energy update? homework 7: ch 6: research problems 3 & 4 due monday 11/3/14 today’s material...

ENERGY UPDATE?

Homework 7: CH 6: Research Problems 3 & 4 due Monday 11/3/14

Today’s Material• Impact Fossil Fuels• Carbon Budget Activity (7) due • Impact Fossil Fuels Group Assignment due at end of class• Group Project Work

• Mid Term II Preview 10/29/14• Mid Term II 11/3/14 (notebooks due)

Homework 7Chapter 6 Research Problems 3 & 4

(3) Look up the most recent large oil spill anywhere in the world. What were its environmental and economic consequences?

(4) Determine the five most mercury-contaminated species of fish sold commercially in the USA and rank them in order by degree of contamination.

Environmental Impact = pollution and landscape desecration, but also direct and indirect effects on human health, safety, and quality of life.

What is pollution?Pollution refers to any substance introduced into the environment that has harmful effects on human health and well being, or on natural ecosystems. What are some air pollutants?Carbon Dioxide, sulfur compounds, mercury, particulate matter (aerosols), etc.

White arrows indicate increasing trends; black arrows indicate decreasing trends. All the indicators expected to increase in a warming world are increasing, and all those expected to decrease in a warming world are decreasing. (Figure source: NOAA NCDC, based on data updated from Kennedy et al. 2010

http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/downloads

Values of pH in precipitation falling on the United States in the early twenty-first century. Lower pH corresponds to greater acidity. Excess acidity in the Northeast is largely the result of sulfur emissions from coal-burning power plants in the Midwest.

Oxidation converts Sulfur Dioxide to Sulfur Trioxide, which reacts with water vapor to make sulfuric acid:

2SO2 + O2 >> 2SO3

SO3 + H2O >> H2SO4

Average mercury concentration in U.S. fish, in parts per million (ppm), plotted by watershed region. The EPA maximum permissible concentration is 0.3 ppm, and advisories start at 0.15 ppm.

HEAVY METALSLeadWhere does this come from?Used to be in gasoline and paintWhere is it found?Urban Air and as deposited as particulate matter on surfaces

MercuryHow does it get into the environment as pollution?Coal burning power plantsWhere is Hg found to be an environmental hazard?Predatory Fish (why do you think more is found in predatory fish?)

RadiationWhat is the source?Coal Burning Power PlantsThe major sources of lead emissions to the air today are ore

and metals processing and piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded aviation gasoline.

The colors on the map show annual total precipitation changes for 1991-2012 compared to the 1901-1960 average, and show wetter conditions in most areas. The bars on the graph show average precipitation differences by decade for 1901-2012 (relative to the 1901-1960 average). The far right bar is for 2001-2012. (Figure source: NOAA NCDC / CICS-NC).


Can anyone think of any implications for this?

The colors on the map show temperature changes over the years 1991-2012, compared to the 1901-1960 average for the contiguous U.S., and to the 1951-1980 average for Alaska and Hawai‘i. The bars on the graph show the average temperature changes for the U.S. by decade for 1901-2012 (relative to the 1901-1960 average). The period from 2001 to 2012 was warmer than any previous decade in every region. (Figure source: NOAA NCDC / CICS-NC).



The retreat of sea ice has occurred faster than climate models had predicted. Image on left shows Arctic minimum sea ice extent in 1984, which was about 2.59 million square miles, the average minimum extent for 1979-2000. Image on right shows that the extent of sea ice had dropped to 1.32 million square miles at the end of summer 2012.



Multiple observed indicators of a changing global carbon cycle: (a) atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) from Mauna Loa (19°32’N, 155°34’W – red) and South Pole (89°59’S, 24°48’W – black) since 1958; (b) partial pressure of dissolved CO2 at the ocean surface (blue curves) and in situ pH (green curves), a measure of the acidity of ocean water. Measurements are from three stations from the Atlantic (29°10’N, 15°30’W – dark blue/dark green; 31°40’N, 64°10’W – blue/green) and the Pacific Oceans (22°45’N, 158°00’W − light blue/light green

Pteropods, or “sea butterflies,” are eaten by a variety of marine species ranging from tiny krill to salmon to whales. The photos show what happens to a pteropod’s shell in seawater that is too acidic.


