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Climate Change Duke Semester 1 > 4: Fossil Fuels > Flashcards

4: Fossil Fuels Flashcards

1
Q

The three major types of fossil fuels are…

A

coal, oil, and natural gas

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2
Q

Coal is primarily made of the element .

A

carbon

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3
Q

Petroleum and natural gas consist of ______________

A

hydrocarbons

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4
Q

Which is the largest source of electricity production in the United States?

A

Natural gas

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5
Q

What major sectors rely on petroleum? (click all that apply)

Transportation

Ceramics

Plastics

Tesla

A

Transportation

Plastics

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6
Q

True or False? In 2023, most of the US’ electricity was produced by burning fossil fuels.

A

True. In 2023, most of the US’ electricity was produced by burning fossil fuels.

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7
Q

In 2022, the dominant fuel used for transportation in the US was…

A

Petroleum

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8
Q

True or False? Most coal was originally deposited as peat in stagnant swamps

A

True. Most coal was originally deposited as peat in stagnant swamps.

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9
Q

Anthracite has a (higher or lower?) percent carbon than lignite.

A

higher

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10
Q

True or False? Most modern coal plants are equipped with “scrubbers” that remove carbon dioxide from the emissions before they leave the smokestack.

A

false

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11
Q

The archeological evidence suggests that coal was first used by ________________________ 73,500 years ago.

A

Neanderthals

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12
Q

How did early “humans” likely learn that coal can be burned? Click all that apply
Group of answer choices

coal seams ignited by lightening strikes

coal seams ignited by forest fires

coal seams ignited by self-combustion brought on by tectonic friction

coal seems ignited by the last fire-breathing dragons

A

coal seams ignited by lightning strikes
coal seams ignited by forest fires
coal seams ignited by self-combustion brought on by tectonic friction

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13
Q

There is an historical correlation between when coal was widely used in regions of Europe, and when local ________ became scarce.

A

forests

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14
Q

True or False? Coal production in the US peaked during the “Age of Steam”.

A

false

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15
Q

After the Environmental Protection Agency was tasked in 1970 to regulate sulfide emissions by coal fire powerplants, coal production in the US experienced ______________, and coal employment numbers ____________.

A

a massive increase; continued their downward trend since the 1920s

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16
Q

Much of the growth in US coal production since the 1970s was caused by a huge increase in production of _____________ coals in the ____________________.

A

low-sulfur; Western Coalfields

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17
Q

Aside from its favorable chemistry, and ease of restrictions to get Western coals to market, this region’s coal production also benefited from……(click all that apply)

Group of answer choices

higher productivity due to mechanization

much cheaper labor force

more accessible near-surface coalfields

much higher average heat content of its coals than compared to the East

A

higher productivity due to mechanization
more accessible near-surface coalfields

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18
Q

Sulfur emission limits of European coal fire power plants were continuously lowered, especially when it was found that _________________ was killing forests in the 1980s.

A

acid rain

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19
Q

“Oil” found in a geological setting is called

A

petroleum

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20
Q

Oil is ultimately formed…

A

from the dead bodies of planktonic micro-organisms.

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21
Q

Oil tends to migrate upwards through overlying rocks because…

A

it is very light.

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22
Q

When searching for petroleum deposits what are some key characteristics of the geology?
Group of answer choices

High permeability cap rock

low permeability caprock

anticlines

synclines

source rock

A

Low permeability caprock
Anticlines
Source rock

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23
Q

True or False? During crude oil refining, the longest chain hydrocarbons will rise and collect at the top of a distillation column.

A

False. During crude oil refining, the longest chain hydrocarbons will not rise and collect at the top of a distillation column; they typically collect at the bottom.

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24
Q

Unless you live in the US countryside, urban “gas stoves” and “gas water heaters” are supplied with what purified “natural gas”?

A

methane

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25
Q

What is different about an unconventional reservoir as compared to a conventional reservoir?

A

the former has significantly lower permeability.

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26
Q

Burning natural gas produces less of which of the following than the burning of coal (to produce the same unit of energy)? (click all that apply)
Group of answer choices

particulates

sulfur dioxide

nitrous oxides

carbon dioxide

carbon monoxide

A

particulates

sulfur dioxide

nitrous oxides

carbon dioxide

carbon monoxide

27
Q

The process by which energy companies artificially increase the permeability of a reservoir rock is proverbially called…..

A

fracking

28
Q

The following two greenhouse gases are NOT produced directly by human emissions but through indirect processes and conditions created by humans (click two)

carbon dioxide
CFCs
water vapor
methane
nitrous oxide
tropospheric ozone

A

water vapor
tropospheric ozone

29
Q

What percentage of the annual global emissions of carbon dioxide are produced by human activities?

