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81 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Energy travels _____ through food chains
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linearly
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Energy from biosphere ultimately comes from the ___
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sun
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what is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
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Whenever energy is converted to one form to another, some USEABLE energy lost
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Entropy _______ in a closed system over time
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increases
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life on earth is maintained by a constant energy input of _______
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sunlight
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the U.S. consumes ___% of global energy consumption
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30
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Energy in the U.S. is consumed mostly by _______ _____
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highway vehicles
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______ countries use more energy per capita
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developed
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less than ___ of the world's population lives in developed countries.
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1/4
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developed countries use about ___% of commercial energy in the world
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68
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list 3 fossil fuels that provide energy:
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oil, natural gas, coal
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list 5 renewable energy sources:
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wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, biomass
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fossil fuels formed ______ of years ago.
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millions
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how was coal made?
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-dead plant material deposited in standing water
-heat, pressure, and time converted to coal |
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how was oil made?
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dead microscopic aquatic organisms fell to water floor
- heat, pressure, and time converted to oil |
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how was natural gas made?
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like oil, but higher temperatures.
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how long did coal hayday last?
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1800-1940
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until the __th century, wood was the dominant fuel source
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18
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Today, we produce electricity and use ________.
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steelmaking
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another name for hard coal:
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Anthracite
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3 characteristics of anthracite coal:
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-highest grade
-burns most cleanly -can produce highest heat |
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another name for soft coal:
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Bituminous coal
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2 characteristics of bituminous coal:
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-often contains sulfur (burns dirty)
-produces a lot of heat |
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what is the name of the softest coal?
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Lignite
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Coal found in underground layers are called _____
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seams
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2 things about Seams:
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-1 inch to 100 feet thick
-all major sources likely identified |
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Surface (Strip) mining is used if coal is within ____ feet of surface
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100
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surface (strip) mining uses _____ _______ to scrap coal from earth
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heavy equipment
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Surface (strip) mining is ____ expensive than subsurface mining. it is _____ for miners, ____ complete coal removal from earth, and ____ environmentally damaging.
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less, safer, more, more.
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mountain top removal involves mountain tops literally being _____ off to expose _____ seams.
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blown, coal
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mountain top removal removes ___-___ feet of elevation. waste is dumped into valleys and _______ streams.
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500, 800, filling
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when mountain top removal is used, reclamation is required, but often not adequate. this causes ______ ______ _________
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drinking water contamination
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subsurface mining is used for about __% of total coal mining in U.S.
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40
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Subsurface mining uses ______ for coal.
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tunnels
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coal is mostly left in the _______ hemisphere. including ______, _____, and ______. it should last about ___ years based on current consumption
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northern, russia, china, india, 200
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________+ miners died in mining accidents in 20th century
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90,000
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mining causes (3):
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-increase risk of cancer
-black lung disease -2000 miners die each year |
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environmental of strip mining include (3):
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-loss of habitat (vegetation completely removed, loss of top soil, acid + toxic mineral drainage)
-water pollution -soil erosion |
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what act tried to control the environmental impacts of strip mining and when?
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Surface mining control and reclamation act, 1977
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regarding Burning coal and air pollution, what greenhouse gas increases(3)? what does this cause?
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CO2, suflur and nitrogen oxides. causes acid rain
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burning coal releases _____ CO2 per unit heat vs. natural gas and ____.
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most, oil
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what pH is normal rain?
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5.6
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how low can acid rain's pH get?
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2.1
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3 problems of acid rain:
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-acidify lakes and streams
-kills forests -destroys human structures |
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acid rain is an _______ issue
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international
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the 1990 clean air act worked on:
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reduction of SO2 emissions to decrease acid rain.
