Energy Assignment Part 3

I rank the types of energy to be implented in Turkey to coal power, solar power, and wind power.

Coal:

The cost of coal energy is inexpensive and Turkey has large investments in construction and production of coal already. Coal-fired power stations remain an important energy source for Turkey, and there is renewed interest in exploiting Turkey's domestic coal resources. Given the increase in electricity demand, coal's importance undoubtedly will rise. I ranked coal as first because not only does Turkey already use coal energy a lot, they have great economic gain through the exports of coal to other European countries.

Turkey has many coal resources. In 2008, Turkey had total recoverable coal reserves of 2.6 billion short tons, of which only 583 million short tons (MMst), or about 23 percent, was "hard coal" (anthracite and bituminous). The remainder, around 2,000 MMst, consists of lignite coal reserves. In 2010, Turkey produced 79 MMst of total coal and consumed about 109 MMst of total primary coal in 2010.
  

Solar:

The cost of solar energy is low and the increase production of solar power is mostly in the south of Turkey, which is also likely to continue increase as Turkey has plans to meet its energy demand by renewable resources. I ranked solar energy second because Turkey has only started to increase their energy demand with renewable resources. This is a good way to decrease the negative impacts on the environment.

The amount of sunlight that Turkey receives annually is equivalent to roughly 11,000 times the amount of electricity generated in Turkey in 1996. Clearly, both photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems could be used to great effect. Use of solar thermal is already widespread. Turkey's total solar energy potential is 35 Mtoe per year and solar energy production is expected to reach 602 kilo tonnes of oil equivalent (Ktoe) in 2010 and 1,119 Ktoe in 2020.






Wind:


The cost of wind power are also low and most of the wind power is located west of Turkey. Turkey's technical wind energy potential is 88,000 MW and its economic wind energy potential is 10,000 MW. 40 new wind farm projects have already obtained licences and 751 licence applications are still awaiting approval. Some cities in Turkey have high wind speeds. The most sites with lots of wind power are the Marmara Sea region, the Mediterranean Coast, the Aegean Sea Coast. I ranked wind energy last because wind energy is only available in certain regions where there is a lot of wind power. It seems that only certain regions in Turkey will benefit from this energy source.

Distribution of wind power stations:

 

Case Study: Glacial Retreat

Part A)

1-Look at the links related to the Himalayas, Glacier National park and Antarctica. FOR EACH, give SPECIFIC examples of how the glaciers in that area are behaving. (9 marks)



1) Himalayas: Himalayas are the youngest and highest mountains of the world and have the largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar caps. In the Himalayas, glaciers advance in a healthy climate and retreat in response to a warmer climate. For example, the Chhota Shigri glacier change in length due to change in temperature and the snowfall pattern in the Himalayan region from 1962 to 2008 for 46 years.



2) Glacier National Park: A warming climate is becoming popular in Glacier National Park. Between 1900 and 1979, the Glacier Park area experienced an average of 181 days every year when the temperature dipped below freezing. Between 1980 and 2005, warming had reduced the number of below-freezing days to 152. The region now experiences, on average, eight more days each year when temperature tops 90 degrees. This causes the glaciers to behave by shrinking in size because of the heat. Over the past decade, the national park warmed at twice the rate of the overall planet. Many of the park's small glaciers are gone entirely and others are shrinking quickly.

 

 

3) Antartica: Antarctica has a summer melting season and since records began, 50 years ago, mean annual temperatures have risen rapidly. Warming does continue especially in the summer and it causes glaciers to behave and respond by melting. There have been many losses and shrinkage of glaciers. The rate of warming in Antarctica is among the highest seen anywhere on Earth in recent times.

