Enviornmental Science Unit 9

Units of Energy

Calories, calories, BTUs, Joules, kWhr

Kinetic Energy

Energy of Moving

Chemical Potential Energy

Energy stored in chemical bonds

Thermal Energy

Heat

Radiation Energy

Light

Electrical Energy

Energy from moving electrons

Types of Energy

Kinetic Energy, Physical Potential, Electrical, Nuclear, Chemical Potential, Thermal, Radiation

Nuclear Energy

Energy inside the nucleus

Physical Potential Energy

Energy due to gravity

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It just transfers from one form to another

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The universe is gaining more entropy. Nothing is 100% efficient

Formula for Efficiency

Used Energy divided by Total Energy

Top Energy Sources in the US

1. Petroleum

2. Natural Gas

3. Coal

How much total energy in the US is wasted?

60%

What is coal used for?

Electricity generation

What is oil used for?

Transportation

What is natural gas used for?

Residential heating, and electricity generation

When did our exponential increase in greenhouse gases begin?

Around the Industrial Revolution

Ecological Footprint

The amount of land or water area required to provide the resources you use and absorb the waste you generate

Biocapacity

A planet or country’s ability to provide resources and absorb waste

Where have ecological footprints risen the most in the past 50 years?

In developed countries

What are some ways we can reduce our personal ecological footprints?

Eating less meat, eating more locally grown food, flying less, driving less, using more fuel-efficient cars, living in smaller houses, buying less pre-packaged goods

Which areas do people tend to have less personal ecological footprints in and why?

Urban areas, because living spaces are smaller and driving distances are shorter

How is coal extracted?

Strip Mining & Mountain-Top Removal Mining

Drawbacks of Mountain-Top Removal Mining

Kills vegitation, decreases water quality, causes flash-floods, decimates the mountain’s fertility

Where is MTR mining most prominent?

West Virginia & South Dakota

How is natural gas extracted?

Fracking

Where does fracking happen the most in the US?

Pennsylvania & Oaklahoma

How is Tar Sands Oil extracted?

By heating clays, sand, and water mixtures before refining

How is Shale Oil extracted?

Bby mining kerogen rocks, then crushing them and heating them before refinery

How is Crude Oil extracted?

Primary Recovery: Drilling through ground to access a reservoir and pump it out.

Secondary Recovery: injecting water into wells neighboring wells that have already been drilled into, pushing the oil into the accessible well so it can be pumped out.