Lecture 2

Question 1

What is oil?

Answer 1

Crude oil is a mixture of hydrogen and Carbon atoms (hydrocarbons). simple chains are called “normal alkanes”

Question 2

How are hydrocarbon formed?

Answer 2

They originate from plankton and plants trapped in anoxic sedimentary deposits which prevents oxidation. these deposits are “cooked” by earths core at a distance between 2,300 m and 4,600 m

Question 3

What is peak oil?

Answer 3

A resevoirs maximum oil production rate. it occurs when 50% of the known conventional oil reserves have been recovered

Question 4

Why have we not felt the effects of post peak-oil

Answer 4

We arent limited to conventional oil. industries have been extracting non-conventional oil, heavy oil, deep-water oil and polar oil. new discoveries of reservoirs are disguising the decline in oil availability

Question 5

What are the 3 post oil societal scenarios?

Answer 5

1. Mass starvation- pop declines to 2 bil.
2. value of oil will collapse with more efficient techonologies made available- conservation
3. continue to recover unconventional oil and release more CO2 into atmosphere

Question 6

What is an ice age?

Answer 6

recurring periods in earth history when the entire earth experiences colder climatic conditions, ice sheets formed over earths continental surface

Question 7

How often do ice ages occur

Answer 7

every 100,000 years

Question 8

What are 2 main natural causes of ice ages? possible 3rd

Answer 8

plate tectonics
milankovitch cycles
fluctuations in solar output

Question 9

What are plate tectonics?

Answer 9

a) changes in the positions of the continents
b) major uplift at continental plate boundaries cause changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns.
c) Large or numerous volcanic eruptions release huge amounts of gasses within the atmosphere causing global warming. particles of ash reduce solar radiation causing cooling.

Question 10

What is the milankovitch cycle?

Answer 10

Earths orbit, tilt and wobble determine distance from the sun, farther the distance, cooler the earth.

Question 11

What are solar output fluctuations?

Answer 11

the Maunder minimum (1645-1715), sunspots were very rare. unsure if sun spots drastically affect earths climate

Question 12

How long have humans been affecting CO2 and methane on earth?

Answer 12

CO2~8,000 years

Methane ~ 5,500 years

Question 13

How did humans amplify CO2 and methane

Answer 13

Early agriculture

Question 14

What are 3 sources of carbon and 3 carbon sinks

Answer 14

fossil fuels, land use, other emissions

Atmospheric increase, terrestrial uptake, ocean uptake

Question 15

how have humans increased methane?

Answer 15

raising livestock (cow farts) 
rice paddy agriculture

Question 16

What is the biggest source of natural methane production?

Answer 16

Wetlands, northern wetlands (60% of global wetland area) = 1/4-1/3 of the total methane originates in wet soils.