Energy and Environment Spring - Lecture 2

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What are some examples of risks to environment from collecting raw fuel materials?
Spoil at mines (****, can mix with water and create risk to those nearby) (disposal problem with stuff that isn't useful), oil extraction and transport (spill risk), ground extraction with fracking - risk to groundwater
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How did dispersion come about?
Combusting wood/coal creates smoke, industry was early encouraged to build tall chimney stacks to discharge smoke
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Whats an engineering issue with chimneys?
Chimneys have to deal with vortex induced vibration - risk of collapse
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What's temperature inversion?
Temperature inversion is where a cold layer of air is trapped beneath a warmer layer leading to pollutant getting trapped in cold region, occurs most in winter when heating is max.
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What inspired Clean Air Act?
Great Smog was an example in 1952 London of temperature inversion, led to Clean Air Act
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What are coal pollutants?
pm10 is particulates >10 micrometers in size, occur in incomplete combustion, irritate nose and build up on buildings. pm2.5 < 2.5 micrometers in size, can cause lung irritation, as do SO2 and NOX which damage airways
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What are political measures to deal with pollution?
Moving power stations from cities and using large chimneys to disperse pollutants, as well as improved heating in homes. All rely on dispersions
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What is district heating?
District heating plants distribute heat in a centralized location through insulated pipes, more efficient and less emissions
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What is accumulative damage?
Accumulative damage (acid rain), continues even after action to trigger it stops
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Why is natural gas more popular in UK now?
Natural gas, sulphur free, is used more. It still contains nitrogen though. UK uses natural gas, high exergy fuel, used for heating or CCGT power plants, as well as in cars which have catalytic converters
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What is climate?
Climate is weather statistics at a location over a long period. Different to weather which describes state of atmosphere, (temp, humidity etc)
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What properties of atmosphere determine surface conditions?
Optical properties of atmosphere determine surface temp
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How do greenhouses work?
Glass is opaque to infrared radiation, used in greenhouse design. Glass blocks infrared from leaving greenhouse, making greenhouse warm up
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What is the water greenhouse loop?
Water vapour causes GH effect. Absorbs sunlight, re-radiates radiation. The atmosphere warms up as infrared absorbed, leading to more water vapour in atmosphere which adds more to GH effect
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What is climate forcing? (W m^-2)
Climate forcing measures how much extra energy there is supplied due to greenhouse effect (Or extra solar radiation needed for GH ef. for Co2 it's calculated by 5.35*ln(C /C0) co2 is nearly saturated so for other greenhouse gases there's more forcing
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What is sensitivity?
difference in temp= wavelength (climate sensitivity )* F (climate forcing), global average temp rise by doubling CO2
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What is albedo?
Albedo - measure of amount of reflection of Earth's radiation. White bodies have 100%, black bodies 0%
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What's the snowball earth model?
Snowball earth - Earth was once covered by ice, more ice meant more radiation reflected, increasing Earth's albedo
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What is the effect of melting ice on Earth?
Melting ice creates more water vapour in temp, leads to warming. Floating ice changes albedo but volume of water stays same, so sea level same. Grounded ice changes volume of sea level, making it rise
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What is runaway greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse runaway effect, as more water vapour in atmosphere due to oceans boiling, this increases greenhouse effect, leading to oceans eventually boiling away
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Why is it difficult to measure effect of ocean on GH effect?
Evaporation from land, ice cover reflecting sunlight, clouds reflecting out to sun and down to Earth, varying ocean temp
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How did dispersion come about?

Back

Combusting wood/coal creates smoke, industry was early encouraged to build tall chimney stacks to discharge smoke

Card 3

Front

Whats an engineering issue with chimneys?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What's temperature inversion?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What inspired Clean Air Act?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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