Chapter 14
Based on this study, it is believed that climate change will lead to which of the following? This study is replicated in the Appalachian Mountains with similar results. Which of the following is true? Which of the following would likely see the most dramatic climate change? Which of the following appears more likely? Based on this study, which of the following would be most beneficial to bumble bees?
A longer flowering season. The number of days with poor flower availability increased. A high altitude location. Climate change will cause bumble bee populations to decrease worldwide. An increase in floral distribution within a season.
Knowing the importance of assessing coal reserves in terms of energy content per unit weight, which region has the most valuable coal reserves?
Asia
Most coal in the world is used to ___.
generate electricity
Using high pressure liquids to extract oil from rocks such as oil shale is known as ____.
hydraulic fracturing
Interest in nuclear power plants is increasing because ____.
of increasing costs of other forms of renewable energy and concerns about global warming.
The red line represents annual human consumption of paleoproduction by fossil fuel combustion. The dashed line indicates current annual net primary production (NPP) for the entire planet. Estimate in what year the annual consumption of paleoproduction surpassed Earth's current annual NPP. Estimate in what year our consumption of paleoproduction reached 100 times Earth's current annual net primary production. If on average it takes 7,000 units of paleoproduction to produce 1 units of fossil fuel, estimate the total carbon content of the fossil fuel consumed in the year 2000 (assume 50,000 trillion kg C consumption in 2000). Now calculate the total carbon content of the fossil fuel consumed in the year 1750 (assume 0.03 trillion kg C). How many times greater was the total carbon content in the fossil fuel consumed 2000 than in 1750? If the paleoproduction consumption line reached a peak in 2000 and began to decline at the same rate it increased, in what year would we be at global net primary productivity again?
1890 1960 3.5 x 10^8 trillion kg C 1.7 x 10^6 2110
How much uranium oxide did the United States produce in 2005? In what year did uranium oxide production peak in the United States? What was the net amount of uranium imported into the United States in 2005? Describe the trends in uranium oxide domestic production from the peak production year to 2005. If current trends continue, the United States is likely to
5 million pounds 1980 45 million pounds Domestic production declined dramatically. decrease domestic production and increase imports and exports.
Matching Nonrenewable Energy Renewable Energy Energy Conversion Primary Energy Secondary Energy
- Sources of energy that exist in limited quantities. - Sources of energy that are not depleted when they are used. - The process of changing one form of energy into other forms of energy. - Energy contained in natural resources. - Energy sources that have been converted from other energy sources.
All of the following except ________ would result in improved energy use efficiency.
buying more SUV motor vehicles
Many pollutants from coal-fired power plants are properly managed today. Which of the following is currently considered to be the biggest threat to the environment? All fossil fuels, including coal, are considered an indirect form of ___ energy. Where is electricity made at a coal-fired power plant? During peak usage, what happens to the cost of electricity? What color smoke was coming from a coal-fired power plant would indicate wasted fuel?
carbon dioxide solar generator It almost always increases. black
Peak oil demand goes hand-in-hand with which of the following? Historically, which of the following has been true? If the coronavirus pandemic had not occurred, Carbon Tracker predicted which of the following? If trends of the last 15 years continue, which of the following will occur? Imagine that oil prices stay in the $50 per barrel range for 4 years. When it comes to oil production, which of the following countries will likely fare best?
peak carbon dioxide emissions. Return rates have been higher from new oil projects than from solar and wind projects. Peak oil demand would occur in the early 2020s. The price for renewable energies will decline. Russia.
For each characteristic of mineral extraction, decide whether it applies to strip mining, subsurface mining, or both types of mining.
strip mining: - used to extract resources that are near the surface - overburden is removed from mining site - destroys large areas of wildlife habitat subsurface mining: - safety requires good ventilation systems - used to extract resources that are deep underground - one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States both strip mining & subsurface mining: - generates acid drainage - used to extract coal
The greatest proven oil reserves in the world are found in ____.
the Middle East. Today, close to half of known oil reservoirs are located in just five Middle Eastern countries: Saudia Arabia Iran Iraq Kuwait United Arab Emirates
Matching For each characteristic in the table below, decide which fossil fuel (or fuels) it best describes. - coal - oil - natural gas - coal, oil, & natural gas
1. Used primarily in the United States for electricity generation: coal. 2. Remains of ancient organisms, modified underground for long periods by temperature and pressure: coal, oil, & natural gas. 3. The world's most abundant fossil fuel: coal. 4. A mixture of hundreds or thousands of different hydrocarbon molecules: oil. 5. Primary fuel used in the United States for space and water heating: natural gas. 6. Created very slowly and considered nonrenewable at current extraction rates: coal, oil, & natural gas. 7. Used primarily in the United States as a source of vehicle fuels: oil. 8. Produces the least carbon dioxide per unit energy when combusted: natural gas.
Everyday Environmental Science: Coal Power A) How does a coal-fired power plant use the energy in coal to produce electricity? B) What environmental problem that contributes to global warming is addressed by using amine solutions to treat the fumes of a coal-burning power plant? C) Once the carbon dioxide is captured from the fumes of a coal-burning power plant, something must be done with it. The option with the least environmental impact involves releasing the carbon dioxide into ___. D) One-quarter of Scotland's electricity is generated by the third-largest coal-fired power station in Europe. In just three minutes, this power plant uses ___ of coal.
A) Burning coal heats water and creates steam that turns the blades of a turbine and generates electricity. B) the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. C) deep underground caverns. D) one train car (wagon)
Smart-grid technologies can help to lower electrical energy costs and demands by reducing ____.
peak load by helping consumers identify and reduce their use of electricity during peak demand.