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2 positive characteristics of oil compared to coal:
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-easier to transport
-burn more cleanly |
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crude oil contains many ________ compounds
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hydrocarbon
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when refining crude oil, fuels are separated based on ______ ____
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boiling points
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list 4 petrochemicals:
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fertilizers, plastics, paints, pesticides
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refining natural gas involves a ___ hydrocarbon compounds
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few
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methane is used to (2):
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heat buildings, generate electricity
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oil and natural gas are usually found ______ in _______ ____
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together, structural traps
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oil and natural gas are more ______ to find than coal, and more _______
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difficult, expensive
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2 ways to find oil and natural gas:
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-drill test holes
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explain what problems combustion and spills cause involving oil.
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-rise in co2 levels:global warming
-acid rain -kills wildlife + aquatic life |
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what was the largest oil spill in U.S. history, where did it happen, and when?
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Exxon Valdez in 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska
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exxon valdez caused environmental devastation. what were some of the animals killed in mass amounts (4):
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birds, sea otters, killer whales, salmon migration
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the exon valdez cleanup had no _____, 12,000 workers, used _____ cleaning, and paid Alaska $___ billion.
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plan, steam, 1.1
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soon after the exxon valdez spill, what act was established and when?
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Oil pollution act of 1990
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why is importing oil a problem for the us (4):
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-other countries can strongly influence U.S. and global economy
-leverage for political reasons -leverage for financial reasons -instability/ striking in an oil-producing country |
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what is OPEC and what can they do?
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Organization of oil producing countries.
they can control supply, which will influence cost. they can punish countries by limiting or denying |
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tipping point:
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Critical amount of change beyond which conditions change from one equilibrium to a different equilibrium
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stressors involving tipping points and global warming (2):
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Further increases in levels of other greenhouse gases
Higher levels of deforestation |
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the global warming tipping point involves Temperature beyond which _______ _________ take over.
Change no longer controlled by ______. |
positive feedback, stressors
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positive feedbacks involving global warming tipping point:
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*Decreased light reflection at poles
*Oceans: sink to source of CO2 *Oceans release methane hydrates *Ocean currents disrupted *Permafrost releases CO2 and methane |
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a reason for climate problems is social validation of inaction. what is social validation and conformity?
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The tendency of an individual’s opinion or perceived reality to be shaped by those around him/her
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Acceptance of the existence of a problem does not:
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solve the problem
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Plan B includes 4 goals:
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-stabilize global population
-eradicate poverty -restore natural support systems -stabilize climate |
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what are 5 positive characteristics about plan B?
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holistic
pragmatic (considers political and economic realities) based on our scientific understanding of how natural systems work offers quantitative goals and timelines objectively and quantitatively considers the costs of implementation |
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it is suggested to become a "scientist" to help climate change. what are 4 things you can help us understand better?
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How natural systems function
How humans affect natural systems How we can mitigate our effects on natural systems How we can most effectively restore natural systems |
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it is suggested to become an engineer to help climate change. what 4 things can you help build?
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More efficient renewable energy technologies
Automobiles that are more efficient and fossil-fuel free Methods of preventing and cleaning-up pollution Better landfills that capture methane |
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it is suggested to become a teacher to help climate change? what 3 things can you do as a teacher?
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Help develop education programs in developing countries
Directly teach in foreign countries Inform students in our country |
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it is suggested to become a entrepreneur to help climate change. you can build a business outside of the materials economy that (3):
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Doesn’t rely on extraction of non-renewable resources
Doesn’t cause pollution Doesn’t create products that are made to be thrown away |
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to help climate change, it is also suggested taht you become (4):
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Politician
Writer Artist Sociologist |
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Lifestyle choices ___ ______ to solve large, multiheaded threats to civilization and environment
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not sufficient
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deflating _______ economy reduces environmental damage at many points
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materials
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1 gallon of gas = __ lbs. of CO2
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20
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increase home _____ to help save the environment
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energy
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you can increase home energy by (3)
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efficiency, conservation, buy renewable energy from power company
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what does "vote with your dollar" mean?
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Reward responsible companies by buying their products
Don’t buy products from irresponsible companies Let companies know why you made your decision -beware of "greenwashing" |
