Section 4

Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between which 2 organisms

algae and fungi

Lichens are environmental indicators of which 4 air pollutants

sulfur dioxide

nitrogen oxides

ozone

toxic metals

What is a bioassay

the use of an organism to measure levels of chemicals

William O. Purvis works for which institution in London?

Natural History Museum of London

William O. Purvis used lichens to monitor which major point of pollution?

copper smelter in Karabash

Air pollution refers to which atmosphere layer

troposphere

During what year was the US Clean air Act passed?

1970

What are the 6 air pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act of 1970

sulfur dioxide
nitrogen oxides
carbon monoxide
lead
particulate matter
ozone

Why can nitric oxides be harmful to plants?

They can turn into nitric acids

The combustion of organic compounds produces which air pollutant

carbon monoxide

Carbon Monoxide binds with which oxygen-carrying protein to interfere with the transport of oxygen

hemoglobin

During what year did the use of lead in gasoline end globally?

2021

In what country were the final stocks of lead gasoline used before the practice globally ended in 2021?

Algeria

“Dirty burning” results in the production of which air pollutants

particulate matter

What is the diameter range of particulate matter in microns?

.01 to 100 microns (human hair size)

Particulates smaller than ___ microns can be inhaled and accumulate in the respiratory tract

10 microns

Fine particles are those that are smaller than ___ microns

2.5

Coarse particles are those that are between ___ and ___ microns

2.5 and 10 microns

In which atmospheric layer does ozone form?

Stratosphere

Under which standards are air pollutants regulated according to the Clean Air Act of 1970?

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Under what section of the Clean Air Act of 1970 is Mercury classified under?

Hazardous Air Pollutant section

What term describes pollutants that remain in the same form as they are emitted from pollution sources?

Primary Pollutants

Which term describes pollutants that undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere?

secondary pollutants

Which 4 atmospheric pollutants do volcanoes release?

SO2, CO, NO, Particulates

What caused Canada’s 2023 carbon emissions to double compared to the previous year?

Wildfires

Forest fires release which 3 air pollutants

Particulates, CO, NO

What two chemicals are responsible for the smell of coniferous trees and citrus fruits?

Ethylene and Terpenes

In terms of pollution, VOCs stand for?

Volatile Organic Compounds

How did the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains get their names?

the smog-like haze caused by VOCs

In what region of the US are the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains located

South East US

What is an atmospheric inversion?

A weather phenomenon where a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground, leading to increased pollution levels.

What is an inversion layer

A layer of warm air that traps cooler air below it, accumulating pollution

What mathematical tool helps researchers predict where asthma can be most common

“predictive air pollution model”

Which US Congressional Act requires mathematical models to be the primary way to estimate emission distributions

Clean Air Act

What is the British Thermal Unit

the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at its greatest density (39 F)

At what temperature (F) does water have the greatest density?

39 degrees F

In 2021, the US used how many BTUs of energy?

97 quadrillion BTU of energy

In 2010, which country was labeled as the major energy-consuming country in the world

China

In 2021, China consumed how many quad BTU’s

165.168 quad BTU

In 2021, the US consumed how many quad BTU’s

97.907

In 2022, what was the US energy consumption in terms of quad BTU

100.41

In 2022, __ % of the energy consumed came from fossil fuels

79%

In 2022, __ % of the energy consumed came from nuclear power

8%

In 2022, __ % of the energy consumed came from renewable energy

13%

In 2015, the United Nations Development Program World Energy Assessment estimated that the global energy efficiency was about __ % efficient

37%

In the US, 2/3 of oil use is directed to ____

transportation

In the US, what % of the total energy is used for transportation

36%

The average car in the US can travel __ miles on one gallon of gas

25

A gallon of gasoline contains how many BTU of energy

113,738 BTU

Which home appliance is often described as being 100% energy efficient?

