Geos 1024 Exam 1 Review

original energy source for the majority of renewable resources

sun

fission

splitting an atom into smaller atoms

energy derived from the sun

fusion

energy derived from the Earth’s internal heat engine

fission

most used energy resource in the U.S.

petroleum

% of energy in the U.S. generated from fossil fuels

80%

% of energy in the world generated from fossil fuels

80%

*same as the U.S.

types of fossil fuel extraction

mining (solids), conventional and unconventional drilling (liquids and gases)

conventional drilling

vertical drilling used to extract oil and gas

unconventional drilling

horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing used to extract oil and gas

hydraulic fracturing

fracking

fracturing formations of rock with high-pressure liquid to allow gas and oil to flow more freely and be extracted

pros of fracking

made many new places economic

revolutionized gas and oil production

takes fewer wells → less drilling, less surface disruption

U.S no longer depends on imports

cons of fracking

environmental and health risks (air quality, water supply)

earthquakes

waste disposal

pollution

4 resource bases

atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere

atmosphere

air

biosphere

humans, plants, and animals

lithosphere

rocks, soil

crust and mantle of Earth

hydrosphere

oceans, rivers, lakes

carbon cycle

the continuous travel of carbon from the atmosphere to the Earth and back

carbon

basic building block of life

oceans’ role in the carbon cycle

takes up carbon from the atmosphere

regulates how much carbon is in the air and therefore regulates the climate

what is happening to the carbon cycle?

as the Earth is warming, so are the oceans. Because of this, the oceans are warming and cannot take in and cycle as much carbon. Therefore, there is less regulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.

biosphere’s role in the carbon cycle

plants remove carbon through photosynthesis. animals eat the plants and release CO2 through waste.

where are fossil fuels formed?

the biosphere

plants and animals

organic carbon

associated with life, what were made of

inorganic carbon

CO2, rocks and minerals

petroleum formation

dead marine organisms are buried under sediments and pressurized and heated over geological time until they become oil and gas

petroleum refining

heated and split by boiling points (diesel, kerosene, etc.)

population of the U.S.

335 million

population of the world

8 billion

the U.S. is what % of the world’s population?

4%

the U.S. consumes what % of daily petroleum

20%

what has happened to oil and gas production over time?

it spiked majorly in 2016, but then completely fell off in 2020

this tells us that fossil fuel uses matches the state of the economy

pros of petroleum

positive net energy (medium, decreasing)

low land disruption

efficient distribution (pipes all over)

cons of petroleum

nonrenewable, fossil fuel

CO2 and pollutants when burned

oils spills → water pollution

international supply problems

fusion

combining nuclei to create energy

ideal future for nuclear power plants, hasn’t been figured out yet

what source is most of Virginia’s electricity produced from?

natural gas

what country has the largest amount of nuclear-produced energy

U.S.

nuclear fission

splitting a larger atom (nucleus) into 2 or more smaller atoms (elements) to create energy

process of nuclear fission

first, bombard 235U nuclei with neutrons. this will release 3 neutrons that will collide with three other 235U, creating a chain reaction

what is the difference between nuclear energy vs coal and natural gas?

how you heat the water to create steam

nuclear: from energy generated by fission

coal and gas: burning coal/natural gas

uranium mining for nuclear energy

fuel for nuclear power plants

235U is rare and cannot be found on its own

crush and grind rocks, precipitate and dry the uranium to get yellowcake (different uranium isotopes). enrich the yellowcake with 235U to produce fuel for power plants

pros of nuclear energy

low environmental impact (land disturbance)

low CO2 emissions

cons of nuclear energy

low net energy yield, nuclear accidents, radioactive waste, high cost, nuclear weapons

famous nuclear accidents

Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima

Three Mile Island nuclear accident

level 5, 1979, Pennsylvania

mechanical and electrical malfunctions + human error

release of small amount of radioactive xenon gas

no deaths, injuries, or adverse health effects

caused people to question the safety of plants

Chernobyl nuclear accident

level 7, 1986, Ukraine

flawed reactor design → power surge → explosion

released high levels of radioactivity + radioactive iodine gas (thyroid)

