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Questions and Answers
How many types of coal are classified based on the degree of metamorphism?
four
Which type of coal is very high in moisture content?
Nuclear energy generates greenhouse gases like fossil fuel fired plants do.
False
Geothermal energy is the heat energy stored within the earth's crust, hot springs, and geysers providing evidence of this stored energy, with __________ being evidence of this stored energy.
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Match the renewable energy source with its description:
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What are two examples of solar technologies mentioned in the text?
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What are photovoltaic cells made of?
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Photovoltaic cells can provide tiny amounts of power for watches, large amounts for the electric grid, and everything in between. They convert sunlight directly into ________.
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Concentrating solar power technologies use materials to concentrate the sun's heat energy to produce electricity.
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What are the two main gases that make up about 99% of the volume of clean, dry air in the troposphere?
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What is the name of the layer of the atmosphere that contains gaseous ozone (O3) and filters out harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation?
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Human activities are increasing ozone in the troposphere and decreasing it in the stratosphere. Is this statement true?
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The hydrologic cycle is a natural system of collecting, purifying, and distributing ______ driven by energy from the sun.
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Match the following types of energy resources with their percentage contribution in the United States: Nuclear power, Natural Gas, Coal, Biomass, Hydropower, Solar, Wind
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What are the three main fossil fuels that are abundantly used as sources of energy?
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Study Notes
Environmental Sciences (ENV 111) and Science of Energy (ENV 114)
Resources
I.A Air Resources
- The atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% argon and carbon dioxide
- The troposphere is the innermost layer of the atmosphere, extending 17 km above the earth's surface
- The stratosphere contains gaseous ozone (O3) that filters out 99% of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation
- Ozone in the stratosphere protects us from sunburns, skin cancer, eye cancer, and eye cataracts
I.B Water Resources
- The hydrologic cycle is a natural system of collecting, purifying, and distributing water driven by energy from the sun
- Only 0.5% of the earth's water is available for human use
- Three-fourths of water used in agriculture, industry, and homes comes from surface water, and the rest from groundwater
- Major water supply problems include drought, overuse, waste, and overpopulation
- Groundwater depletion can cause salt-water intrusion, subsidence, and pollution
- Desalination of salt water is feasible but expensive
I.C Soil Resources
- Soil is a complex mixture of inorganic materials, decaying organic matter, water, air, and living organisms
- Soil erosion is the movement of soil components by flowing water or wind
- Plant roots generally protect soil from excessive erosion
- Irrigation can increase crop yield but also increases water salinity
- Saline water evaporation can lead to soil salinization, causing retardation of crop growth, decrease in crop yields, and killing of crop plants
II.A Food Resources
- 40 million people die annually from starvation and diseases
- Strategies to meet current and future food demands include population control, increasing agricultural lands, controlling soil erosion, and fighting desertification
- Genetic engineering can increase food and animal production
- Introduction of advanced irrigation techniques can conserve water and expand irrigation to abandoned lands
II.B Land Resources
- A history of overgrazing has resulted in the deterioration of private and public range lands
- Forests provide commercially valuable products, recreation, and indirect benefits such as protecting watersheds, reducing surface runoff, and moderating the climate
II.C Plant and Animal Resources
- Wild plants and animals provide food, recycle nutrients, maintain a healthy atmosphere, and moderate the earth's climate
- Many ecologists believe that wild species will continue to disappear at an alarming rate
- Wildlife tourism is important to the economy of less developed countries
Energy Resources
- Primary sources of energy are fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, and oil shale
- Fossil fuels are abundantly used, but at the current rate of consumption, they will be used up in a fraction of the time it took to collect the energy from the sun
III.A Non-Renewable Energy Resources
- Oil, natural gas, and coal are the three main fossil fuels
- Petroleum resources occur in most parts of the world, but the major commercially valuable resources occur in relatively few locations
- Natural gas is generally believed to be derived from deposits of plant and animal remains
- Coal is classified into four types according to the degree of metamorphism: anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite
III.B Renewable Energy Resources
- Biomass energy is produced from plant-derived organic matter available on a renewable basis
- Geothermal energy is the heat from the earth, and resources range from shallow ground to hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath the earth's surface
- Hydrogen cells are a potential source of renewable energy, but extracting and storing hydrogen efficiently is a challenge### Renewable Energy Resources
- Renewable energy sources include hydroelectric power, solar energy, wind energy, and tidal energy.
- Hydroelectric power is renewable, creates no air pollution, and is relatively inexpensive, but has a limited lifespan (50-100 years) and can displace people.
- Advantages of hydroelectric power:
- Renewable energy source
- No air pollution
- Relatively inexpensive
- Disadvantages of hydroelectric power:
- Limited lifespan (50-100 years)
- Can displace people
- Sediment fills in reservoirs
Solar Energy
- Approximately 1.55 x 10^18 kW hours of solar energy reach the Earth's outer atmosphere annually.
- Solar energy can be harnessed using photovoltaic cells, concentration solar power, and low-temperature solar collectors.
- Advantages of solar energy:
- Abundant energy source
- No air pollution
- Can be used for heating and electricity generation
- Technologies used to harness solar energy:
- Photovoltaic cells
- Concentration solar power
- Low-temperature solar collectors
Wind Energy
- Wind energy uses the kinetic energy of the wind to generate electricity, pump water, or grind grain.
- Wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity.
- Advantages of wind energy:
- Renewable energy source
- No air pollution
- Can be used for electricity generation
- Technologies used to harness wind energy:
- Horizontal axis wind turbines
- Vertical axis wind turbines
Tidal Energy
- Tidal energy harnesses the energy of ocean tides to generate electricity.
- Technologies used to harness tidal energy:
- Horizontal axis tidal stream turbines
- Vertical axis tidal stream turbines
Mineral Resources
- Mineral resources include metallic and non-metallic minerals used for various purposes.
- Types of mineral resources:
- Metallic minerals (e.g., copper, zinc, lead)
- Non-metallic minerals (e.g., talc, graphite, gypsum)
- Formation of mineral resources:
- Igneous processes (magmatic segregation, hydrothermal solutions)
- Metamorphic processes (contact metamorphism, regional metamorphism)
- Weathering and ore deposits (secondary enrichment, placer deposits)
Extraction and Processing of Mineral Resources
- Methods of extracting mineral resources:
- Surface mining (open-pit, strip mining, dredging)
- Subsurface mining (room and pillar, longwall mining)
- Processing of mineral resources:
- Crushing and grinding
- Flotation and separation
- Refining and smelting
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Description
This quiz covers the resources of air, water, soil, food, land, plant and animal, energy, and mineral resources, including renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
