1.4 Water, Carbon, Climate and Life on Earth Flashcards
What % make up the greenhouse effect?
20% - CO2
25% - cloud
50% - water vapour
5% - aerosols and minor greenhouse gases eg methane
What happens when CO2 conc rises?
CO2 conc rises, air temperature then rises. Oceans then warm up and water vapour evaporates into the atmosphere, which then amplifies greenhouse heating.
In what way does CO2 control the greenhouse effect?
CO2 controls the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere and therefore the size of the enhanced greenhouse effect.
Outline ways of mitigating climate change.
- Carbon Capture and Sequestration technologies (CCS).
- improved aviation practices
- changing rural land use
Explain the three parts in CCS.
- CAPTURING THE CO2: (capture technologies allow the separation of CO2 from gases produced in electricity generation and industrial processes by 1 of 3 methods: precombustion capture, postcombustion capture or oxy-fuel combustion).
- TRANSPORTING THE CO2: (by pipeline or ship to the storage location).
- SECURELY STORING THE CO2 EMISSIONS: (underground in depleted oil and gas fields, the ocean or deep saline aquifers formations several km below the surface.
What is CCS?
A technology that can capture up to 90% of CO2 emissions produced from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes; preventing the CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
What is geo-sequestration?
The technology of capturing greenhouse gas emissions from power stations and pumping them into deep underground reservoirs.
This happens once it’s been converted into SUPERCRITICAL CO2 (which behaves like a runny liquid and can be injected into sedimentary rocks).
Give an example of CCS in action.
The CCS plant in Saskatchewan - called Boundary Dam.
It’s a coal fired power station composed that’s been retrofitted to capture 90% of its CO2 output.
This CO2 is then piped into the Weyburn Oil Unit and injected into an oil-bearing formation at 1500 deep. This adds pressure to the oil-bearing rock, so helps to push more oil out of the ground (Enhanced Oil Recovery).
What’s Enhanced Oil Recovery?
CO2 is piped into an oil-bearing formation underground. This adds pressure to the oil bearing rock so helps to push more oil out of the ground (EOR).
Why is improving aviation practices a way of mitigating climate change?
Because in 2013, the global aviation industry carried 3bn passengers - producing 705m tonnes of CO2.
State what potential reductions in CO2 produced by the aviation industry can be made.
- 100% occupancy of seats
- cruising at a lower speed
- towing an aircraft when on ground
- avoid circling, queueing etc
- adopting fuel efficient routes
- increased use of biofuels
- improved aerodynamics
- reduced weight of aircraft and engines
- carbon capture within engines
- maximising the number of seats per aircraft
