*S Largent* Environmental Science Ch 12 Terms
Terms
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- Energy
- the capacity to do work.
- Work
- the application of force through a distance.
- Power
- the rate of flow of energy (i.e.; the rate at which work is done).
- Solar Energy
- 99% of the energy used to heat the Earth and all of our buildings; comes directly from the sun.
- Commercial Energy
- most comes from the extraction/conversion of mineral resources (primarily nonrenewable fossil fuels); 1% of the energy used on Earth.
- Renewable Resources
- resources normally replaced or replenished by natural processes; resources not depleted by moderate use. (ex.: solar energy)
- Nonrenewable Resources
- minerals; fossil fuels; and other materials present in essentially fixed amounts (within human time scales) in our environment.
- Fossil Fuels
- petroleum; natural gas; and coal created by geological forces from organic wastes and dead bodies of formerly living biological organisms.
- OPEC
- organization of petroleum exporting fuels; consists of the following 12 countries: Algeria; Gabon; Indonesia; Iran; Iraq; Kuwait; Libya; Nigeria; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; The United Arab Emirates; Venezuela.
- Nuclear Fusion
- a process in which two smaller atomic nuclei fuse into one larger nucleus and release energy; the source of power in a hydrogen bomb.
- Nuclear Fission
- the radioactive decay process in which isotopes split apart to create two smaller atoms.
- Passive Heat Absorption
- the use of natural materials or absorptive structures without moving parts to gather and hold heat; the simplest and oldest use of solar energy.
- Active Solar Systems
- a mechanical system that uses moving substances to collect and transfer solar energy.
- Biomass
- the accumulated biological material produced by living organisms.