Exam 4

What is the greatest limitation for the use of geothermal power?

It is restricted to regions where we can tap energy from naturally heated groundwater

Which is the natural gas found in shale rock formations?

Tiny bubbles of dissolved gases dispersed in the rocks

How is energy produced by nuclear fission used to produce electricity?

Water in the containment vessel is kept inder high pressure and heat from the fission reactions that heat it to well over boiling. this is then used to boil another loop of water, which turns a turbine that drives a generator and makes electricity.

Carbon monoxide______

blocks oxygen transport in human blood

If a home uses a large supply of solar panels to generate electricity, but has no battery systen, surplus electricity that is produced is usually ________

released into the power grid for others to use, generating a credit to the homeowner

The motreal Protocal______

resulted in significant reduction in the production of CFC's by signatory nations

The year 2030 goal set by the US Department of Energy is to generate______

20% of electricity using wind-powered systems

What first brought attention to the problems with tracking Dimock?

A Dimock resident went to the news media to get word out about problems with fracking in Dimock

Which of the following is one of thee three current major drawbacks of solar energy?

This resource is intermittent in nature

when faced with the problem of global climate change, governments and communities can choose to either mitigate or adapt. Define each & give a specitifc example as it relates to climate change.

Mitigate: Put a price on carbon. End fossil fuel subsidies. Build low-carbon, resilient cities. Increase energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. Implement climate-smart agriculture and nurture forest landscapes. Adapt: Share Valuable Farming Tips. Listen to Regional Communities. Take Advantage of Social Media. Long Term Planning from Policy Makers. Be Prepared for Disasters.

Tropospheric ozone

is produced through the interaction of heat and UV light, with nitrogen oxides and carbon-containing compounds

Which of the following is an example of mitigation?

making legislation to reduce our use of fossile fuels

Radon____

may cause lung cancer when inhaled

If we take a sample of ice from 10 meters beneath the surface and find that it is 1,000 years old, where would we need to look for ice that is about 10,000 years old?

much deeper, about 100 meters below the surface

The primary causes of acid deposition are ______

sulfur and nitrogen oxides

Which of the following is a challenge to using solar-generated electricity in places not connected to a power grid?

the lack of efficent and inexpensive batterey technology

List 3 of the 6 criteria pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act 1970. Briefly describe why it is harmful to humans and/or the environment.

carbon monoxide, lead, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide Ozone can cause harmful changes in breathing passages, decrease the lungs' working ability and cause coughing and chest pains. Carbon Monoxide-When inhaled, CO enters the bloodstream and reduces the body's ability to deliver oxygen to vital organs and tissues. At extremely high concentrations, CO can result in death. Sulfur Dioxide- the environment by damaging crops and forming acid rain

Lead enters the atmosphere as a particulate pollutant. This is a problem because it ________.

causes central nervous system damage in humans

Why are we so eager to find clean coal technologies?

coal is the most abundant of the fossil fuels in the US

Producing electricity using wind instead of fossil fuels....

generates no carbon dioxide in the progress.

Why is there little to no growth expected for hydropower?

Almost all rivers that can be dammed for power generation have been dammed already.

in the solar panel system presented in the video, which of the following was necessary to generate usable electrical current for a home?

DC power had to be converted to AC

Which is the difference between weather and climate?

Weather occures over hours and days, climate occurs ocer seasons and years

Which of the following do not generate greenhouse gas emissions when used to generate electricity?

Wind Solar Nuclear

One of the problems that occur as a consequence of CFC pollution is ________.

increasing skin cancer in humans

Which of the following is a consequence of acidic deposition?

leaching out important minerals from soils and loss of biodiversity

A typical wind farm in the US consists of _______

many very large wind turbines clusteres in a region with a low human population

The largest protion of atmospheric gases is ______

nitrogen

Which of these would NOT contribute to a global increas in temperature?

planting trees

Which type of indirect evidence can substitute for direct measurements of past climate change?

proxy indicators

Which of the following is one of the biggest problems with nuclear power?

radioactive waste

Naural sources of air pollution come from____

soil dust, wildfires and volcanic releases

Switching from fossil fuels to _____ energy would significantly decrease the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

solar, nuclear, and geothermal

Ice that formed thousands of years ago is often found to contain tiny bubbles of gas. This gas came from __________.

the atmosphere

What does the term anthropogenic mean in relation to climate change?

Human- generated intensification of the greenhouse effect

Can you determine whether these factors have a warming or cooling effect on Earth's surface?

Factors that contribute to warming: -Black carbon aerosols and soot particles -Tropospheric ozone (O3) -Parts of Earth's surface with low reflectivity (low albedo) -Nitrogen oxides (N2O) fromdenitrification and fossil fuel combustion -Carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel combustion -Methane (CH4) from decomposition and feedlots Factors that contribute to cooling: -Parts of Earth's surface with high reflectivity (high albedo) -Condensed water vapor(cloud albedo)

How is hydrofracking used to obtain natural gas from rocks deep in the Earth?

Fluids are pumped onto chale causing the rick to feacture, releasing natural gas

What sort of threat does wind energy pose to certain kinds of wildlife?

Flying creatures such as birds and batsare killed when they fly into the wind turbine blades

In the US, which renewable resource energy source makes the largest contribution to electrical production?

Hydropower

What position did the US take regarding the Kryoto Protocol?

The US is the only industrialized nation to refuse to ratify the Kryoto Protocol

Which of the following best describes the energy conversion sequence in the solar panel system described in the video?

Photons carrying energy from the sun chemically react with silicon crystals to generate a flow of electrons

Which of the following would indicate that a home is using solar power to generate electricity and is NOT using batteries?

There are solar panels on the roof and power lines going to the home.

What is one of the main reasons for sea level rise?

Thermal expansion

What is Hubbert's peak?

a prediction, based on rates of extraction and new discovery, of when a country's or global oil production will be at a maximum and then start to fall

a) What are the environmental impacts of using coal as athe major electricity producing fuel in the us? b) Describe an alterative fuel that could be used to supply the US demand for electricity instead of coal. What advantages and disadvantages would this fuel have for the ecosystem and for the economy?

a) Sulfur dioxide (SO2), which contributes to acid rain and respiratory illnesses. Nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to smog and respiratory illnesses. Particulates, which contribute to smog, haze, and respiratory illnesses and lung disease. b) Start using alternative sources of energy like solar power, wind power, geothermal, biomass, hydro power, waste energy and so on, because these renewable energy sources are not polluting the environment and are helping us to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere and to reduce climate pollution.

As snow and ice melt, darker, less reflectiver surfaces (such as bare ground and pools of meltwater) are exposed causing _____ in warming.

an increase

The ultimate source of energy that drives wind power is_______

the sun

The US and other industralized nations devote about one-third of thie oil use to ____

transportation

Electricity in a wind turbine is generated __________.

when spinning magnets move past a coil of copper wire