Chapter 15 Flashcards
insolation
incoming solar radiation and energy input which varies by latitude and where the subsolar point is located
subsolar point
the point at which the sun is directly overhead
How much of the sun’s energy is absorbed by earth’s surface?
70%. It reflects the rest into space.
What kind of energy bounces off earth’s surface?
Infrared radiation.
Greenhouse effect
greenhouse gases absorb a portion of radiation emitted from earth’s surface and trap it in the atmosphere.
Low pressure air
warm air rises, leading to low pressure at the surface, resulting in rainy, cloudy, or snowy weather.
High pressure air
When air cools, it descends, leading to high pressure at the surface, resulting in clear weather.
Equatorial low-pressure trough
warming near the equator creates warm (less dense) rising air which creates low pressure at the surface and it creates the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where trade winds converge.
Subtropical high-pressure cells
dry air near the equator is heated as it compresses towards the surface of the atmosphere, it creates high pressure when it cools and sinks in the subtropics
Subpolar low-pressure cells
confrontation between the warm westerlies and colder dry air from the poles. This pushes up the bulk of air towards the equator, creating a low pressure belt.
Polar high pressure cells
relatively weak
What is albedo?
A measurement of the reflective properties of surfaces
5 greenhouse gases
co2, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and chloroflourocarbons.
Temperature
controlled by latitude, altitude, land-water heating differences, and cloud cover.
how does the thermohaline circulation moderate climate? Scientists are concerned about it slowing - why?
It warms Europe, rapid melting of Greenland’s ice sheet could interrupt the flow of heat and cause Europe to cool dramatically.
What is the concept of sea level rise?
sea levels rise because water expands as it warms, glaciers and ice sheets and melting, and groundwater we extract eventually reaches the ocean
Proxies
records that give us data about temperature, ice cover, or rain, like tree rings, ice cores, and sediments.
1st phase of the Milankovich cycles
an axial wobble that occurs every 19-23,000 years.
2nd phase of the Milankovich cycles
a 3 degree shift in the tilt of earth’s axis that occurs every 41,000 years.
3rd phase of the Milankovich cycles
A variation in earth’s orbit from almost circular to more elliptical which happens every 100,000 years.
Radiative forcing
a measure of the influence that a climatic factor has in altering the balance of incoming and outgoing energy like ice albedo or tropospheric aerosols.
Cooling agents
negative forcing factors like low lying clouds, snow and ice, volcanoes, sulfate aerosols.
warming agents - positive forcing factors
1 kg of fossil fuel burned produces 3 kg of co2, other greenhouse gases.
Climate forcing strength
the cfs of different greenhouse gases is described relative to that of carbon dioxide (global warming potential = gwp)
co2 has a gwp of 1. Lifetime in atmosphere is 100 years.
What happens when the jet stream goes into a blocking pattern?
It gets slowed by arctic warming, departs from its normal configuration and stalls weather systems in place.
What is the difference between climate change and global warming?
A change in climate is defined by changes in the average or variability of its temp, or rain, and lasts for a decade or longer. Global warming is the rise in global temps due to the increase in greenhouse gases
What is the primary anthropogenic source of greenhouse gases?
Fossil fuels
What is the leading cause of methane?
Livestock and rice cultivation
How many emissions do we produce annually?
7.2 billion metric tons
What negative effects do scientists expect from human-induced climate change?
average temps will rise by 3-7 degrees, rain becoming less frequent but more intense, droughts, flooding, water shortages.
Are there solutions to human induced climate change?
Invest in clean energy, create green jobs, tax global warming pollution.
How much of US co2 emissions are associated with electricity generation?
31%
Shale gas
natural gas trapped deep underground in tiny bubbles throughout shale, which is a type of sedimentary rock
Net energy
the difference between energy returned and energy invested. Net energy = energy returned - energy invested
EROI (energy returned on investment)
energy returned divided by energy invested
What does a high EROI rating mean?