2-Discuss the Social, Environmental, and Economic Impact of Glacial Retreat. (9 marks)

Social:

- tourists won't go to glacier tourist attractions because glaciers are disappearing
- people may be displaced because of the rising sea level and rising rivers
- crops will be destroyed
- homes will be destroyed

Environmental:

- alter flow of downstream rivers
- expand both land and marine habitats at the margins of glaciers
- reduce pressure on the crust causing instability of existing faults potentially contributing to earthquakes.
- cause natural disasters



Economic:

- economic loss to tourism
- destruction of property will come at a heavy cost from the destruction of rising waters
- need money to help rebuild city from possible destruction
- relief and recovery costs from possible destruction



Part B) Research the impact that glacial retreat will have on the tourism industry in areas that currently have glaciers. (think about Alaskan cruises, Banff, The swiss alps, etc) *There are a few links below but you may want to look further. (10 marks)

Glaciers are an important tourist attraction such as the Alaskan cruises, Alaska, Banff, Swiss Alps, and Glacier national park. Msany of tourists visit Alaska's glaciers each year. As they shrink due to global warming and other reasons, many of them are becoming less available to tourists. They are retreating from visitor centres, retreating into shallow bays where cruise ships cannot follow them or no longer are calving into the ocean. Shrinking glaciers can lead to a reduction in glacier and cruise ship tourism resulting in a large economic hit. For example, in Montana's Iceberg Lake in Glacier National Park, they make approximately $3 billion dollars each year. Without the glaciers, the tourism industry would be destroyed. Tourists would stop coming, and they wouldn't be making any profit. It would be a significant economic disadvantage.



Part C) Discuss the impact that retreating glaciers will/have already had on your country. If you have a country that does not have glaciers specifically in it think about general impacts as a result. (5 marks)
It is rare for glaciers to be in Turkey as it is located in southeastern Europe and west of Asia. Retreating glaciers can cause sea levels to rise by adding water to the ocean either in the form of melt water or calved-off icebergs. Rising sea level can negatively impact Turkey by causing coastal erosion, flooding of low-lying areas and causing storms to occur. The melting of glaciers, could alter the flow of downstream rivers. It can also expand both land and marine habitats at the margins of glaciers. Glacier retreat can also lead to a series of natural hazards. As glaciers shrink, they can change and reduce pressure on the crust causing a decrease of stability of existing faults potentially contributing to earthquakes.

Energy Assignment Part 2

Hydroelectricity in Turkey is the largest renewable source of electricity however solar power looks likely to increase rapidly. Wind power in Turkey is mainly in the west.

Geothermal power in Turkey is used mainly for heating.
By massively increasing production of solar power in the south and wind power in the west Turkey could meet its entire predicted 2020 energy demand from renewable sources.

The primary type of power used in Turkey is in natural gas and oil. It is estimated that Turkey's oil reserves is at 270 million barrels, located mostly in the southeast region. Turkey's oil production peaked in 1991 at 85 thousand barrels per day (bbl/d), but then declined each year and bottomed out in 2004 at 43 thousand bbl/d. Although Turkey's production of liquid fuels has increased slightly since 2004, it is far short of what the country consumes each year.

How is oil used?

• Transportation Fuels (Gasoline, Diesel, Jet Fuel)
• Asphalt
• Fertilizer
• Heating
• Electrical generation

Environmental impact:

- air emissions; Burning oil at power plants produces nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, methane and mercury compounds. The amount of sulfur dioxide and mercury compounds can vary greatly depending on the sulfur and mercury content of the oil that is burned.

- water resource use; Oil-fired power plants use large quantities of water for steam production and cooling. When oil-fired power plants remove water from a lake or river, fish and other aquatic life can be killed, which affects those animals and people who depend on these aquatic resources.

- water discharges; Refineries release treated wastewater, which can contain pollutants, into streams and other bodies of water. 

- land resource use; construction of large oil-fired power plants can destroy habitats for animals and plants. 

The estimates of Turkish natural gas reserves is at 218 billion cubic feet (Bcf). Turkey produced 27 Bcf of natural gas in 2011, relying almost exclusively on imports to meet domestic demand. Turkey's energy demand growth has been among the fastest in the world in 2010 and 2011, although slower economic growth in 2012 has dampened the natural gas consumption increase to some extent.

Natural gas is a more affordable heat source than oil. 

 

How is natural gas used?

