Earth Science Test
Earth science test
Terms
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- Environmental Science Definition
- The study of the environment
- Theories of Moral Responsibility
- 1. Anthropocentrism 2. Ecocentrism 3. Geocentrism-sustainability 4. Christ Centered
- Developmental Ethic
- Use of the earth's resources for man's benefit regardless of the damage
- Preservation Ethic
- Protect the Earth's resources
- Conservation
- Use resources wisely so that they may be replenished and made available for future generations
- Globalization
- Developments in rapid world-wide transportation, communication and trade
- Sustainability
- 1987 World Commission on Environ and Develop (Brundtland Commission) "Our Common Future" Development that meets the needs for the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs
- International Agreements
- 1992 UNCED (Rio Earth Summit) Convention on Climate Change Convention on Biological Diversity Forest Principles Document Rio Declaration Agenda 21
- Naturalists, Philosophers, and Activists
- Muir, Emerson, Thoreau, Leopold, Carson, Nader
- Global Environmental Ethic
- -Globalization -Sustainability
- Force
- When force is applied to a mass it causes an acceleration F=m a
- Work
- W= F (Force) x D
- Energy
- Measured in units of Joules
- Potential Energy
- PE= m g h
- Kinetic Energy
- KE= 1/2 m v2
- Law of Conservation of Energy
- Energy is neither created nor destroyed but may be converted from one form to another
- Entropy
- When energy is transformed, some of its is converted to heat which is then unavailable for useful work (Engines heat up and run out of gas)
- Cogeneration
- Use waste heat for other uses (District Heating)
- Expansion Cooling
- When pressure on a confined gas drops the volume increases (expansion) and the temperature drops. -Air conditioning -Drop in temperature with altitude
- Compression Heating
- Opposite effect (compressor, low altitude deserts)
- Conduction
- Heat transferred through touch
- Convection
- A heated fluid moves heat to another location
- Radiation
- Heat transferred as infrared radiation (speed of light)
- Behavior of Heat
- -Heat causes changes in state of matter -Heat causes expansion and expanding gas creates force -Heating confined gas creates pressure
- Evaporation
- has a cooling effect (energy is taken from surrounding surface)
- Superconductivity
- phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic fields occurring in certain materials when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature.
- Protron
- Positively Charged
- Neutron
- Negatively Charged
- Atomic Number
- Total protrons
- Atomic Mass
- Protrons + Neutrons
- Isotopes
- The same number of protrons but more neutrons
- Ionic Bonds
- Form between oppositely charged ions (gains or looses a + or - bond)
- Covalent Bonds
- Electrons are shared between two elements near each other (occur in water, many gasses)
- Hydrogen Bonds
- External attractions between molecules, especially between water molecules and ions or polar molecules
- Dissolution
- The process by which a solid, liquid or gas forms a solution in a solvent. Action of polar water molecules on Ionic and Polar compounds
- Solvent
- does the dissolving
- Solute
- gets dissolved
- Solution
- Solvent+Solute
- Saturation
- Maximum amount of solute (dissolved substance) in solution
- Partitioning
- Organic hydrocarbons are Non-Polar and do not dissolve in water (asphalt, benzene)
- Adsorption
- Ionic attraction onto grain surfaces
- Dissolution, Partitioning, and Volatility
- determine whether a chemical will move to the hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, or atmosphere
- Volatile Organic Chemicals
- Small molecules that vaporize easily
- Benzene
- can cause cancer (toxic)
- Hydrocarbons
- Alliphatic=chains -Alkanes=Carbons connected only by single bonds
- PCB's Dioxin, and etc
- Organic Chemicals that may be very toxic at low levels
- Organic Chemicals Two Major Families
- Alliphatic (Hydrocarbon chain structure) Aromatic (benzene ring structure)
- Endothermic Reactions
- Energy caused through heat (baking, cooking through heat)
- Exothermic Reactions
- Energy released in the form of heat (combustion and Respiration)
- Ecosystem
- Space where community interacts with the physical environment
- Community
