
always be available if we do not find a way to replenish them.
Water sources are not growing at a
fast-enough rate to meet all of the population’s demands. Water
is being polluted and used at a
much faster rate. Cloud seeding is not an ultimate solution, it
does provide a useful tool to help
increase water access (Currier 2017; 949-973).
Evaluation (86)
Mellissa Currier studied at the University of Pacific Law, which
shows her bias towards finding
the truth in a subject. David Seckler wrote for the International
Journal of Water Resources
Development, he investigated and wrote about the effects of
water scarcity. I wanted to write a
paper about something that was a new concept to me, and in
doing so I came across cloud
seeding and with an unbiased opinion I reviewed many articles

and came to the conclusion about
the importance of implementing cloud seeding.
Conclusion (54)
Cloud seeding will produce continuous access to water sources.
It will replenish our current
water supplies. It will prevent long periods of drought, and the
people will flourish in population
as well as in wealth. Cloud seeding is a fairly new concept but
it is essential that we incorporate
it, to amplify water resources.
Bibliography
Currier, M. (2017). Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away: Cloud Seeding
Governance in the United States
and a Proposal for Federal Regulation. University of the Pacific
Law Review, 48(4), 949–
973.

David Seckler, Randolph Barker & Upali Amarasinghe (1999)
Water Scarcity in the Twenty-
first Century, International Journal of Water Resources
Development, 15:1-2, 29-42,
Givati, A., & Rosenfeld, D. (2005). Separation between Cloud-
Seeding and Air-Pollution
Effects. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 44(9), 1298–1314.
Rosenfeld, D., Axisa, D., Woodley, W. L., & Lahav, R. (2010).
A Quest for Effective
Hygroscopic Cloud Seeding. Journal of Applied Meteorology &
Climatology, 49(7), 1548–
1562.
Witt, A. W. (2016). Seeding Clouds of Uncertainty. Jurimetrics:
The Journal of Law, Science &
Technology, 57(1), 105–144.
3.9990000e+05
3.2990000e+05
3.6900000e+05
2.3200000e+05
5.3990000e+05
2.9990000e+05
3.1490000e+05
1.9899900e+05
2.1200000e+05
2.4250000e+05
2.3999900e+05

3.4700000e+05
3.2999900e+05
6.9990000e+05
2.5990000e+05
4.4990000e+05
2.9990000e+05
1.9990000e+05
4.9999800e+05
5.9900000e+05
2.5290000e+05
2.5500000e+05
2.4290000e+05
2.5990000e+05
5.7390000e+05
2.4990000e+05
4.6450000e+05
4.6900000e+05
4.7500000e+05
2.9990000e+05
3.4990000e+05
1.6990000e+05
3.1490000e+05
5.7990000e+05
2.8590000e+05
2.4990000e+05
2.2990000e+05
3.4500000e+05
5.4900000e+05
2.8700000e+05
3.6850000e+05
3.2990000e+05
3.1400000e+05
2.9900000e+05
1.7990000e+05
2.9990000e+05
2.3950000e+05

2.1040000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.6000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.4000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.4160000e+03 2.0000000e+00
3.0000000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.9850000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.5340000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.4270000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.3800000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.4940000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.9400000e+03 4.0000000e+00
2.0000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.8900000e+03 3.0000000e+00
4.4780000e+03 5.0000000e+00
1.2680000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.3000000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.3200000e+03 2.0000000e+00
1.2360000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.6090000e+03 4.0000000e+00
3.0310000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.7670000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.8880000e+03 2.0000000e+00
1.6040000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.9620000e+03 4.0000000e+00
3.8900000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.1000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.4580000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.5260000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.2000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.6370000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.8390000e+03 2.0000000e+00
1.0000000e+03 1.0000000e+00
2.0400000e+03 4.0000000e+00
3.1370000e+03 3.0000000e+00

1.8110000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.4370000e+03 3.0000000e+00
1.2390000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.1320000e+03 4.0000000e+00
4.2150000e+03 4.0000000e+00
2.1620000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.6640000e+03 2.0000000e+00
2.2380000e+03 3.0000000e+00
2.5670000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.2000000e+03 3.0000000e+00
8.5200000e+02 2.0000000e+00
1.8520000e+03 4.0000000e+00
1.2030000e+03 3.0000000e+00
In this exercise, you will investigate linear regression using
gradient descent and the normal equations
The training set of housing prices in Portland, Oregon is in files
ex3x and ex3y, where
$y are the prices and the inputs $x are the living area and the
number of bedrooms. We will use only living area in this
assignment
First part of the assignment is to calculate linear estimator using
normal equation, and then use the parameters to calculate price
of the house with 1650sf,
File to modify: gradinet3student_neq
Second part of the assignment is to calculate linear estimator
using gradient descent, and then use the parameters to calculate
price of the house with 1650sf,
File to modify: gradinet3student_GD
Note: Recall when you are applying GD, it is good practice to
normalize the input data (subtract the average and scale by
standard deviation), to bring all data in the similar range.
During prediction you need to do the same.

