324 final

what percentage of US energy was derived from various energy sources

petroleum - 35%

nat gas - 34%

renewables - 12%

coal - 10%

nuclear -9%

what are the definitions of env. social and econ sustainability

Env sus: operate within means of our ecosystem

source of inputs/resources = ecosystem = sink for waste

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social sus: provide good quality of life for citizens

current and future generations

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Econ sus: use resources efficiently

provide for continued economic activity

potential for long-term growth

2 major transitions in US energy economy

wood ==> coal

coal ==> oil/gas

what is the economic benefit of continuing Canadian imports

gives a purpose for our crude oil refineries

what are some of the general risks of energy transitions

* disrupting supply change/inc prices
* political leverage on institutions or retaliation from nations
* war
* unstable economies result from volatile energy sources

\n what are two potential economic risks of transitioning away from a fossil fuel energy system

Loss of investment in some oil refineries and other fossil fuel related infrastructure

carbon bubble popping

what is the carbon bubble

energy companies take out loans to pay for their exploits and if we stopped producing fossil fuels they would have to default and $4 trillion in oil reserves would be unaccessible

what is the difference between measurements of power and energy amounts

power has a time component and a conversion rate

what is energy poverty

lack of access to fundamental energy services

* house electricity
* clean cooking facilities and fuel
* not using wood/dung w/ no vents

\n energy resource was used to generate the largest proportion of electricity in 2012 why is that resource attractive to developing nations

coal

it is cheap, easy to burn, exists everywhere easy to move

HDI and energy consumption

* how does the trend line change as energy consumption increases
* what does that mean regarding the benefits of consuming more energy

it increases logarithmically until it hits an asymptote around 1

Increasing more energy per capita is only increasing HDI significantly for a small time and we don’t need to increase out energy usage this much

what do we consider when measuring the area term in power density estimate

land use, area of surface mined, area occupied by installation or crops

what is the natural power density of photosynthesis

1-2 W

how does the efficiency of a solar photovoltaic panel affect the power density estimate

All solar panels have the same initial density then the efficiency is multiplied giving the real power density

Why is the thermal capacity of the power plant greater than its electrical capacity?

it is not fully efficient when transforming thermal energy into electricity

under what conditions does peat form in a wetland

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when rate of accumulation > rate of decay

what is burial diagenesis

how is it involved in the transformation from peat to coal

chemical and physical changes experienced by sediments and organisms as buried and continue to sink in a sedimentary basin

what kind of pollution is caused by exposure and oxidation of inorganic sulfur

mining pollution is created because metal cations bond with oxygen then turn into sulfuric acid

what are commonly used methods of reducing explosion risk in an underground coal mine

draining methane

ventilation

limestone dust coating the tunnels

heavy duty machinery to reduce sparks

how does bioaccumulation of selenium affect fish species

causes deformation and death

parents get it and pass it down to their kids until it becomes too much

according to the lindberg et al study how do concentrations of sulfate and selenium in stream water change as more of a watershed is altered by MTR

they increase

Do old, reclaimed Mountain Top Removal sites affect water quality? How so and for how long?

20-40 years

what are beneficial uses of coal ash

can be made into drywall, cement, road filler (embankment), structural fill

encapsulated: cannot interact with environment (e.g. cement)

What are the oil and natural gas “windows”?

40-90 C => kerogen

90-150 degrees C => oil window

What are the four main components of a conventional hydrocarbon system?

1. thermally mature source rock
2. migration pathway
3. reservoir rock
4. trap and seal geometry

Why must a petroleum geologist combine multiple wireline log results to identify a potential \n reservoir rock or source rock?

it wont give a complete record because the rocks will be different combinations

What is the purpose of installing cement and steel casing into a borehole?

prevents collapse and escape of HC

What are typical fluids that may leak upwards through a well? What are their sources?

methane: low permeable rock layers

fluids: high permeable rocks

biogenic/thermogenic CH4: shallow aquifers

HC: resevoir rocks

How can well failure (i.e., loss of well integrity) be determined from a pressure integrity test

if goes down b4 predicted value → leak through large channels in casing at shallow levels

goes above→ small channels with leakage then peters out again after

What is the fate of light, medium, and heavy hydrocarbons that seep into marine environments?

light: 24 hours and it is in the atmosphere

medium: weeks to be metabolized or atmospherized

heavy: settles to seafloor and creates asphalt domes

How are macro-organisms affected by ingesting or being covered in hydrocarbons?

* toxicity response
* some are lipid soluble and remain in body
* carcinogenic
* immunosuppressors
* disrupt photosynthesis /thermal regulation/respiration

What is a well blowout?

loss of pressure control

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What is a relief well?

