Earth Sciences 1081A/B Study Guide - Final Guide: Urban Air, Rainforest, Peak Oil
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FINAL NOTES STARTING
Fossil Fuels
•Fossilized remains of plants and animals
•Formation takes millions of years
•Non-renewable resources: consumption
faster than supply
•Forms
a. Coal
b. Oil
c. Natural Gas
d.d.Tar sands
e. Oil shales
•Supply 90% of the world energy
Stages in coal formation
•Plant material
•Peat
•Lignite
•Bituminous
•Anthracite
Processing:
•Easily accessed
•Inexpensive to extract Energy
Problems:
•Similar to other Fossil fuels
•SO2, NOx
•Toxic elements
Petroleum: rock oil, crude oil, “black gold”
Natural Gas: Methane CH4
•Forms from organic material which
escaped complete decomposition after
burial
•Altered enough to be mobile
How and where???
•Deposition environments with little
oxygen
•Submarine: deep water
Near shore: rapid deposition
Formation Source rock
•Oil and Gas
•Reservoirs
•Maturation
•Reservoir
•Cap Rock
Tar Sands Oil Shale
Large Deposits
Bitumen
Costly recovery
Large Deposits
Kerogen
Costly recovery
Peak Oil
When 50% of all oil on
earth has been
extracted and used
Fossil fuel combustion and effects
•Urban Air Pollution
•Greenhouse Gas emissions
•Acid Rain
•Global economic and political instability
Alternate energy sources
•Nearly 90 percent of the world’s energy
needs are derived from non-renewable
fossil fuels
Nuclear Solar
•Fission
reaction
•Chain
reaction
•235U
(enriched)
•
•Passive systems
awnings
•Active systems
mechanics to exchange
heat
•Solar collectors heated
circulating water
•Photovoltaic cells:
Silicon conductors convert
sunlight directly to
electricity
Other:
•Biomass Fuel
•Hydroelectric
•Wind
•Tidal raising and falling tides; bay of
Fundy
•Geothermal
pollution
The presence of chemicals in high enough
concentrations to harm organisms, materials
and change climate
Natural Air Pollution
•Some examples of natural air pollution
•Volcanoes
•Dust storms
•Forest fires
Sources of Pollution
•Stationary
•Point sources
•Fugitive
•Regional
Primary Air Pollutants Secondary
•Identifiable source •From chemical
reactions
•70% from fossil fuels
SO2 Emissions
•Significant amount from fossil fuel
burnings
•Oxidation to form sulfuric acid
•Colorless, odorless
•Dangerous impacts:
○Metal corrosion
○Damage to plants and to lungs
of humans and animals
NOx Emissions
•(forms nitric acid and smog)
•100% Anthropogenic (Fossil Fuels)
•Impact: Nose, eye, and throat
irritation, corrosion, harms plants
CO Emissions
•90% from natural sources
•10% from human-induced incomplete
burning of organic compounds
•Colorless, odourless
•Remains as a gas
•Extremely toxic to humans and animals
even at very low
concentrations
Volatile organic Compounds VOC’s
•Products used in dry cleaning,
degreasing detergent, graphic arts,
adhesive production
•Hydrocarbons: Methane, butane,
propane, etc.
•Benzine: toxic industrial solvent and
additive to fuel
LEAD TO…..
Acid Rain = Acid deposition
•SO2, NOx + H2O Acid (H2SO4 or
HNO3)
•Wet:
○As rain fall
•Dry:
○As particulate
○Matter modified later with water
Effects:
•Damage to vegetation
•Damage to fresh water ecosystems
•Damage to human structures
Urban Air Pollution: Influence of
Metrology/Topography
•Inversion layer: warm air overlying cool
air
•Traps and concentrates pollutants
Measures Taken
•1960’s and 70’s Catalytic converters:
• CO, HC CO2 H2O
•Recycle exhaust lowers NOx emissions
•Leads to lead free gas
Control of SO/NO oxides Methods:
•Burning low S coal fertilizer
Types of Smog
1. Sulfurous Smog = London Smog
e.g. fog
2. Photochemical Smog:
•related to autos
Document Summary
Forms: coal, oil, natural gas d. d. tar sands, oil shales. Forms from organic material which escaped complete decomposition after burial. Tidal raising and falling tides; bay of. The presence of chemicals in high enough concentrations to harm organisms, materials and change climate. When 50% of all oil on earth has been extracted and used. Urban air pollution: greenhouse gas emissions, global economic and political instability. Nearly 90 percent of the world"s energy needs are derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. Significant amount from fossil fuel burnings: oxidation to form sulfuric acid. Damage to plants and to lungs of humans and animals. Impact: nose, eye, and throat irritation, corrosion, harms plants. 10% from human-induced incomplete burning of organic compounds. Extremely toxic to humans and animals even at very low concentrations. Types of smog: sulfurous smog = london smog e. g. fog, photochemical smog: related to autos. Products used in dry cleaning, degreasing detergent, graphic arts, adhesive production.