Environmental Science Exam 2

renewable energy

renewable energy

energy sources that are more or less continuously made available within a timeframe useful to people

alternative energy sources

renewable energy sources are often considered to be these because, in general, most industrialized countries do not rely on them as their main energy source

conventional energy sources

industrialized countries tend to rely on these, such as fossil fuels or nuclear power that are non-renewable

completely renewable

“unlimited”

semi-renewable resources

can theoretically be renewed at least as quickly as they are consumed

solar energy

the ultimate energy source driving life on earth and many human activities

photovoltaic cells

modern technology for finding a way to produce electricity from sunlight

passive solar power

manipulates the sun’s energy to provide heating or cooling, without the use of special devices or modern technology

active solar power

harness the sun’s energy through the use of specialized devices that transform this energy into another form

solar thermal collectors

an alternate type of active solar power device that may require the input of some energy to pump a heat-absorbing fluid medium through a collector to store and distribute the energy

solar thermal systems

use concentrating solar collector systems to collect and concentrate the sunlight to produce the high temperature heat needed to generate electricity

wind power

a renewable energy source that uses the energy of moving air to generate electricity

offshore wind

many locations with excellent wind power are found at the top of the ocean and are beginning to be utilized through the construction of these farms

wind turbines

most common way to collect and transform the wind’s energy into a usable form is this, these use blades to collect the wind’s kinetic energy

windmills

wind turbine technology has been in use for hundreds of years in the form of these

hydroelectric power (hydropower)

the second largest source of renewable energy used, next to biomass energy, been used for hundreds of years as the kinetic energy from moving water was used to turn a mill and grind grain

storage hydropower

the majority of hydropower in the world is in the form of

dams

built across a river to block the flow of river water

reservoir

manmade lake

pumped-storage hydropower

another approach to hydropower involves pumping water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir and then allowed to flow downhill through a turbine, generating electricity

run-of-river hydropower

alternative approach to hydropower that is considered less disruptive than storage hydropower facilities, involves diverting a portion of the river’s water through a pipe or channel containing turbines, to power a generator and produce electricity

fish ladders

help the salmon get up the dams so that the turbines do not kill and injure the some of the fish that pass through the turbine

tidal power

takes advantage of the natural kinetic power of the ocean’s tides to turn turbines and generate electricity

geothermal energy

uses heat from the Earth’s internal geologic processes to produce electricity or provide heating

carbon dioxide and methane

greenhouses gasses emitted from geothermal power plants

scrubber

geothermal plants use these systems to clean the emissions of the hydrogen sulfide that is naturally found in deep steam and hot water

biomass energy

the energy stored in materials of biological origin such as plants and animals, oldest energy source used by humans

industrial revolution

prompted a shift to fossil fuels in the mid-18th century

direct combustion

biomass energy includes this of solid biomass to provide energy for heating, cooking, and even generating electricity

biofuels

biomass can be converted into liquid these used to power vehicles

ethanol

biofuel from corn, sugarcane residue and soybeans

biodiesel

biofuel from cooking oil

gaseous biomass or biogas

biomass energy can also be harvested through this, in the form of methane

carbon neutral

plants that are used to make biomass energy take up CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis as they grow and may offset the CO2 produced when burned

municipal solid waste

garbage that can be be used to generate electricity

fermentation

process of bacterial anaerobic decomposition

E10

10% ethanol, 90% petroleum gasoline

E85

85% ethanol, 15% petroleum gasoline

flex-fuel vehicles

special engines are required to use higher-ethanol blends, such as E85

cellulosic ethanol

biofuels may be derived from parts of plants not used for food, such as the corn stalks, generally seen to have a lower environmental impact than traditional corn-based ethanol

lifecycle analysis

approach that considers all resources required to make, transport, use, and dispose of the product, can be used to analyze both biomass energy and fossil fuel energy

hydrogen fuel

can be an important clean fuel of the future, does not exist freely in the atmosphere, but rather hydrogen atoms bind to other atoms and molecules becoming incorporated in everything from water to organic compounds

electrolysis

an electric current is passed through water to break down the water molecule into oxygen and hydrogen

fuel cells

highly efficient miniature power plants that produce electricity using hydrogen fuel in a chemical reaction that is a reverse of the electrolysis process that produced the hydrogen fuel