A well drilled to intersect and control the flow of fluids from a blown-out well. It is used to divert the flow of oil or gas, allowing for the safe and effective sealing of the original well.

How do dispersants and “fertilizers” enhance microbial activity during a hydrocarbon spill?

fertilizers enhance bacteria’s response and dispersants broke the HC up.

What were some of the technical/human errors that led to the DWH blowout and explosion?

* sea water instead of mud for P stability which allowed NG to escape
* deviated casing bc 6 instead of 21 centerers
* didnt use enough intermediate casing and only long production casing
* blowout preventer was broken and worsened the spill

What is the estimated final fate of the released DWH hydrocarbons?

evaporated - 5%

traveled with surface water currents - 40%

deep water currents - 50%

settle to sea floor - 5%

Under what circumstances is the Corexit dispersant toxic to marine macro-organisms?

when in contact w/ HC

What do experimental results indicate regarding the effectiveness of Corexit?

supresses the activity of natural oil-degrading microrganisms

What components of a conventional hydrocarbon system are missing from a shale play?

no resevoir

low permeability

no geometry.

What are common chemicals/additives in frac fluid and what are their purposes?

proppant: quarts that keeps cracks open

biocide

gum

breaker

What is the definition of a “water stressed area”?

freshwater availability is a constraint on people’s activities

What is water flooding and enhanced oil recovery in the context of conventional oil?

add CO2 or H2O into reservoir to increase P

How does water use compare between conventional oil and HF oil?

conventional oil uses more if enhanced recovery is used

Are municipal wastewater treatment plants effective at removing brine and other dissolved \n components from HF wastewater?

not at all

How has the annual rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma changed since the expansion of hydraulic \n fracturing operations and disposal well injections?

5x more

more than CA

How does pore pressure affect stick-slip behavior of a geologic fault

it reduces the normal force at fault’s surface and without this friction it slips

what makes oil sands an unconventional hydrocarbon system?

no trap and seal

What is steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)?

inject steam into low viscous bitumen that then floats and sinks into a deep well which is then pumped to the surface

What is the importance of boreal forests in the context of carbon storage?

they trap carbon and keep it there because of the cold

How does the water-oil ratio (WOR) of oil sands compare with the WOR of conventional oil

much higher

conventional: 0.1 - 5

ex-situ: 2.5-9

in-situ: 2-3

What are the characteristics of mature fine tailings (MFT

fine sediment suspended

What is reclamation debt in the context of oil sand extraction?

returning land to how is was b4

Are the carbon dioxide emissions from oil sand operations 4x greater than conventional oil?

yes

What are the density differences between bitumen, diluent, dilbit, and water?

diluent

water

dilbit

bitumen

Why was the clean-up of spilled dilbit at Kalamazoo more difficult than the clean-up of a \n conventional oil spill?

dilbit has to be cleaned in two phases

What are the health impacts of PM2.5 exposure?

worsens cardiovascular disease

Thickens arteries

Organic Carbon inc risk

higher death rates in POC and poor people

How are carbon monoxide and NOx compounds produced during combustion?

excess atmosphere = NOx

too little oxygen = CO

When and how are the secondary pollutants produced in the daily smog cycle?

NOx - rxn w/ oxygen at all times

O3 - NO2 rxn with UV light during mid day when sun is strongest

PAN - oxygen and NOx react

Volatile org Carbon rxn with oxygen and makes R’O2

What is the atmospheric lapse rate?

rate temperature changes with height in the atmosphere

acid deposition on alkaline soil

leaches Ca and Mg but not Al because the soil is not allowed to become too acidic (

Acid deposition on acidic soils

Leaches Ca, Mg, and Al

longterm drop in pH

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Lower nutrients

plants exposed to Al

decrease surface water pH

How are tree species like the Red Spruce affected by acid deposition?

Ca leached from needles

dec cold tolerance

increase freezing injuries

lose water faster

Sugar Maple on acid

Ca and Mg leached from soil

Al taken in by trees stunts root growth

root function and nutrition impaired

In aquatic ecosystems, which level of the food web is the most sensitive to low pH?

the lowest of the food chain are more affected

clams and snails die which lets algae get out of control and eliminates a food source for larger organisms

How did the cap-and-trade system implemented under the CAAA help reduce SO2 emissions?

capped emmissions

Sulfur capturing tech

How do we know the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere started off as organic carbon and not \n inorganic carbon (e.g., carbon from volcanoes)?

We know this because as the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere increased the DELTA C got increasingly negative

What are the definitions of emissivity, transmissivity, and reflectivity?