31 immediate deaths, 203 hospitalized w radiation sickness, fallout in surrounding countries, 4000 deaths, several hundred thousand affected

Fukushima nuclear accident

level 7, 2011, Japan

earthquake → tsunami that overran the powerplant

3 workers killed by tsunami

1 worker died from exposure and lung cancer

160,000 evacuated

lead Germany to close all power plants

abundant elements

commonly found in theEarth’’s crust

aluminum, iron, oxygen, hydrogen, silicon, calcium, potassium, sodium, etc.

elements

on the periodic table

basic building blocks of matter

Ex. Si, O, H

minerals

naturally occurring solid, liquid, or gas inorganic crystalline materials

Ex. Quartz (SiO2), Pyrite (FeS2) (fool’s gold)

rocks

combination of minerals

Ex. KAISi3O8

rare earth elements

necessary to make phones

not mined in the U.S. (China)

critical to a high-tech future

pros of mining

high paying jobs, standard of living, training

cons of mining

land and surface degradation, water and air pollution, acid mine drainage

projected population maximum

11 billion

How many people did 1 box represent in Han Rosling’s video?

1 billion people

How did Hans Rosling model the progress of developing countries becoming developed?

transportation (shoes → bike → car → plane → etc.)

is the world population growing exponentially?

no

Where will most of the world’s upcoming population growth come from?

Asia and Africa

What is a key variable to slowing population growth?

increasing child survival rates to 90%

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

the goods and services of a country

GDP per capita in the U.S.

$62,000

GDP per capita of emerging countries

Ex. Chile: $14,000

GDP per capita of developing countries

Ex. South Africa: $7,000

standard of living

resources/population

where does most of the world’s population growth come from?

developing countries

what is population growth like in developed countries?

mostly stable

% of developed countries in world population

20%

what % of the world’s wealth do developed countries represent?

85%

what % of the world’s resources do developed countries consume?

88%

efforts to clean water

EPA, Clean Water Act, other acts

what is the major cause of the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality challenges?

agriculture- increased N and P nutrients grow more algae and plants that die and are decomposed by bacteria

acid rain issue

burning coal led to large emissions of sulfur dioxide

1970- Clean Air Act

what is the pH of natural rainwater

slightly acidic (5)

sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

3 pillars of sustainability

environmental (planet), economic (profit), and equity (people)

impacts of unsustainable practices

on land: deforestation

*mining is the biggest risk to the Amazon and forests, not forestry

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

majority of world’s oil reserves

what factors determine where petroleum forms?

the geological history of a country controls the distribution of rocks, minerals, elements, and therefore resources

what is petroleum primarily made up of?

carbon

what is the biosphere primarily made up of?

carbon

what happens to carbon dioxide during photosynthesis?

it is consumed

where are possible oil deposits in the future?

Shark Bay, Australia

where are potential future coal deposits?

Mississippi Delta

what is the atmosphere primarily made up of

nitrogen

what % of the U.S.’s energy use is renewable?

13%

what is the main renewable energy resource in the U.S.

biomass

why is pure gasoline more expensive than ethanol gas?

b/c it is subsidized by the government

where did corn-based ethanol start?

Iowa (where the presidential primaries start)

pros of corn-based ethanol

carbon neutral(takes carbon out of the air when growing), reduced emissions

cons of corn based ethanol

land usage, invasive plants, emissions, no net energy gain

resource groups

different ways of classifying resources

metallic, nonmetallic, and energy resources

is water renewable or nonrenewable?

it can be both

how would you classify uranium used to generate nuclear power?

nonrenewable, energy resource

how would you classify uranium used to make steel for armor plates?

nonrenewable, metallic resource

how would you classify petroleum used to make plastic for credit cards?

nonrenewable, nonmetal

how would you classify wind used to heat a house?

renewable, energy resource

what % of the world’s population are developed countries?

19%

what % of the population are developing countries?

81%