exam3 Flashcards
chapters 8 and 14
nonrenewable
an energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
fossil fuels
a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
nuclear fuel
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
turbine
a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam, or exhaust gas from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity-producing plant
electrical grid
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity
coal
solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago
petroleum
a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur
crude oil
liquid petroleum removed from the ground
natural gas
a fossil fuel that is formed from decayed organic material transformed by high temperatures and pressures over millions of years into bubbles of methane gas; highly flammableprimarily consistingof methane and ethane
fission
a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat
fuel rods
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor
radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity
renewable
in energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable
biofuels
liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass
carbon neutral
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations
net removal
the process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
ethanol
alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2
biodiesel
a diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants
hydroelectricity
electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water
active solar energy
energy captured from sunlight with intermediate technologies
photovoltaic solar cells
a system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
geothermal energy
heat energy that comes from the natural radioactive decay of elements deep within earth
wind turbine
a turbine that converts wind energy into electricity
fuel cell
an electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current
global climate change
changes in the climate of earth; an aspect of global change
global warming
the warming of the oceans, landmasses, and atmosphere of earth; an aspect of global climate change
greenhouse warming potential
an estimate of how much a molecule of any compound can contribute to global warming over a period of 100 years relative to a molecule of CO2
foraminifera
are a single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of rhizarian protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses
polar ice caps
a high-latitude region of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite that is covered in ice
glaciers
a large mass of perennial ice that originates on land and shows evidence of past or present flow
permafrost
an impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil
sea levels
the level of the sea’s surface, used in reckoning the height of geographical features such as hills and as a barometric standard; compare with mean sea level
heat waves
a period of abnormally hot weather lasting from two days to months; it is characterized by prolonged abnormally high surface temperatures relative to those normally expected
carbon sequestration
an approach to stabilizing greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the atmosphere
what is the first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed to different types of energy
what is the second law of thermodynamics
when energy is transformed, the quantity of energy remains the same, but the ability to do work diminishes
what is energy efficiency
the ratio of the amount of work that is done to the total amount of energy that is introduced into the system in the first place
what is the ideal use of coal + energy efficiency percent
electricity plants and industry (stationary use) 35%
what are six pros and six cons of using coal
pros- energy-dense, plentiful, easy to mine, cheap to mine, easy to handle, needs no refining
cons- contains sulfur, can contain mercury/lead/arsenic, creates more CO2 gas per unit then oil or natural gas, huge contributor to greenhouse gasses, health risks from mining, worker exploitation
what respiratory disease is associated with underground coal mining
black lung
what are three things made from petroleum + what is the ideal use of petroleum
plastic, gas, gasoline; the ideal use is transportation
what is the word fracking short for
hydraulic fracturing
what are the two types of damming used to create hydroelectric power
run-of-the-river (less env impact)
water impoundment (must hold vast amounts of water)
what have been the second two hottest (tie) years on record so far, and how much hotter than the average were they
2016 and 2020 at 1°C
what has been the hottest year on record so far, and how much hotter than the average was it
2023 at 1.17°C
what is energy quality
the ease with which an energy source can be used for work
what are the three main ways energy is used globally and their percentage of use
electricity- 40%
industry- 35%
transportation- 25%
what is the element used to create nuclear energy
uranium
how many times more energy dense is uranium to coal
2-3 million
list five biofuels
wood, charcoal, manure, plant remains, municipal solid waste
what is another word used for solid biofuels
biomass
list two liquid biofuels
ethanol, biodiesel
as of 2010, how much of us electricity was generated by wind vs. hydroelectric
less than 1% vs. 7%
what are the two types of damming used to create hydroelectric power
run-of-the river (less env impact), water impoundment (must hold vast amounts of water)
what is energy conservation and one example
consume less: turning off lights and electronics while not in use
what is energy efficiency and on example
same amount of work from less energy: incandescent bulbs vs. LED
five natural sources of greenhouse gas emissions and the main gas associated with that source
volcanic eruptions -CO2
wetlands -methane
termite farts -methane
aquatic ecosystems -N2O
evaporation evapotranspiration -water vapor
five natural source of greenhouse gas emissions and the main gas associated with that source
burning fossil fuels -CO2
agriculture -various
deforestation -CO2, methane, N2O
landfills -methane
industry -creation of synthetic greenhouse gasses (CFCs and HCFCs)