__emissivity__

energy is absorbed and reemited

__transmissivity__

energy completely passes through

__reflectivity__

energy is completely reflected

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What is the relationship between Earth’s absorption spectrum and the greenhouse effect?

as more GHG is introduced, more energy is absorbed by the atmosphere, increasing the temperature of the atmosphere, which increases the temperature of the surface

Based on the model, how is temperature contrast between the surface and the atmosphere \n expected to change if global warming is due to an enhanced greenhouse effect?

it will increase

What climate variables can be directly measured from the ice core?

* the atmosphere of the time the air bubble was trapped
* different seasons have different levels of snowfall which is shown by the layers of the ice

How are proxy data used to understand ancient climates?

ratios of 18O and 16O are used to determine relative temperatures of the earth

Ex.) if it is really cold then the precipitation in higher latitudes will have a lower concentration of 18O because it wasn’t able to evaporate out of the liquid state

how do the rates of temperature change during

ancient climate events compare with the modern \n warming rate?

We are warming at a rate that is orders of magnitude faster than natural processes in the past

What are the major reservoirs of carbon in the global carbon cycle?

* Lithosphere
* Deep ocean
* soil/plants

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What do results from open air experiments and soil experiments tell us about the future capacity of \n the terrestrial reservoir?

**In the future the soil will become carbon saturated meaning it will no longer be able to remove a net amount of carbon from the atmosphere**

How is climate change expected to affect thermohaline circulation?

As the ocean warms at higher latitudes, the water will not be as able to sink and bring carbon to the deep ocean floor which will slow down the rate of carbon capture by the sea

What is the link between chemical weathering and the lithosphere reservoir for carbon

Chemical weathering takes the carbon from subducting slabs and weathers them further and traps them in the lithosphere

What is solar radiation management (SRM) and commonly proposed SRM techniques?

it is increasing the albedo of the Earth

* atmospheric aerosols
* white roofs
* desert mirrors

What are commonly proposed ways to perform carbon cycle management?

* plant trees
* fertilize the ocean to increase the rate of carbon being downdrawn
* enhanced weathering (olivine)
* direct air capture

What is the premise behind ocean fertilization as a geoengineering technique?

add iron to the ocean to increase the photosynthetic productivity of plankton, so more carbon is able to sink at a time

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not the best method because the plankton just end up being eaten

What is the premise behind enhanced chemical weathering with olivine

when CO2 reacts with olivine, very easy to do so, it will become a carbonate

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Crush it up and put in ocean or soil

pump CO2 into the ground w/ olivine already there

How does the extent of mining uranium compare to that of coal?

the scale coal mining is degrees of order larger than that of uranium mining

How do emissions of a nuclear power plant compare with those of a coal power plant?

Nuclear energy produces no direct CO2 emissions or any other direct pollutants other than heat

How did the Three Mile Island disaster impact the expansion of nuclear power in the U.S.

public opinion shut down many projects

What kind of reactor was used at Chernobyl?

graphite

How did the Fukushima Daiichi cooling systems lose power twice in 2011?

cut power from Tsunami

flood basement generators

How is most of the nuclear waste in the U.S. stored?

most of it is stored in dry storage awaiting a new storage mechanism yet to come

What geological characteristics of Yucca Mountain made it attractive for long-term nuclear waste \n storage?

low permeability rocks

1000 ft below surface and 1000 ft abover average water table

inactive fault

is electrical generation from MSW increasing or decreasing over time? Why?

decreasing because it is much cheaper to develop land fills and build NG plants

What beneficial uses are there for landfill gas?

use by the landfill to evaporate leachant/contaminated water from the toxins

Which types of airborne pollutants are reduced when using biofuels instead of gasoline/diesel?

PM

CO

Which types of airborne pollutants increase when using biofuels? Why?

VO

NOx

What is carbon debt in the context of land use change and biofuels?

how many years till crop takes C back

How does the water demand of energy crops compare with fossil fuel production?

lot more

What may be an unintended negative effect of expanding biofuel production under RCP4.5?

literally dk

what are the minimal average wind speeds for utility-scale wind power?

13

What are common elements of the “not in my backyard” opposition to wind power?

they are all psychological and based on political stance and other views

Birds, bats, and wind turbines: What is the connection?

birds and bats, 0

wind turbines, a lot

What are rare earth elements (REE)? What are they used for wind power technology

heavy, hard to separate and concentrate minerals used to make magnets

What are the general environmental hazards of mining REEs?

lot of acid waste in refinement and other mining side effects

What is the intermittency problem with wind energy?

wind isn’t always blowing at the right speed or direction