Send me house price estimate and weights for part one and two,
in following format:
Normal eq model
GD model
Price of 1650sf
W0
W1
Student Name
ID No.
Total Word Count: 550
Cascading Effect of Nitrogen and its Environmental Impact
Introduction (53 words)
While nitrogen in the natural state is not harmful, excess
amounts of the reactive form will
pollute the air, waterways, and ecosystems. The rise of human

activity involved in the production
of nitrogen has caused this to become an environmental
problem, and more steps should be taken
to understand and reduce its impact.
Analysis (424 words)
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in biological lifeforms and is
natural to the environment. The
supply of nitrogen was limited to natural sources until the
Haber-Bosch process was developed,
which then gave rise to high demand and economic interests to
produce nitrogen and its many
forms. Agriculture, energy use, and land use doubled the
amount of reactive nitrogen since the
1940s (Liu et al., 2014; p. 625). Reactive nitrogen is all forms
of nitrogen except the inert state
that is common in breathable air. It is in the excess of the
reactive forms of nitrogen that is
threatening to air and water quality, as well as various
environmental ecosystems relying on the
water cycle (Liu et al., 2014; p. 625).
The limited amounts of nitrogen available naturally has caused

the world’s ecosystems to adapt
to re-use essential nitrogen molecules in a closed nitrogen
cycle. The agriculture, energy
production, and the transportation industry has introduced more
reactive nitrogen, such as nitrous
oxide and ammonia, to the environment with nitrogen oxides as
an unintentional waste product
(Erisman et al., 2013; p. 2). Reactive nitrogen quickly
dissipates to the environment and cascades
through the air and water but will naturally convert back to inert
N2. Human production of
reactive nitrogen, however, outpaces the natural conversion
back to its natural state which leads
to excess accumulation in the ecosystem (Erisman et al.,2013;
p. 2).
The environmental effects include acid rain and nitrogen
deposition, which contributes to the
acidification of water and soil while also upsetting the nutrient
balance of the local ecosystem
(Galloway et al. 2013; p. 7). Excess nitrogen will affect the
nitrogen-sensitive species and hinder
plant growth, cascading that problem by saturating the nitrogen.
In the water, excess can impact

algae growth which in turn cause eutrophication, or pollution
caused by excessive nutrients
(Galloway et al. 2013; p. 7).
Perhaps most importantly, nitrogen’s role in atmospheric
conditions is understated, as nitrous
oxide (N2O) is the largest known threat to the ozone layer that
still remains and contributes to
climate change and ozone layer depletion (Kanter et al., 2012; p
4451). Nitrous oxide emissions
in the atmosphere oxidizes into nitric oxide and coupled with
nitrogen oxides form the catalyst
which contribute to ozone depletion (Kanter et al., 2012; p
4453).
Nitrogen can easily change into many chemical forms, each of
which can impact the
environment differently. (Kanter et al., 2012; p 4456). As such,
humans need to reduce it impact,
as its global use is expected to increase 1.4% each year,
according to the FAO (2015; n.p.)

Evaluation (46 words)
There is clear bias. One report is funded by the EPA, while
others are affiliated with
environmental organizations. Their work shows a clear concern
for the potential threat of
nitrogen; the full extent of its impact is still unclear as stated by
two of the authors.
Conclusion (27 words)
Reactive nitrogen has a cascading effect which impacts the
environment on many levels. Steps
should be taken to reduce its impact before its full impact is
realized.
Bibliography
Erisman, Jan Willem, et al. “Consequences of Human
Modification of the Global Nitrogen
Cycle.” Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, vol.
368, no. 1621, 2013, pp.
1–9. JSTOR.
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

2015. “Fertilizer Use to Surpass 200
Million Tonnes in 2018.” International Rice Commission
Newsletter Vol. 48, FAO of the
UN, 2015, www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/277488/icode/.
Accessed 15 November
2018.
Galloway, James N., et al. “A Chronology of Human
Understanding of the Nitrogen Cycle.”
Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, vol. 368, no.
1621, 2013, pp. 1–11.
JSTOR.
Liu, Chen, et al. “Socioeconomic Driving Factors of Nitrogen
Load from Food Consumption and
Preventive Measures.” Ambio, vol. 43, no. 5, 2014, pp. 625–
633.
Kanter, David, et al. “A Post-Kyoto Partner: Considering the
Stratospheric Ozone Regime as a
Tool to Manage Nitrous Oxide.” Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America, vol. 110, no. 12, 2013, pp. 4451–
4457. JSTOR.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/277488/icode/