ScienceDaily Which of the following had generally been accepted as true, but this new study questions? This study suggests which of the following is true? A new research team decides to study this phenomenon by replicating fossilization of foraminifera in the lab. Which of the following can they expect? As this team continues this research, which of the following will they be analyzing? If this research is correct, which of the following is true?
Compared to today, ocean temperatures were warmer 100 million years ago. Oxygen-18 levels in foraminifera tests change over time. During sedimentation, temperatures will increase. foraminifera shells. Climate change is more intense than previously thought.
End-Use Efficiency A) Electricity starts with a primary energy source and results in an end use. In this example, you are looking at how burning coal leads to light. Drag a label to each step of the process to indicate if energy is lost, gained, or if there is no change. Labels may be used once, more than once, or not at all. Labels: - energy gained - no change - energy lost B) Sort each primary energy source as renewable or nonrenewable. C) The following headlines are excerpted from real news articles from sources such as National Geographic, Scientific American, and Forbes. Can you match the headline with the primary energy source it relates to? - "Study Finds Songbirds Impacted by Fracking" - "Amazon Dams Keep the Lights On but Could Hurt Fish, Forests" - "Deepwater Horizon... Long-term Effects on Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles" - "....Turbines Can Mean Death For Bats" - "Solar Farms Threaten Birds" - "How Mountaintop Mining Affects Life and Landscape in West Virginia" - "Three Ways Radiation Has Changed the Monkeys of Fukushima"
A) from left to right: energy lost, energy lost, energy lost. B) renewable: - solar - wind - hydropower - geothermal - biomass nonrenewable: - coal - nuclear -natural gas - oil C) - natural gas - hydropower - oil - wind - solar - coal - nuclear
Can you label the steps of energy production at a coal-fired power plant? Moving clockwise, label the steps of energy production in this diagram of a coal-fired power plant.
Part A 1. Coal is burned in the furnace. 2. Heat from combustion boils water. 3. Steam turns the turbine. 4. Magnets are moved past copper coils to generate current. 5. Steam is cooled and condensed. 6. Air pollutants are filtered out. 7. Toxic ash is taken to a hazardous waste disposal site.
Global Connection: Energy Use Around the World Part A) Economic Energy and Energy Use Do you think there is a relationship between a country's economic strength and its energy use? Below is a map showing gross national income per capita (a measure of economic strength) and energy consumption in million BTU (British thermal unit) per capita. Based on the data from the map, drag each country's data point to its approximate place on the graph. (Note that three targets will be left blank.) Gross national income is shown on the x axis, and energy use is shown on the y axis. Part B) Economic Strength and Renewable Energy Use As you have just seen, nations with stronger economies use more energy. One of the main uses of energy is in the form of electricity. Electricity can be generated from nonrenewable sources such as coal or natural gas, or it can be generated from renewable sources such as solar or wind. Is economic strength a predictor of how much renewable energy a nation uses? The table below indicates the total amount of electricity each country generates and the amount it generates from renewable sources. Calculate the percentage of each nation's electricity that comes from renewable sources. Then fill in the conclusion statements below the table. Part C) Environmental Impacts of Energy Use Every type of energy production, even those using renewable sources, comes with advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages of fossil fuels are well known, including high CO2 emissions, solid waste products, and damage to the environment caused by their extraction. What are the disadvantages of non-fossil fuel energy sources? Match each energy source with its disadvantage. 1. The United States generates 2% of its electricity from biomass and waste energy. 2. Spain generates 17% of its electricity with wind power. 3. Paraguay generates 100% of its electricity from hydropower. 4. South Korea has one of the biggest tidal power plants in the world. 5. France generates 51% of its electricity with nuclear power. 6. The Philippines generates 17% of its electricity with geothermal energy. 7. Italy generates 7% of its electricity with solar energy. Part D) Energy Use and Global Warming One of the biggest concerns of using nonrenewable energy sources (namely fossil fuels) is their significant contribution to global warming. Imagine that you are working as a spokesperson for an organization that is concerned about global warming. Your goal is to raise awareness of ways to reduce the negative impacts of energy use on global warming. You will be interviewed by a news station. You need to be prepared to discuss topics that might come up during the interview. Which of the following topics should you be prepared to discuss during your interview? Select all that apply.
Part A) In order from lowest to highest on the graph: 1. Chad 2. Paraguay 3. Chile 4. Spain 5. United States Part B) Group 1: % Electricity from Renewable Sources Chad: 0% Paraguay: 100% Chile: 37% Spain: 31% United States: 13% Group 2: 1. the lowest percentage 2. the highest percentage 3. neither the lowest nor the highest percentage Group 3: 4. no strong relationship Part C) 1. Can influence land use and the price and availability of food. 2. Production is intermittent, can harm wildlife. 3. Fragments rivers. 4. Degrades marine ecosystems. 5. Large safety and waste disposal issues. 6. Few locations with magma close enough to Earth's surface. 7. Can only generate electricity for half the day. Part D) All of these following topics apply: fines for companies that violate CO2 environmental regulations rates for energy consumption technologies that clean coal systems reuse and recycling programs laws that require vehicles to be more efficient renewable energy sources programs that aim to reduce population growth rate, the cost of energy nuclear power There are many ways to reduce the impacts of energy use on global warming. Humans are not going to stop production of energy as society heavily depends on using energy. However, you can take steps to reduce the impacts of energy use. More developed nations with strong economies tend to use more energy per capita than less developed nations. Developing nations are trending toward using more energy as their development and populations increase. It will be important for both developed and less developed nations to work to mitigate the negative effects of energy use.