Electric hot water heaters

What is the requirement for the most efficiency energy source

least energy conversions

How many energy conversions are involved when cooking with electricity

7 energy conversions

What kind of energy source is electricity?

secondary source

Electricity-generating power plants convert ____ potential energy from fuels to ____ potential energy

chemical to electrical

Older electricity-generating power plants have an efficiency of __ %

36% efficient

New coal-burning plants have an efficiency of __ %

42%

Natural gas-fired power plants can achieve efficiencies of __ %

60% efficiency

In 2005, coal-fired power plants made __ % of all electricity produced in the US

50% in 2005

In 2022, coal-fired power plants produced __ % of total electricity in the US

19.5% in 2022 US

In 2022, nuclear power plants produced __ % of total electricity in the US

18% in 2022 US

Natural gas went form contributing only __ % of total electricity production in 2000 to __ % in 2022

15% in 2000 → 40% in 2022

What are the 4 types of coal ranked from lowest to highest energy content

peat
lignite
bituminous coal
amthracite

What are the 2 methods used to mine coal

surface mining and deep shaft mining

Petroleum is a mixture of which 3 things

hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur

Which fossil fuel formed from the remains of plankton (bonus: time period of plankton)

petroleum
65 to 250 million years ago

What is produced when natural gas is separated from petroleum

crude oil

What is the most used energy source in the United States, currently

Petroleum

Oil releases __% of the carbon coal releases

85%

What is the primary component of Natural Gas, and its % composition?

Methane; 80-95%

CH4 is __ times more efficient at trapping heat than CO2

25 times

What fossil fuel extraction technique involves injecting high-pressure streams of water into bedrock to extract oil and gas

Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking)

Which fossil fuel extraction method allowed for natural gas to become the 2nd most used energy source in the US

fracking

What are the 3 chemicals used in fracking fluid?

Methanol, ethylene glycol, propargyl alcohol

Fracking has used up how many gallons of water since 2011?

1.5 trillion gallons

What is the fuel for Nuclear Power plants?

Uranium

How many pounds of uranium must be mined to produce 7 pounds of uranium oxide for nuclear fuel?

2,000 lbs of uranium

What are the 4 steps for using uranium as fuel in a nuclear power plant?

1) extraction
2) enrichment
3) pellet formation
4) fuel rod insertion

What is radioactive decay?

The splitting of Uranium atoms into more atoms

What kind of reaction occurs during radioactive decay?

Fission reaction

How tall are nuclear power plant fuel rods?

6 feet

A typical nuclear reactor contains ___ to ___ fuel rods

75 to 100

A pound of uranium of the size of which kind of sports ball?

Baseball

Uranium has ____ times more energy than coal

26,000

Nuclear power plants have a lifespan of __ years

50 years

In what year did the Three Mile Island nuclear accident happen?

1979

Which movie and nuclear power plant accident led to widespread fear of nuclear power?

The China Syndrome + Three Mile Island accident

In what year did the Chernobyl nuclear accident occur and country?

Ukraine 1986

How many workers immediately died at Chernobyl?

31 people

What were Chernobyl’s control rods made out of, causing a larger-than-usual fire?

Graphite

What caused the Fukushima nuclear accident?

Tsunami hitting Honshu island

How many years will it take to clean Fukushima’s radioactive contamination?

40 years

How many people died as a result of the tsunami on Honshu island?

18,000

How many people had to evacuate the Fukushima area?

150,000

What are the 3 types of radioactive waste, and which is the most dangerous type?

1) High level waste from spent fuel rods
2) Low level waste from contaminated maintenance materials
3) Uranium residue from mining

Most Dangerous: Spent fuel rods

What does a spent fuel rod mean?

The fuel rod doesn’t have enough fuel to produce enough heat

What are the 2 storage sites where spent fuel rods are stored?

Pools of water that are 20 ft deep + dry cask storage

The US Department of Energy looked at which location as a possible site for nuclear waste?

Yucca Mountains

Protests from which group of people prevented the construction of nuclear waste sites in Yucca Mountain?

the Western Shoshone people

What is the definition of the solar constant and its value?

Definition: The amount of sunlight hitting the top of earth’s atmosphere
Value:1370 watts/m²

How many watts of solar energy arrive at the equator?

200 watts