• Natural gas heats households. It also cools many homes and provides fuel for cooking. 
• Because natural gas burns cleaner than gasoline or diesel, many companies and municipalities are deploying fleets of natural gas-powered cars, trucks and buses to reduce emissions. 
• steam heat production
• electrical generation
• manufacturing and industrial uses like producing steel, glass, forest products, clothing, cement, fertilizer and petrochemicals
• creating polyethylene polymers, which is the most widely used plastic

Environmental impact:

- air pollution; combustion of natural gas produces amounts of sulfur, mercury, and particulates. Burning natural gas does produce nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are precursors to smog.

- land and wildlife disturbance; construction and land disturbance required for oil and gas drilling can alter land use and harm local ecosystems by causing erosion and fragmenting wildlife habitats and migration patterns

- risk of pollution of water; oil and gas development may pose health risks to nearby communities through contamination of drinking water sources with hazardous chemicals used in drilling. 

Waikiki Beach Case Study

1) Describe the causes of erosion on Waikiki Beach. (5 marks)

Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems.


 

2) Describe past and present attempts that have been made to save the sand of Waikiki beach. Assess how well you think that they have worked. (10 marks)

Waikiki beach has been having erosion problems since the late 1800s . By the 1950s, more than 80 structures , including seawalls, groins, piers, and storm drains were counted along the Waikiki shoreline to protect itself from erosion. Efforts to combat erosion have been average because of the sea level rising about a foot each year, the threat of losing Waikiki beach has become more and more realistic. 52 to 72 percent of beaches on the chain of islands have eroded over the past century due to sea level rise. Even after a 2.2 million dollar sand restoration, Waikiki beach began eroding less than a year later.
All the attempts to save the sand have been temporary since the erosion continues to happen. Constant planning and check ups on the beach should be made so that our efforts could be successful. A lot of money is also required to initiate such long term and rigorous plans to save the sand of Waikiki beach. I don't think a lot of people know that Waikiki beach has a soil erosion problem, by making people globally more aware of this and fundraising to save the beach, funds could be collected to go into a long term plan to protect the beach.

 

3) Describe the economic, social, and environmental impacts of erosion of Waikiki beach for both the residents of the area, and tourists. (15 marks)




Economic:

- can be very costly to fix erosion damage

- money required to fix roads and tracks

- shrinking Waikiki beach can cause less visitors resulting in hundreds of millions less in expenditures

- Hawaii relies on tourists for profit and if they don't come, people wont make money

- decline in supply and demand 

 

Social:

- bad air quality can have a negative impact on human health

- jobs may be jeopardized

- safety in jeopardy because of all the damage at the beach

- exposed concrete can cause harm to people

Environmental:

- can negatively impact soil quality (inable to store water and nutrients)

- can ruin the air quality

- can ruin the quality of water

- loss of newly planted crops

- deposits of silt in low-lying areas

Case Study: Flooding in Brisbane Australia

1) Describe the causes of the flooding. Consider both the natural and human causes of the flood. (4 marks)

Flooding usually happens in coastal areas because coastal areas have high tides/storms that cause water levels to rise. The major cause of flooding in Australia is heavy rainfall. Other natural causes of flooding are hurricanes, storms and tsunamis. Human causes can be urbanization and mining, deforestation, overgrazing, and poor water management. Another major reason for flooding can be pollution and infrastructure.  

2) Describe the social (impact on people), economic (money), environmental impacts of the floods. (12 marks)

Social impact:

- loss of lives/injuries

- loss of property, leaving many people homeless

- widespread of diseases and infections such as water borne diseases

- drainage systems disrupted

Economic impact:

- repairs to damaged buildings, homes and infrastructure that will cost

- relief and recovery costs

- purchasing and production power will decrease

- business will slow down, affecting their income

Environmental impact:

- habitats and forests are destroyed; biodiversity destroyed

- soil erosion due to large amounts of water coming fast

- agriculture destroyed

- contaminated water; chemical substances may pollute the water

3) How is the government of Queensland preparing for future potential floods? (4 marks)

- to install an early warning alert service

- 'mud army,' volunteers that give assistance to flood victims

- plans to increase buildings' resilience to floods

- 'ready for summer' campaign that provides awareness on how to minimize casualties and risks to people and property

The government is informing the public of strategies in case of a flood. Homes are being built now with sturdier frames and higher floors so water does not seep in so easily.

