EnSci/Env S/Geol/Mteor 324

Study Guide for Exam #1

 The exam must be taken at one of the ISU Testing Centers (Carver 60 & 250, Durham 139, or
Gilman 2552).
 Exam available from 1 pm on Wednesday, February 6, to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, February 12.
 This is a closed book, closed note, disabled cell phone exam.
 Only scientific calculators, no programmable calculators
 Exam covers material from Lecture 1 through Lecture 10
 Exam also covers readings and videos (only those posted on Canvas).
 There will be 34 multiple choice questions and 4 short answer questions on this exam.

Lecture 1
U.S. energy consumption by energy source slide
 What proportion consisted of fossil fuels?
 What proportion consisted of renewable energy resources?
 What proportion consisted of nuclear energy?
Lecture 2
 Definitions for environmental, economic, and social sustainability
 Historical transitions in U.S. energy economy (slide 5)
 Top source countries for U.S. oil imports
 The GDP-based economic argument for independence from foreign oil
 The three major factors behind the drop in U.S. imports of oil: historically high prices, lower
consumption, and increased domestic production.
 Be able to explain the relationship between recent increase in US domestic product, Canadian crude
imports, and the oil refinery infrastructure in the U.S.
 Be able to describe at least two potential economic risks of transitioning away from an oil-
dominated energy system
 Definition of energy returned on investment (EROI)

Lecture 3
 The relationship between the Paris Agreement climate change goal and economic carbon bubble
 Units of power (watts, Btu/hour) and energy amounts (joules, kWh, kilocalories, Btu, quads)
 Approximate conversions for amounts of energy with respect to joules, only to the extent that you
can rank units by overall amount of energy. E.g., which is a larger amount of energy: a joule or Btu?
 Study the graphs on the two “Amounts of Energy – Quads” slides

Lecture 4
 U.S. per capita energy consumption rates and how they compare to the global rates
 U.S. energy consumption by sector
 Definition of energy poverty
 Study the figure on the “Population growth and energy resources slide”
 Definition of GDP and HDI
 Definition of energy intensity. Study the graph on the “Energy Intensity” slide.
 Be familiar with the relationship between HDI and energy consumption rates. Study the graphs.
Lecture 5
 Definition of energy quality. Be able to rank the forms of energy in terms of energy quality.
 Study the relative efficiencies of important energy conversions. In other words, be able to rank
various conversions (e.g., mechanical energy converted to electrical energy) by increasing efficiency.
Recall how we calculated the overall efficiency of a fossil fuel-burning power plant by multiplying
the 3 efficiency values involved in the serial energy conversions.
 Definition of energy density and power density
 Be familiar with the energy densities of fossil fuels, wood, and uranium
 Regarding power density, be able to describe the area (m2) component of the denominator for the
fossil fuels, uranium, solar and wind. In other words, what do we consider when measuring the area
affected, disturbed, or occupied when using these energy resources?

Lecture 6
 The relative proportion of Earth’s total energy input from solar and geothermal energy
 The 3 major events in Earth’s energy history
 Basics of photosynthesis
 The basics of plate tectonics and density-driven circulation in Earth’s interior
 The definition and tectonic cause of subsidence

Lecture 7
 Be with familiar with peat formation, especially “rate of accumulation > rate of decomposition.”
 Definition of burial diagenesis and relationship with coal rank.
 Be able to describe the general composition of coal.
 Know how water content, ash content, and energy density varies with coal rank.
 Inorganic and organic forms of sulfur in coal
 The origin of sulfur content of coal and the relationship between ocean water and sulfur content.
 The age and coal composition (e.g., sulfur content, coal rank) of the 4 major coal regions of the U.S.

Lecture 8
 Differences between room and pillar mining and longwall mining
 Hazards faced by coal miners (collapse, air quality, explosion)
 The basics of mountaintop removal mining
 Extent of habitat destruction involved in mountaintop removal mining
 The source of and chemical reaction associated with acid mine drainage.

Lecture 9
 Environmental degradation due to iron hydroxides and low pH caused by acid mine drainage
 Relationship between sulfate concentrations and extent of coal mining in a watershed
 Study the “Mining effects on stream chemistry and biota” and “bioaccumulation” slides
 Be able to describe the relative environmental impacts of coal mining in Appalachia vs. Wyoming

Lecture 10
 Types of coal ash
 Beneficial use and disposal of coal ash
 Particulate matter removal tech (separators, baghouses, electrostatic precipitators)
 EPA regulation of coal ash disposal