Observable Global Warming Lab

Janelli Aguilar, Jacob Mourtada, Jordan Sousa

Purpose:

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effects of global warming using jars as models of the earth and its atmosphere. The person performing the lab will record changes of temperature and water levels and plot information to show how the greenhouse effect works.

Background:

Global Warming is the earth’s rise in temperature. With this rise of temperature many other changes take place on Earth. Sea levels rise, weather is affected, and natural disasters occur. The change of temperature is caused by the greenhouse effect and the emissions that have been put in the air over the past century. While some of these greenhouse gases are naturally occurring, some can have a huge effect on the earth’s atmosphere at a more rapid rate due to human use.

Materials: 

3 Large Mason Jars, 1 Small Mason Jar, 4 Thermometers, Heat Lamp, Cardboard, 3 Sheets of White Paper, Plastic Wrap, Rubber Bands, Water, Lab Sheet

Procedure:

Jar 1- Tape a thermometer to the cardboard strip and place it in jar 1 so that it is viewable from the outside. Leave this jar unsealed. This jar is the control.

Jar 2- Tape the second thermometer to another cardboard strip and place it in jar 2 so that it is viewable from the outside. Seal the top of the jar with a rubber band and plastic wrap insuring a tight seal. This jar represents earth and its atmosphere.

Jar 3- Take the smaller jar and fill it half with sand and the other half with room temperature water. Place a thermometer in the water and place the small jar inside of the larger mason jar. Take another thermometer and place it in the large jar between the small jar. Cover the large mason jar with plastic wrap and a rubber band like done to jar 2. This jar represents Earth, the atmosphere, and a body of water.

Take the three jars and place them on the 3 white sheets of paper. Angle the heat lamp at the three jars. Make sure the lamp is facing the cardboard strips and not the thermometer.  Record the 4 temperatures of the thermometers immediately in the data charts provided. Record the temperatures again every five minutes for the first thirty minutes. Also record any changes you see. Complete the Analysis section.

Results/Analysis:

Jar 1 was our control and by leaving the jar uncovered, it acted as the earth without an atmosphere. Jar 2 was covered so it had an atmosphere where the greenhouse gases could get trapped and it was also an example of a large area of land with no bodies of water. Jar 3 was also covered and had a small jar placed inside as an example of a water source such as an ocean or lake. Jar 2 got progressively hotter because the heat was being trapped while Jar 3’s temperature was regulated by the water source. We came to the conclusion that areas near oceans stay cooler so that is why Jar 3 remained slightly cooler than Jar 2. Even though this is not exactly what happens on earth; the air near the a body of water is always being replaced while in our experiment, the air was contained. We also observed that the water in the small jar in Jar 3 had stayed the same throughout the experiment. Since air has a lower heat capacity and can store energy quicker, the air responded faster to the light from the heat lamp than the water.

By completing this experiment, we learned that the light from the heat lamp greatly affected the temperature of the jars, but with the plastic coverings on two of them, the temperature of the jar increased quickly in a short amount of time. The body of water in the third jar also affected the temperature of the air, keeping it cooler than Jar 2. With this experiment, we saw the effect of greenhouse gases and the atmosphere on earth in a simplified representation, however, the same problems are occurring daily on our planet. While some greenhouse gases are natural and the atmosphere traps them, it keeps the earth’s temperature at a level that allows us to live comfortably. If we keep adding dangerous levels of greenhouse gas and other emissions, it could cause the earth’s temperature to rise into unsafe levels. Weather is affected, sea level rises and other natural disasters can occur because of global warming. This experiment teaches us the way the atmosphere and natural greenhouse gases affect the earth its natural state, but it is up to us to protect our planet from unnatural emissions, threatening our safety and health.

 

 

The Keystone XL Pipeline is a 36 inch crude oil pipeline project that will start at Hardisty, Alberta and go for 1,179

miles and ends at Steele City, Nebraska. This project is critical for energy security and economy of the United States. The Keystone Pipeline will also increase the production of crude oil in the whole country from producers in Montana and North Dakota. This will also allow Canadian and American crude oil producers access to reefing markets in the Midwestern part of the country. The pipeline will be able to transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day to the Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries. This will reduce the dependence of oil from other countries such as Venezuela.

Governor Dave Heineman approved TransCanada’s route in Nebraska. The route will not disturb the land and water resources. On March 1, 2013, the U.S. Department of State released a Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement that reaffirmed that there would be no impacts on resources on the proposed route. The Keystone Pipeline is projected to start in two years after the Presidential Permit is issued.