Case Study: Desertification in Botswana

Read the article about Botswana and answer the questions below.

1) What is desertification? Give a general overview (In your own words) of what it is and what are its causes. (4 marks)

Desertification is a type of land degradation where dry land regions become really arid. It loses its bodies of water, vegetation and wildlife. Desertification is caused by a variety of factors like climate change. It can also be caused by human activities such as overgrazing, bio-industrial practices, poor irrigation practices  and deforestation.

2) Describe the PHYSICAL characteristics of Botswana and how these are impacting desertification. Remember that physical is things that would be there whether humans existed or not and include the climate, the flora and fauna, the landscape. (4 marks)

- Climate:
Climate change and the general rise in temperature in Botswana, will raise the evapotranspiration which can lead to soil humidity and an increase in droughts. The deterioration of topsoil in drylands is the effect of temperature variations, rainfall and soil humidity which increases the process of desertification. 

- Flora:

Land degradation due to drought, salinity or over-exploitation has immediate consequences on the capacity of vegetation to maintain or reconstruct itself. This kind of poor vegetation will cause land degradation to occur resulting in a desert like area.

- Fauna:

 Animal species, dependant on vegetation have to migrate to other areas to find sufficient resources or they risk disappearing altogether. The importance of this loss derives from the fact that animal and plant species from dry lands are particularly well adapted to their extreme environment. They act as indicators of the environmental condition of these areas and their disappearance is a sign of significant habitat degradation. 

- Landscape:
Land degradation would occur causing soil to erode or disappear which would increase the process of desertification. This can have a direct impact on the water cycle causing it to be scarce or threatened. Low rainfall causes more and more droughts to occur. 

3) Describe the HUMAN causes of desertification in Botswana. How are humans making it worse? (4 marks)

- Overgrazing where farmers allow livestock to graze to the point where they damage vegetation.

- Deforestation which is the process of removing trees and transforming a forest into cleared land. 

- Destruction of plants in dry region

- Incorrect irrigation in arid regions which causes a build up of a salt in soil

4) Describe some of the problems associated with solving the problem in Botswana, as well as some of the steps that have been taken to protect the environment and people. (4 marks)

Botswana has a large population which may be a problem which is associated with solving the problem in Botswana. The population needs to be managed otherwise the problem will worsen in terms of desertification. By decreasing the population size, there will be a decrease in human activity causing there to be a decrease in drylands so there would be more rainfall. 

Teaching the public environmental awareness and to use supplies efficiently is an important step to overcome desertification in Botswana. 

Total: /16

Case Study: Land Subsistence in the American Southwest

Using the links provided as well as your own research, answer the following questions in full sentences.

a) Describe the causes of land subsistence in the American Southwest and explain why it is getting worse over the past few years. (4 marks)

Common causes of land subsidence from human activity are pumping water, oil, and gas from underground reservoirs; dissolution of limestone aquifers (sinkholes); collapse of underground mines; drainage of organic soils; and initial wetting of dry soils (hydrocompaction). Overdrafting of aquifers is the major cause of subsidence in the southwestern United States, and as ground-water pumping increases, land subsidence also will increase.

b) Describe the potential impacts of land subsistence. (4 marks) 

- changes in elevation and slope of streams, canals, and drains

- damage to bridges, roads, railroads, storm drains, sanitary sewers, canals

- damage to private and public buildings

- failure of well casings from forces by compaction of fine-grained materials in aquifer systems

c) Outline ways to prevent further land subsistence. (This will require you to think on your own) (4 marks)

- switching from ground-water to surface-water supplies

- reducing water use and determining locations for pumping and artificial recharge that will minimize subsidence

- monitor water uses; such as preventing too much water use for people's yards or inside people's homes