It means that we get more energy out of a material than we spend harvesting it
What is the world’s most abundant fossil fuel?
Coal
Coal
is generally formed from woody plant material.
Subsurface mining
digging vertical shafts and blasting out networks of horizontal tunnels
True or false: nuclear fission in a nuclear reactor is the splitting of a uranium 235 atom under very controlled conditions
True
One of the most important drawbacks of nuclear power is:
What to do with radioactive waste that is produced from the process
True or false: a radioactive isotope is an unstable isotope of elements resulting from the fission process
True
true or false: a nuclear reactor has a radioactive fuel in fuel rods, control rods that absorb neutrons, and a moderator fluid that acts as a coolant
True
Natural gas
consists primarily of methane and lesser hydrocarbons.
Shale oil
a petroleum liquid produced from specially processed shale rock
3 types of unconventional fossil fuels
oil sands (tar sands), oil shale, and methane hydrate.
Methane hydrate
an ice-like solid consisting of methane molecules embedded in a crystal lattice of water molecules.
What determines how much fuel will be extracted and why?
Economics, because extraction becomes more expensive as resources are removed.
Refining
hydrocarbon molecules are boiled and separated by size to create different fuels for heating, cooking, and transportation.
Reserves-to-production ratio
reserves divided by the annual rate of production.. At current levels of production (33.6 billion barrels globally per year), 1.7 trillion barrels would last about 51 more years.
Peak oil
The point of maximum production of petroleum in the world or a nation, after which oil production declines
Secondary extraction
it used to get as much as the remaining two thirds of an oil or gas deposit
Directional drilling
a drilling technique in which a drill bores down vertically and then bends horizontally.
BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill
spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil over the course 3 months. This is still the world’s largest oil spill.
The Dakota Access Pipeline
Brings oil from ND to Illinois. The Standing Rock Sious objected to this pipeline because it would cross their land and the Missouri River, and harm burial grounds.
Lac-Megantic
An explosive derailment of an oil train in Canada which killed 47 people and destroyed the town’s center.
How do we alter Earth’s carbon cycle?
during combustion, carbon from the molecules of fossil fuels unites with oxygen, producing carbon co2
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
An emergency stockpile in the US, which stores one month’s supply of oil, deep underground in the salt caverns of Louisiana.
Energy efficiency
The ability to obtain a given amount of output while using less energy input.
What is the difference between energy efficiency and energy conservation?
Efficiency results from technological improvements, where as conservation stems from behavioral choices.
Energy intensity
a measure of energy use per dollar of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Lower energy intensity indicates greater efficiency.
Cogeneration
excess heat produced during electricity generation is captured and used to heat homes or workplaces.
Rebound effect
when gains from energy efficient products are offset by people engaging in more energy-consuming behavior.
Nuclear energy
the energy that holds together protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.
Nuclear power
the use of nuclear energy to generate electricity
nuclear fission
the nuclei of large, heavy atoms such as uranium and plutonium are bombarded with neutrons. When the nuclei is split, it emits heat, light, and radiation energy. It also releases neutrons. These neutrons bombard other uranium 235 atoms, resulting in a continuous reaction.
True or false: nuclear power is a nonrenewable resource
True
Three Mile Island
a cooling malfunction caused part of the reactor core to melt. Most radiation remained inside the containment building.
Meltdown
the accidental melting of uranium fuel rods inside the reactor, causing the release of radiation
Chernobyl
A nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where in 1986 an explosion caused the most severe nuclear accident the world has yet seen.
Fukushima Daiichi
A Japanese nuclear power plant damaged by a tsunami that was a result of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Most of the radiation drifted over the ocean away from the population.
Megatons to Megawatts
A program where the US purchased uranium and plutonium from Russia which is used to generate 10% of America’s electricity.
Why has nuclear power’s growth slowed?
Because building, maintaining, operating and ensuring safety is expensive. Plants also age quickly due to corrosion.