- Assemblage of all interacting organisms
- Positive Feedback
- Initial change causes a series of similar changes in the same direction, leading to disruption and decline (climate cooling causes snow cover which then reflects more sun)
- Negative Feedback
- Initial changes sets off counter changes that reestablish equilibrium (excess CO2 accelerates plant growth)
- Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
- Flow goes from one Trophic Level to another -Primary Producers (plants) -Primary consumers (herbivores) -Secondary consumers (carnivores) -Scavengers and Decomposers (bacteria, fungi)
- Carbon Cycle
- Producers convert atmospheric CO2 and soil H20 into biomass for food chain (they use aerobic and anaerobic) (makes shells and limestone) (makes up fossil fuels)
- Nitrogen Cycle
- -Atmosphere (unavailable for most organisms but needed for growth) -Nitrogen Fixation -lightning -Nitrogen fixing bacteria (nitrate and ammonia)
- A Biome
- Large geographical biotic community -controlled by climate -is named after dominant vegetation -has fuzzy boundaries
- Biome Examples
- -Individual rages of tolerance to temperature and precipitation determine where a species can live -Rainfall effects are primary in determining biomes
- Fossil Fuels (Coal) 1
- Coal-Primary fuel of Industrial Revolution (Steam Engine) -Conversion of plant material to refined carbon compounds with burial over time
- Fossile Fules (Coal) 2
- -China is the world's leading coal producer -49% of U.S. electricity comes from coal-fired power plants -Mining is hazardous
- Coal Power
- -The Clean Coal Power Initiative seeks to remove pollutants before and after burning -Use low sulfur coal -Fluidized Bed Combustion -Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 1977
- Biological Sources
- -Food (hunter gatherers) -Wood (Fire) -Animal Power
- Petroleum and Natural Gas
- -C1-C4 are gases, C5 -Oil Chronology-intertwined with economy and polotics -Gasoline and the automobile
- Types of Crude Oil
- Sweet-low sulfur Sour-high sulfur Light-small carbon chains Heavy-larger carbon chains Paraffin base Naptha base
- Price of Gasoline
- Refining- 10% marketing-21% Texas 32% Crude oil 37%
- OPEC
- Saudi Arabia, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Nigeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Venezuela
- How to make an oil field
- Source rock, maturity, reservoir, trap, commercial quantity
- Environmental Problems with Oil Production
- -Surface disturbance -Threat to shallow groundwater -Brine water contamination -Oil spills and oil well fires -Abandoned well problems -Drilling in underground mine areas
- Problems with Fossil Fuel Combustion
- -Trade Deficit -Strategic Vulnerability -Photochemical Smog -Greenhouse Gas -Acid Rain -Damage from mining and Drilling -Toxic Emission
- Alternatives (Other Combustion Fuels)
- -Ethanol and Methanol -Biofuels-Cooking oil, Rape seed oil -Compressed Natural Gas -Liquified Natural Gas -Propane -Hydrogen
- Other Types of Engines
- -Electric -Hybrid -Fuel Cell
- Alpha radiation
- (2 protons + 2 neutrons escape from nucleus) (atomic # drops 2 and atomic mass drops 4)
- Beta radiation
- ( high energy electron from nucleus caused by decay of a proton or neutron. (atomic number up 1 or down 1 but no mass change)
- Gamma radiation
- (electro-magnetic energy of highest frequency)
- Alpha and Beta decay series
- ...
- Radon
- natural pollution
- Nuclear Fission
- Heavy element absorbs a slow neutron to become unstable and then splits; To slow neutron down a MODERATOR is required (carbon, deuterium water, etc); To maintain chair reaction a CRITICAL MASS is required.
- Nuclear Fission: reactor components
- Heat used to make steam to run electrical turbines. Steam must be kept in a closed system to prevent radiation leaks. Reaction can be slowed by Cadmium, Boron, or Graphite control rods which absorb neutrons.
- Number of reactors worldwide
- 460
- Number of reactors in US
- 104
- Radioactive waste disposal
- High level waste: spent fuel rods. On site storage.
- Nuclear disasters; radiation threats
- Reactor accident & leak; exposure at processing facility; transportation accident; exposure at storage facility; nuclear terrorism and theft
- Health problems
- Pt clusters in bone; Rn breathed into lungs, I (131,129) absorbed by Thyroid; Cs(137) behaves like K (muscle, neurons)