 

Cons:

-carry one of the dirtiest fuels: tar sands oil

-negatively impact ecosystems

-pollute water sources

-impact public health

-double imports of dirty sands oil into the U.S.

-tar sand oil production emits levels of CO2 three or four times higher than those of conventional oil

-equal to adding 5.6 million new cars to the U.S. roads

-cyanide and ammonia can work its way into water supplies from tailing ponds

-process of building pipeline will destroy forests

-probability of spills

 

Pros:

-reduce dependency on foreign oil

-building pipeline will create jobs and better the economy

-“fastest, most reliable infrastructure”

-taxes paid by TransCanada will provide counties with revenue to pay for project

-supports U.S manufacturing

-enhances energy security

-supports energy independence

 

 

References:

http://keystone-xl.com/five-reasons-why-keystone-xl-benefits-the-u-s/

denial response

http://www.foe.org/projects/climate-and-energy/tar-sands/keystone-xl-pipeline

 

The Obama Adminitration had a tough decision to make when in 2012, the U.S. carbon pollution from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades. As the economy continued to grow, the Obama Administration had to set new rules to cut our carbon pollution so we could protect the health of our children while continuing to move our economy.

The plan directs the EPA to work closely with states and industries to set rules for carbon pollution for new and old power plants. It also makes up 8 million dollars in loan guarantee authority to fossil fuel projects so they cn invest in innovative technologies. With this plan, it directs DOI to permit renewable projects such as wind and solar energy. The plan also expands the President’s Better Building Challenge which focuses on cutting waste from commercial, industrial, and homes. The plan also set a goal to reduce the carbon pollution by at least 3 billion metric tons by 2030.

While cutting carbon pollution, the plan also prepares the country for the impacts of climate change and leads international efforts to address global climate change. It helps educate farmers, ranchers, and landowners about climate change and new technologies. It helps educate everyone about climate preparedness tools and information. They lead international efforts and initiatives with China, India, and other major emitting countries. It also provides financial support for new coal-fired power plants overseas.

 

The first exhibit we visited was the Conserve at Home. We got to learn about Watts, which is the rate at which electricity is used every instant something is on. For the example in the museum, they had a hair dryer and a mixer. We learned that you can consume a certain amount of watts wither quickly, over a short amount of time, or slowly over a long amount of time.

The next exhibit we went to was Catching the Wind which taught us about wind power and how that helps us generate electricity to our homes. Wind turbines catch the energy of the wind and turns into a form we can use for electricity. The machinery inside the nacelle converts the energy into electricity. The turbines are made up of many parts such as the blades, nacelle, the hub, low and high speed shaft, gearbox, electricity generator, yaw motors, electronic controller, and anemometers and wind vane. To install a wind turbine, first you must consider the location’s wind speed, duration over the course of the year, how much electricity a wind turbine is capable of generating, the cost, and how much time it will take for the turbine to make profit.

The third exhibit we visited was the Energized! where we learned about about self-repleneshing sources of energy that are cleaner and more reliable than burning fossil fuels. It focused on energy from the sun, wind, and moving water. Solar panels (photovoltaics) on the roofs of homes can transform sunlight into electricity. When the sunlight hits the panels, electrons get energized and start to move, which in turn create an electrical current. There was also a graph that showed the impact of fossil fuels, hydropower, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind energy. Solar energy has the potential of being our country’s energy source. Because the sunlight is inconsistent and takes large areas to harness a useful amount of energy, solar energy only consists of 1% of our electricity. However, it is the fastest growing power-generation technology in the world.

 

Pandora’s Promise is a 2013 documentary film that discusses the nuclear power debate. It goes into detail of why or why not nuclear power should be used. There is still opposition of nuclear power, but it is a clean energy source which can help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and better the climate change situation.

The director Robert Stone presents this film as a way to show both sides of the argument, like interviewing Helen Caldicott, an anti-nuclear advocate. She talks about the health impacts that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had. Nuclear energy is an energy source that many people fear especially after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, but it can also be the energy source we need to save the planet from climate change. The documentary was very informative and it showed the stories of five people who went from anti-nuclear to pro-nuclear energy-Stewart Brand, Richard Rhodes, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas, and Michael Shellenberger.