These 36-day-old clams are a single species, Mercenaria mercenaria, grown in the laboratory under varying levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air. CO2 is absorbed from the air by ocean water, acidifying the water and thus reducing the ability of juvenile clams to grow their shells. As seen in the photos, 36-day-old clams (measured in microns) grown under elevated CO2 levels are smaller than those grown under lower CO2 levels. The highest CO2 level, about 1500 parts per million (ppm; far right), is higher than most projections for the end of this century but could occur locally in some estuaries. (Figure source: Talmage and Gobler 201013).


Ocean species are shifting northward along U.S. coastlines as ocean temperatures rise. As a result, over the past 40 years, more northern ports have gradually increased their landings of four marine species compared to earlier landings. While some species move northward out of an area, other species move in from the south. This kind of information can inform decisions about how to adapt to climate change. Such adaptations take time and have costs, as local knowledge and equipment are geared to the species that have long been present in an area. (Figure source: adapted from Pinsky and Fogerty 201219).




Red bars show temperatures above the long-term average, and blue bars indicate temperatures below the long-term average. The black line shows atmospheric carbondioxide (CO2) concentration in parts per million (ppm).Why the annual variation?El Niños, La Niñas, and volcanic eruptions

Different amounts of heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere by human activities produce different projected increases in Earth’s temperature. The lines on the graph represent a central estimate of global average temperature rise (relative to the 1901- 1960 average) for the two main scenarios used in this report. A2 assumes continued increases in emissions throughout this century, and B1 assumes significant emissions reductions, though not due explicitly to climate change policies. Shading indicates the range (5th to 95th percentile) of results from a suite of climate models. (Figure source: NOAA NCDC / CICS-NC).

Representative Concentration Pathways

http://www.skepticalscience.com/rcp.php?t=3


http://www.skepticalscience.com/rcp.php?t=3

CMIP5 multi-model simulated time series from 1950 to 2100 for (a) change in global annual mean surface temperature relative to 1986–2005, (b) Northern Hemisphere September sea ice extent (5-year running mean), and (c) global mean ocean surface pH. Time series of projections and a measure of uncertainty (shading) are shown for scenarios RCP2.6 (blue) and RCP8.5 (red). Black (grey shading) is the modeled historical evolution using historical reconstructed forcings. The mean and associated uncertainties averaged over 2081−2100 are given for all RCP scenarios as colored vertical bars. The numbers of CMIP5 models used to calculate the multi-model mean is indicated.

1993–2012 Sea level trends from satellite altimetry.

http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/sod/lsa/

This graph shows the projected change in global sea level rise if atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were to either quadruple or double.

Because the deep ocean will warm much more slowly than the upper ocean, the thermally driven rise in sea level is expected to continue for centuries after atmospheric CO2 stops increasing. These sea level rise projections are the expected changes due to thermal expansion of sea water alone, and do not include the effect of melted continental ice sheets. credit: NOAA GFDL

Image

Maps show projected change in average surface air temperature in the later part of this century (2071-2099) relative to the later part of the last century (1970-1999) under a scenario that assumes substantial reductions in heat trapping gases (B1, left) and a higher emissions scenario that assumes continued increases in global emissions (A2, right). (Figure source: NOAA NCDC / CICS-NC).


The maps show projected increases in the average temperature on the hottest days by late this century (2081-2100) relative to 1986-2005 under a scenario that assumes a rapid reduction in heat-trapping gases (RCP 2.6) and a scenario that assumes continued increases in these gases (RCP 8.5).


Forests are the largest component of the U.S. carbon sink, but growth rates of forests vary widely across the country.


Can anyone think of a way to remove Carbon from the atmosphere or sea water?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Algae-Home-CO2-Scrubber-Part-1/

The basic design shown here will scrub its own consumption and approximately 24 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

• What happens to the Carbon?• What is the residence time of

this Carbon?• How many of these would we

need to construct to counterbalance our global CO2 emissions?

Can anyone think of another Carbon sink that we could use to store the Carbon?

Form groups of 2, possibly 3 if necessary. Interview your team mate. Ask them to explain the processes that lead to two impacts of fossil fuel emissions. In other words, what happens and why. Write down their answers on this sheet of paper.

energy update? homework 7: ch 6: research problems 3 & 4 due monday 11/3/14 today’s material...

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