electric vehicles

use electricity to charge an onboard battery, which operates as the primary fueling source for the vehicle

hybrid vehicles

combine an electric car battery with a gasoline engine

atmosphere

refers to the layer of gases that surrounds Earth and is held in place by Earth’s gravitational attraction (gravity)

nitrogen

the most common gas that makes up 78% of the volume of clean, dry air

oxygen

used by all living things to make molecules that are essential for life

argon

non-reactive gas used in light bulbs, in double-pane windows, and to preserve priceless documents such as the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

carbon dioxide

an essential gas used by plants and other organisms to make sugar (food) through photosynthesis

water vapor

usually present up to about 4% of the total volume depending on the location, water in a gas state

troposphere

the lowest layer extending from the surface up to roughly 18 km above the surface depending on location (varies from as low as 6 km to as high as 20 km)

weather

the short-lived and local patterns of temperature and moisture that we call this

stratosphere

the layer that extends from the tropopause up to about 50 km to 53 km above Earth’s surface depending on location

tropopause

a sharp boundary at the top of the troposphere that limits mixing between the troposphere and the upper layers

stratopause

the top of the stratosphere is bound by this boundary

mesosphere

above the stratosphere, extends about 85 km above the Earth’s surface

thermosphere

known as the upper atmosphere, between about 85 km and 600 km

ozone

a molecule in which three atoms of oxygen are bonded together

ozone layer

acts as a protective shield that protects life on the surface of the Earth by absorbing most of the harmful portions of the high-energy UV radiation coming from the sun

ozone hole

an area where the thickness of the ozone layer is greatly reduced

chlorofluorocarbons

man-made compounds made up of chlorine, fluorine and carbon

catalyst

destroys many molecules

air pollution

refers to the introduction, into the atmosphere, of substances that have harmful effects on humans, other living organisms, and the environment either as solid particles, liquid droplets or gases

primary pollutants

those released directly from the source into the air in a harmful form

secondary pollutants

produced through reactions between primary pollutants and normal atmospheric compounds

carbon monoxide

a colorless, odorless gas emitted from combustion processes, specifically, the incomplete combustion of fuel

ground-level ozone

a colorless gas with a slightly sweet odor that is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by the interaction of sunlight, heat, oxides of nitrogen and vocs

nitrogen dioxide

highly reactive gas, yellowish-brown to reddish-brown foul-smelling gas that is a major contributor to smog and acid rain

sulfur dioxide

highly reactive, most emissions come from fossil fuel combustion at power plants and other industrial facilities

lead

metal found naturally in the environment as well as manufactured products

particulate material

refers to solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air we breathe

industrial smog

produced primarily by the burning of fossil fuels which produces carbon dioxide (from complete combustion), carbon monoxides (from partial combustion), sulfur, and mercury

photochemical smog

formed when sunlight drives chemical reactions between primary pollutants from automobiles and normal atmospheric compounds

radon

a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced from the decay of uranium in rock

acid rain

when higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acid occur in the atmosphere, the result is precipitation with a pH below 5.6

carbon

cycles through the environment and is constantly in the process of changing forms and locations

reservoirs

locations where carbon resides

fluxes

the processes that move carbon from one location to another

aerobic

oxygen-using

source

living organisms

sink

the atmosphere

anaerobic

without oxygen

lithosphere

the mineral fraction of Earth: soils, rocks, and sediments, where fossil fuels reside

the ocean and the lithosphere

the two largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth

biomass

biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms, a much smaller reservoir of carbon

primary producers

“fix” atmospheric CO2 into organic carbon, such as sugar, a form that is usable by animals and other organisms that need to consume their carbon molecules

methane, nitrous oxide, hydrogen sulfide

some of the gases produced from anaerobic decomposition

proxy indicators

give us information when direct observation is available, use assumptions and existing knowledge to make inferences

direct measures

direct observations of real time data, more confident of results, more limited in scope

intergovernmental panel on climate change 5th assessment report

ipcc formed in 1988, works under the UN, joint recipients of the 2007 nobel peace prize

intergovernmental panel on climate change, 6th assessment report

observed and simulated patterns are consistent