Throughout the film, they talk about the myths and fears people have about nuclear energy such as the disasters that have happened before. The film ultimately argues in support of nuclear power, but it also explains the risks like disasters and radiation. They also talk about plutonium which is a byproduct of uranium fission, which could be used to create weapons. The anti-nuclear activists such as Caldicott call nuclear power evil, but they are not given time to argue against it.

Overall, Pandora’s Promise was an interesting film to watch. Even though, I would have liked if they had more arguments against nuclear energy, however, I did like how they addressed the problems and fears some may have with nuclear energy. They explained how disasters like Fukushima and Chernobyl could be avoided and how radiation is not a big problem like other make it out to be.

Visiting the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory was very interesting because we got to see the things

we had learned in class and through our blogs in person. The radiation checking for the lab was very serious, which surprised me. Our tour guide even asked us if we had ever taken nuclear medicine and went on to tell us about a lady who had had nuclear medicine and the reactor had sensed it. Our tour guide was very informative and was willing to answer all our questions. We got to see the Geiger counter in action again tested against different objects like we learned in the Tom Vales demo. It was interesting to hear that radiation was used in treatments of cancer such as melanoma. They had tested this on patients and they were helped by the radiation, but it is based on funding which was not readily available. They also had many posters that had much more information on how it was tested on cancer patients.

It was really cool to see the all different machines that were used and connect that with what we had talked about in class such as the fission process. Near the end of the tour, we went into the control room which I thought was interesting because it looked like something out of a movie with the old fashioned buttons and lights. Our tour guide told us that they were trying to go digital with the screens and were testing out new systems for the reactor. It surprised me because the school and the rest of the facility was very technical and modern and the control room looked old-fashioned.

Overall, the tour was very informative. I liked looking at all the machines used in the facility and the precautions taken by the people working there. Our tour guide was very engaging and was able to keep us interested throughout the tour.

On March 11, 2011 following a major earthquake, a tsunami disabled the cooling a power supply of three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors in Japan causing the reactors to melt and release large amounts of radioactive materials. These radioactive materials from the three reactor contaminated the water and it caused over 100,000 people to evacuate their homes. The contaminated water problem, brought up again in August 2013 affected the clean up process which could take decades.  

When the earthquake hit, all the nuclear reactors shut down. After a few seconds into the earthquake, the controls rods within the core and the nuclear chain reaction stopped as well. The earthquake also destroyed the external power supply of the reactors so the plant could not produce electricity on its own. When the tsunami hit, it flooded the diesel generators, which caused them to fail. The emergency diesel generators kicked in after that, but they were only designed to provide power for eight hours. When the eight hours were up, everyone was afraid that the reactors would melt, and they would but that would take a couple days. Many things were used to try to cool down the plants such as venting the steam and other gases out or injecting sea water mixed with boric acid to make sure the rods remained covered with water.

This disaster in Japan was the most extensive release of radioactivity since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, however unlike Chernobyl, Japan was hit by natural disasters. The radioactive contamination hit communities 25 miles away forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Even though deaths and illnesses from the radioactive materials were unlikely, long-term health effects and even cancer remain possible.

On December 19, 2011, Japan’s environment minister announced that 15 billion dollars were distributed for the decontamination and cleaning of the area around the Fukushima Daiichi plant. He also announced that it was expected that it would take up to 40 years to decontaminate everything completely and it would cost the Japanese government about 75 billion dollars.

In a Bloomberg article, it states that on April 11, 2014, Japan’s cabinet designated coal as an important electricity source, while giving nuclear power the same importance in Japan’s new energy strategy. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing for the coal industry, while many hoped he’d use the Fukushima accident to switch to renewables.

 

References:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-13/post-fukushima-japan-chooses-coal-over-renewable-energy.html

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/

Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R41694.pdf

 

Tom Vales’s demonstration on radiation was very interesting especially learning about how radiation is all around us, even in our homes in our smoke detectors. Even though it is not dangerous, I was surprised to hear about that. I learned

that radiation is all around us and it is part of our environment. I also learned about radon which is a radioactive gas. It can be found in decay or minerals in the ground, which can all contain uranium and radium. As I mentioned before, radon is also found in smoke detectors in homes.

Then, he talked about the characteristics of a radioactive element. It is constantly decaying and it is unstable. It is made up of alpha particles, which is made up of two protons and two neutrons and has the least amount of penetration. There is also the beta particle which is made up of electrons and it penetrates deeper than the alpha particle. Lastly, there is the gamma ray which signals high energy waves and will go through anything.

