Unit 6 Vocabulary and Terms

Marcantonio. 23-24.

Renewable energy sources

Can be replenished naturally, at or near rate of consumption and can be reused; depleted renewables can run out if overused excessively (e.g. biomass); nondepleteable renewables do not run out if overused (e.g. solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal).

Non-renewable energy sources

Exist in fixed amounts on earth and can’t easily be replaced or regenerated; e.g. fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Subsistence fuels

biomass fuel sources that are easily accessible (can be found and gathered by hand); often used in developing countries a source for heating homes or cooking fuel; wood and charcoal are two of the most common fuel sources in developing nations.

Peat

Partially decomposed organic matter (often ferns or other plants) found in wet, acidic ecosystems such as bogs and moors; can be dried and used as a biomass fuel source.

Coal formation

Pressure from overlying rock and sediment layers compacts peat into coal over time; the deeper a coal reserve is buried, the more pressure from overlying rock layers and the more energy dense it is; because higher energy density means more energy released when a fuel source is burned, anthracite is the most valuable form of coal.

Natural gas

Decaying remains of plants and animals (mostly marine life) are buried under layers of rock and converted by pressure into oil (petroleum); mostly methane (CH4) and is found on top of trapped oil deposits; forms when oil is trapped in a porous, sedimentary rock underneath a harder impermeable rock layer that doesn’t let gas escape; considered the “cleanest” fossil fuel.”

Crude oil (petroleum)

Decaying organic matter trapped under rock layer that is compressed in oil over time; extracted by drilling a well through the overlying rock layers to reach the underground deposit and then pumping liquid oil out under pressure; can also be recovered from tar sands (combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen which is a thick, sticky, semi-solid form of petroleum.

Fracking

Also known as hydraulic fracturing; a method of natural gas extraction that has extended access to natural gas; gas trapped in semi-permeable, sedimentary rock layers, such as shale is released by cracking the rock with pressurized water; fracking natural gas from shale rock increases and extends supply of natural gas.

Nuclear meltdown

Severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating; caused by the loss of sufficient cooling for the nuclear fuel within the reactor core; radiation can remain in soil and harm plants and animals in the future (possible genetic mutations); radiation from this can be carried by the wind over long distances, affecting ecosystems far from the meltdown site; famous events of this happened at Three Mile Island (US), Fukushima Japan, and Chernobyl Ukraine.