Fossil Fuels
What are the three main fossil fuels?
List the conditions they were formed under (High/Low):
oxygen
temperature
pressure
moisture
time
Coal, Oil, Natural Gas
Low O2
High T
High P
Low H2OLong timescales
What are the six main forms of renewable energy?
Solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, hydrogen
Define recharge zone
Area of the Earth's surface where water percolates down into an aquifer
What is bycatch?
The unwanted and wasted fish and marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species
What does NIMBY stand for?
Not In My BackYard
What is the chemical equation of photosynthesis?
6CO2+6H2O -> C6H12O6+602
Why is biomass considered carbon neutral?
Carbon released when burned = carbon stored during growth, taken from atmosphere during photosynthesis
What are the two types of aquifers?
Confined and unconfined
What is an invasive species?
Name 2 found in the Great Lakes or Mississippi River watershed
Species whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic, environmental, or human health harm
1. Upsets balance in non-native habitat
2. Successfully adapts and reproduces
3. Rapid growth
4. Resistant to predation, no natural predators
5. Out competes native species
Zebra mussels, alewife, Asian carp, gobies, etc.
What is the most used fossil fuel?
What is the fastest growing?
Oil
Natural Gas
List 2 impurities found in coal and 2 found in oil
Coal: Mercury, Arsenic, Sulfur Dioxide
Oil: Sulfur Dioxide, NOx, VOC's, Carbon Monoxide
What locations are most feasible for geothermal energy?
Places near volcanic activity
Name 3 consequences of well-water depletion from too much groundwater pumping
Increased expense (drill deeper, fix problems)
Decreased quality
Salt water intrusion
Land subsidence
Reduced surface water level
Why are coastal communities (coral reefs and mangroves) important for the health of the oceans?
-provide nursery habitats that maintain fish populations
-buffer surf and shoreline energy (erosion/flooding)
-hotspots for biodiversity
-feeds higher levels of food chain (sharks, whales, dolphins)
What is a boom-bust town?
A boom and bust cycle is a process of economic expansion and contraction that occurs repeatedly. During the boom the economy grows, jobs are plentiful and the market brings high returns to investors. In the subsequent bust (when the resource runs out) the economy shrinks, people lose their jobs and investors lose money.
What is a proven recoverable resource?
Name the 2 main examples in oil extraction
This is a type of resource that becomes economically feasible after improvements in technology allow humans to obtain non-traditional sources of a reserve, like oil from tar sands or shale oil from fracking rather than crude oil from drilling.
What type of crops/materials are used for 1st gen, 2nd gen, and 3rd gen biofuels?
1st: Starches (corn)
2nd: Cellulosic matter (stalks, grasses)
3rd: Oily matter (algae)
How much of the water on Earth is freshwater, as a percentage, and how much of it is in a usable form (surface or groundwater)?
Freshwater = 3%, 20-23% is usable
-Glaciers: 77%
-Groundwater: 22%
-Surface water: 1%
-Atmosphere: 0.03%
List 2 pros and 2 cons of aquaculture
Pros: highly efficient and profitable, high yield in small volume of water, reduces overharvesting of conventional fish stocks, allows for selection of largest/healthiest individuals
Cons: concentrates pollution/waste/nutrients, destroys mangrove ecosystems, dense populations creates vulnerability to disease, food source from human food (grains or other fish)
What are 2 pros and 2 cons of nuclear energy?
Pros: lots of energy for little effort, technology is improving, low GHG emissions, low air pollution
Cons: expensive up-front, meltdown accidents, toxic waste
Compare and contrast:
Subsurface mining
Strip mining
Mountaintop mining
Subsurface:
-high quality, deep coal access through tunneling
-less surface damage
-human health risks (black lung, mine collapse)
Strip:
-open pits allow access to shallow coal
-large harvest
-acid mine drainage
-high surface degradation
Mountaintop:
-access deep and shallow coal
-valley stream sediment loading and pollution
-acid mine drainage
-complete ecosystem destruction
List pros and cons of:
Hydroelectric
Solar
Wind
Pros: no GHG emissions, small scale or large scale, recreation, etc.
Cons: location specific, harmful to wildlife, high initial cost, aesthetics, etc.
Explain the cause and process of eutrophication
Cause: excess nutrients in waterways from runoff containing fertilizers or manure
1: algal bloom
2: mass die-off as nutrient resource is used up
3: dead algae consumed by decomposer microorganisms
4: decomposers use up dissolved oxygen in water
5: decrease in fish population
Define water diversion and describe two case studies from Peter Annin's book
Altering the natural watershed/flow of water to move water from places where it is abundant to places where it is needed
Waukesha: radium levels, community in need, for public use, already drawing from underground lake sources
Foxconn: LCD company, for corporate need, water loss from industrial processing/toxic waste, boosts WI economy
Draw the water cycle
Fluxes: Evaporation, condensation, transpiration, infiltration, percolation, precipitation, runoff
Pools: surface water, ground water, vegetation and animals, clouds and atmophere