After that, he showed us a Geiger counter which was used to measure radiation in different products. Radioactivity in these products were caused by radium. If radium was to accidentally go into someone’s eyes, it would cause cataracts, so it can be very dangerous. The first item he showed us was a candle stick that was made up of uranium glass. He would put it up to the geiger counter and it would start making a beeping sound. He also showed us a UV flashlight, a pocket watch, and a camera lens. He also showed us a Fiestaware bowl that used to be called “radioactive red” because of the color of the paint. Natural radiation can also be found in the soil, rocks, air, water, and cosmic rays.

The demonstration was interesting because we got to see everything that he was talking about like the radioactive items on the Geiger counter. It was very informative especially right before the visit to the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory.

Geothermal Energy in Iceland:

According nea.is, or the National Authority of Iceland, geothermal power facilities currently generate 25% of the country’s total electricity production. The use of geothermal energy in Iceland has grown significantly over the years and the country has been named the pioneer in  the use of geothermal energy.

Even though Iceland is the pioneer for using it, geothermal energy has been used for thousands of years in some countries for things like cooking and heating up a home. Geothermal energy is power from the Earth’s internal heat. The thermal energy is found in rocks and fluids deep below the Earth’s crust. Many countries use underground reservoirs of steam and hot water to generate electricity directly to homes. Some thermal energy can be found many miles below the surface while some is farther up.

Wells, sometimes a mile deep, are drilled into an underground reservoirs to tap steam and hot water to produce geothermal electricity. The steam and hot water is used to drive turbines connected to electricity generators. There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash, and binary. Geothermal energy can be extracted without burning fossil fuels and produce less carbon dioxide than natural gas.

In Iceland, geothermal energy has always been important to Icelanders since ancient times. Reykjavik, the capital, is an important place because the steam an hot water is derived from there. Geothermal energy was only used for washing and bathing before but now it is being used for space heating.

 The “blue lagoon” is located about 40 minutes from the capital. This geothermal sea that is rich in minerals is located in the middle of a lava field. A geothermal power plant is situated right next to it, in to which they pump the water into.

References:

http://www.nea.is/geothermal/

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/geothermal-profile/

http://www.icelandgeothermal.is/iceland-geothermal/geothermal-development/

http://iceland.ednet.ns.ca/schedule.htm

Stirling Heat Engine:

The Stirling engine, invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, can be more efficient than a gasoline or a diesel engine and it is very much different than the internal combustion engine in your car. The engine uses the Stirling cycle, which uses gas as working substance. The fixed amount of gas is transferred back and forth between cold and hot ends of a cylinder. The hot end is heated

by an external heat such as fire while the other side is cooled with ice. The gas chambers of each cylinder are connected and there are pistons also connected to each other. The pistons are connected mechanically by a linkage that will determine how they will move.

First, heat is added to the gas on the heated end causing pressure to build up and forces the piston to move down. The left piston moves up while the right on is down. The gas is pushed from the heated end to the cooled end, lowering the pressure. The piston on the cool end starts to compress the gas and heat is generated by this. The right piston moves up while the left piston moves down and this causes the gas to be pushed  into the heated end, repeating the cycle.

Other types of Stirling engines are:

-Displacer-type Stirling Engine (a displacer controls when the gas chamber is heated or cooled)

-Two-Piston Stirling Engine (The heated cylinder is heated by an external flame. A rod comes out of each piston and is connected to a small disc, which is connected to a large flywheel.)

Most Stirling engines are invisible to us today, however they are used in machines such as submarines, cryocoolers, auxiliary power generators in yachts, and there are stirling engines used in classrooms as well.

 

 

Peltier Device:

A Peltier thermo-element is a device that uses the Peltier effect to activate a heat pump. The Peltier is made of semi

conductive material so it as many positive-negative contacts connected in the series. It has two plates, a cold and a hot plate, and in between there are several thermo couples. The thermo couples are connected together with two wires sticking out of it. Voltage is applied to the wires and the heat is transferred from one plate to another.

This device is also called a Peltier heat pump, solid state refrigerator, or thermoelectric cooler. It can be used for cooling or for heating, although it is more commonly used for cooling. It is used in drink coolers  and computers use this to keep the device cool. Even though, not many computers use it now, if you have an old computer it is likely to use it.

 

References:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm

http://www.stirlingengine.com/faq/#5

http://pcbheaven.com/wikipages/The_Peltier_Thermo-Element/

http://www.survival-manual.com/electricity/peltier-elements.php