Section 4
Environmental Impacts and Energy Consumption
In this section you will find materials that support the implementation of EarthComm, Section 4: Environmental Impacts and Energy Consumption.
- To learn more about the methods used to clean up oil spills, visit the following web sites:
Oil Spill Response Techniques, EPA
Examines techniques for controlling oil spills and minimizing their impacts.
What's the Story on Oil Spills?, NOAA
Describes the kinds of tools that can be used to clean up spilled oil.
- To learn more about acid rain and acid mine drainage, visit the following web sites:
Acid Rain and Ground Water pH, American Ground Water Trust
Examines the effects of acid rain on ground water.
Acid Mine Drainage, USGS
Looks at the consequences of acid mine drainage and treatment systems that can be put in place.
Acid Mine Drainage, Virginia Tech
Examines the causes and effects of acid mine drainage as well as methods for treating acid mine drainage.
To learn more about this topic, visit the following web sites:
Fossil Fuels and the Carbon Cycle:
Understanding the Global Carbon Cycle, Woods Hole Research Center
Reviews the basics of the global carbon cycle and how fossil fuels are linked to the cycle.
Climate Change, EPA
Explains climate change, which has been linked to emissions of greenhouse gases (including CO2).
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, EPA
Explains what greenhouse gases are and how the greenhouse effect works.
Coal and Acid Rain
USGS Tracks Acid Rain, USGS
Defines acid rain and explains how acid rain forms and what impact it has on the environment.
Acid Rain, EPA
Looks at the causes, effects, and efforts to reduce acid rain.
Oil Spills and the Environment
Effects of Oil on Wildlife and Habitat, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Examines some of the ways that oil spills affect wildlife and their habitats.
Effects of Oil Pollution on Marine Wildlife, EPA
Considers the environmental impacts of spilled oil on coastal habitats.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Energy Resources
Coal Resources in Environmentally-sensitive Lands Under Federal Management, USGS
Presents estimates of coal-bearing acreage and coal tonnage in environmentally-sensitive areas and explains how these areas are dealt with.
Coal-Bed Methane: Potential and Concerns, USGS
Reviews the potential use of methane as an energy source, as well as some of the problems associated with its use.
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