Fourth review Flashcards
Oil Sands
A deposit of loose sand or partially consolidated sandstone containing petroleum or other hydrocarbons.
EROI
The amount of energy that has to be expended in order to produce a certain amount of energy. The energy return on investment (EROI).
Natural Gas
Flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground (often in association with petroleum) and used as fuel.
Wave Energy
Wave power is the transport of energy by wind waves, and the capture of that energy to do useful work.
Tidal Energy
Tidal power or tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity.
Enhanced Geothermal Systems
Generates geothermal electricity without the need for natural convective hydrothermal resources.
Ground-Source Heat Pumps
A central heating and/or cooling system that transfers heat to or from the ground.
Electrolysis
The passing of a direct electric current through an ionic substance that is either molten or dissolved in a suitable solvent, producing chemical reactions at the electrodes and separation of materials.
Population Density
The number of people per unit of area, usually quoted per square kilometer or square mile (which may include or exclude, for example, areas of water or glaciers).
Sex Ratio
The ratio of males to females in a population. In most sexually reproducing species, the ratio tends to be 1:1.
Survivorship Curves
A graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving to each age for a given species or group (e.g. males or females).
Clean Coal Technologies
A collection of technologies being developed to attempt to mitigate the environmental impact of coal energy generation and to mitigate climate change.
Carbon Capture
The process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere.
Limiting Factors
In ecology, common limiting factor resources are environmental conditions that limit the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or a population of organisms in an ecosystem.
Thermal Inversion
A reaction causing a change from one optically active configuration to the opposite configuration, especially the hydrolysis of dextrose to give a levorotatory solution of fructose and glucose.
Coriolis Effect
Most apparent in the path of an object moving longitudinally. On the Earth an object that moves along a north-south path, or longitudinal line, will undergo apparent deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Nuclear Fusion
A reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei come close enough to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles (neutrons or protons).
Nuclear Fission
A nuclear reaction in which a heavy nucleus splits spontaneously or on impact with another particle, with the release of energy.
Cellulosic Ethanol
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) produced from cellulose (the stringy fiber of a plant) rather than from the plant’s seeds or fruit. It is a biofuel produced from grasses, wood, algae, or other plants.
Feed-In Tariff
Payments to ordinary energy users for the renewable electricity they generate.
Volatile Organic Compounds
Chemicals that contain carbon and are found in all living things.
Thin-Film Solar Cells
A second generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal.
CFCs
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. They are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants.
Photochemical Smog
A mixture of pollutants that are formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react to sunlight, creating a brown haze above cities. It tends to occur more often in summer, because that is when we have the most sunlight.
Industrial Smog
The black-brown colored haze that is in the air that can be seen over some cities. It is mostly visible in the summer. The smog itself is composed of sulfur dioxide, small amounts of sulfuric acid, and suspended particles from the burning of coal and oil.