A

4%

30
Q

The following accounts for around 60% of all natural annual emissions of carbon dioxide

A

plant respiration, decomposition, and burning

31
Q

80% of human emissions of carbon dioxide are due to the burning of fossil fuel. What human sources make up the other 20%? (select two)

A

land use
cement making

32
Q

In 2023, the average annual atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was around….

A

419 parts per million

33
Q

True or False? The annual human-produced methane emissions are nearly equal to the annual natural emissions.

A

true

34
Q

Wild “ruminants” (deer, antelope, elk, etc.) produce around 4% of the natural annual emissions of methane. What other non-human animal is responsible for an additional 3%?

A

termites

35
Q

This environment is the single largest contributor to natural annual methane emissions

A

wetlands

36
Q

Other than the burning of fossil fuels, what are the other two major contributors to human emissions of methane? (click two)

A

Landfills and waste-water treatment
Animal husbandry

37
Q

____________________, much like natural wetlands, contribute about 11% of the annual human emissions of methane.

A

rice fields

38
Q

Atmospheric methane concentrations reached around 1923 ____ in 2023

A

parts per billion

39
Q

What percentage of annual emissions of CFCs are due to natural sources?

A

0%

40
Q

True or False? Many of the synthetic substances that were used to replace CFCs turned out to be potent greenhouse gases.

A

True

41
Q

What percentage of annual emissions of nitrous oxides are due to human activities?

A

42%

42
Q

The single largest producer of natural nitrous oxide emissions are __________ processes.

A

soil

43
Q

True or False? The largest source of human emissions of nitrous oxides is the burning of fossil fuels.

A

false

44
Q

The production of tropospheric ozone is limited by the human production of _____________________

A

nitrous oxides

45
Q

Measuring mean daily or annual tropospheric ozone concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere is thwarted by and essentially pointless because_______ (click all that apply).

A

Tropospheric ozone is very short-lived
Tropospheric ozone sources are highly localized (not uniformly mixed into the atmosphere)

46
Q

This is the most produced greenhouse gas (billions of tons per year) by humans.

A

carbon dioxide

47
Q

The atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas are currently the highest compared to other directly emitted gases.

A

carbon dioxide

48
Q

Which of the following greenhouse gases has the longest AVERAGE “e-lifetime” in the atmosphere?

A

nitrous oxide

49
Q

Why is the e-lifetime of carbon dioxide a range rather than a single average number?

A

unlike methane and nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through multiple pathways, each with their own unique rate, which affects how long a given amount of carbon dioxide will stay in the atmosphere

50
Q

Some CHFCs, notably “HG-03”, have the highest radiative efficiencies among all greenhouse gases. Which of the following has the second highest radiative efficiency?

A

nitrous oxide

51
Q

Which of the following greenhouse gases has the highest absolute global warming potential over 100 years?

A

nitrous oxide

52
Q

Which greenhouse gas has the lowest absolute global warming potential and is therefore used as the standard for the “global warming potential”, which compares among gases?

A

carbon dioxide

52
Q

Why is the “global warming potential” of greenhouse gas potentially misleading about the role each gas plays in actually contributing to warming?

A

GWP only considers the radiative efficiency of a certain amount of gas, without actually taking into consideration how much gas is ACTUALLY emitted and already present

53
Q

Considering its radiative efficiency, e-lifetime, atmospheric concentrations, and total annual emissions, __________________ has and is contributing the most to global warming.

A

carbon dioxide

54
Q

The top 5 emitters of greenhouse gases are (click all that apply)
Australia
India
United States
Brazil
Russian Federation
European Union
Japan
Indonesia
Canada
China

A

India
United States
Russian Federation
European Union
china

55
Q

The United States emits roughly ______ times as much greenhouse gases as compared to its overall population percentage of the world.

A

2.75

56
Q

The country with the highest global annual emissions of greenhouse gases is_________________

Australia
the European Union

A

China

57
Q

The annual emissions of greenhouse gases of these two countries has been declining since at least the early 2000s (or even before). Click all that apply

Russian Federation
European Union
India
United States

A

European Union
United States

58
Q

Why are the annual per capita emissions of countries like Qatar and Kuwait so large compared to other countries?

A

both countries have large emission related to fossil-fuel-processing (mostly for export) yet relative small populations

59
Q

Among the top five emitters of GHG, which one emits the most GHG per capita (per person in country)?

A

Russian federation

60
Q

Which of the following countries (select two) have increased the amount of GHG emissions per capita since the 1990s?

A

china india

61
Q

Of the top 5 carbon dioxide emitters, which country has the lowest GHG emissions in terms of economic output (GDP)?

A

European Union

62
Q

Of the top 5 carbon dioxide emitters, which countries have reduced their annual GHG emissions per GDP since 1990s? Click all that apply

A

China
Russian Federation
European Union
India
United States

63
Q

True or False? The good news is that since the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Climate Accord, we have seen dramatic decreases in global annual greenhouse gas emissions.

A

False

Climate Change Duke Semester 1 (5 decks)

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