Fossil Fuels
This term describes resources like coal, oil, and natural gas that are used faster than nature can replace them.
What are nonrenewable resources?
This energy comes directly from sunlight using PV cells and can be used on buildings or in large arrays.
What is solar power?
Fixing this common household problem is a simple, high-impact water-conservation action described in the notes.
What is repairing leaks (fixing leaks)?
Nuclear power is produced by this process in which the nucleus of an atom is broken apart to release energy.
What is nuclear fission (splitting the nucleus)?
This estuary, the nation’s largest, mixes fresh and saltwater and supports fisheries, wetlands, and the economy of Virginia’s coastal region.
What is the Chesapeake Bay?
This fossil fuel, formed from ancient marine organisms and refined into gasoline, diesel, and plastics, is currently the most commonly used energy source for transportation.
What is oil (petroleum)?
This renewable technology uses blades turned by moving air to spin generators and is sited onshore or offshore.
What is wind power (wind energy)?
This landscaping approach uses native or drought-tolerant plants, mulch, and water-wise design to reduce outdoor water use.
What is xeriscaping (smart landscaping)?
Although nuclear plants emit almost no air pollutants during normal operation, the long-lived hazardous byproduct they produce is called this.
What is radioactive waste (nuclear waste)?
A major renewable resource in Virginia made of mixed hardwoods and pines that supports timber, filters water, stores carbon, and provides habitat.
What are forests (timber)?
A solid hydrocarbon formed from decaying plant material in ancient swamps; grades include bituminous and anthracite.
What is coal?
This method generates electricity by capturing the energy of moving water behind dams or in rivers and tides.
What is hydropower (hydroelectric energy)?
Three school/home actions listed in the notes that reduce fossil fuel use include better insulation, LED lighting, and this transportation change.
What is using public transit (or active transportation like biking/walking)?
Three historical nuclear accidents mentioned that affected public perception of nuclear power include Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and this 2011 event.
What is the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster?
Three problems harming the Bay listed in your notes include sedimentation, disease affecting oysters, and this nutrient-driven issue that creates low-oxygen zones.
What are algal blooms (eutrophication)?
This fossil fuel is mostly methane, is often found with petroleum, burns cleaner than coal or oil, and must be processed to remove impurities before use.
What is natural gas?
This technology uses the temperature difference between warm surface water and cold deep water to generate electricity and can also produce desalinated water.
What is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)?
Recovering metals from old electronics and buildings to reduce new mining demand is known by this two-word term.
What is urban mining?
This advantage of nuclear energy is often cited: it does not produce this category of gases that contribute to global warming.
What is greenhouse gases (CO2 emissions)?
A restoration practice that rebuilds habitat and improves water quality by recreating natural shoreline features, often used in Chesapeake Bay projects.
What are living shorelines (or oyster reef restoration)?
This extraction method pumps fluids into rock to create fractures so gas can be recovered; it’s controversial because of groundwater contamination and induced earthquakes.
What is hydraulic fracturing (fracking)?
This renewable energy taps Earth’s internal heat, often requiring drilling and reinjecting fluids, and provides steady baseload power where geology permits.
What is geothermal energy?
A community-scale strategy that coordinates water use with land use, agriculture, and energy planning to reduce conflicts and build resilience.
What is integrated planning (watershed-integrated planning)?
Two environmental concerns tied to fracking listed in the notes are contamination of groundwater and this seismic effect linked to injected fluids.
What is induced earthquakes (seismic activity)?
Name two inland practices mentioned that affect coastal water quality and therefore require watershed-scale cooperation.
What are agricultural runoff (excess nitrogen and phosphorus) and urban stormwater (wastewater / sedimentation)?