“Digging Up the Dead” Utilization of Ancient Resources Kerry Costlow

Coming up… Who Cares? What are these resources? What do they form? How efficiently are we using them? What does that mean for us? What can we do? Who Cares? What are these resources? What do they form? How efficiently are we using them? What does that mean for us? What can we do?

Who Cares? Fossil fuels used today are composed of ancient resources –Coal, oil, gas Resources are millions of years old We use TONS of the materials everyday Release CO 2 into the atmosphere Fossil fuels used today are composed of ancient resources –Coal, oil, gas Resources are millions of years old We use TONS of the materials everyday Release CO 2 into the atmosphere

What are Ancient Resources? The remains of organisms that fixed carbon from the atmosphere millions of years ago. –Have built up over the last ~500 million years Usually refers to plant life –Trees, leaves, dead vegetation, small organisms: plankton, phytoplankton Important because of the carbon and hydrogen contained within the organisms Form many important fossil fuels –Coal and Oil The remains of organisms that fixed carbon from the atmosphere millions of years ago. –Have built up over the last ~500 million years Usually refers to plant life –Trees, leaves, dead vegetation, small organisms: plankton, phytoplankton Important because of the carbon and hydrogen contained within the organisms Form many important fossil fuels –Coal and Oil

Ancient Resources to Coal and Oil Coal –Most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel –Called “buried sunshine” Formation –Trees and other vegetation build up on the swamp floor, lack of oxygen –Rivers wash sand and silt into swamp and compress vegetation driving out moisture and impurities  peat –Buried deeper and deeper, heat and time alter chemistry –Peat becomes brown coal –After millions of years brown coal  bituminuos coal –Finally, more pressure, heat, time, and removal of impurities  anthracite Coal –Most abundant and widely distributed fossil fuel –Called “buried sunshine” Formation –Trees and other vegetation build up on the swamp floor, lack of oxygen –Rivers wash sand and silt into swamp and compress vegetation driving out moisture and impurities  peat –Buried deeper and deeper, heat and time alter chemistry –Peat becomes brown coal –After millions of years brown coal  bituminuos coal –Finally, more pressure, heat, time, and removal of impurities  anthracite how-coal- formed.html

Ancient Resources to Coal and Oil Oil –Product of life in ancient oceans and estuaries Formation –Nutrients are brought from bottom- waters causing phytoplankton to bloom –Then dead remains carried to oxygen- free depths, organic matter accumulates –Theses sediments buried and compressed –Perfect conditions needed to squeeze organic matter out of source rocks, transfer to suitable storage stratum –Storage must be porous, but lie under strong impervious rock to withstand pressure and prevent escape –Must “cook” at ˚F for millions of years Oil –Product of life in ancient oceans and estuaries Formation –Nutrients are brought from bottom- waters causing phytoplankton to bloom –Then dead remains carried to oxygen- free depths, organic matter accumulates –Theses sediments buried and compressed –Perfect conditions needed to squeeze organic matter out of source rocks, transfer to suitable storage stratum –Storage must be porous, but lie under strong impervious rock to withstand pressure and prevent escape –Must “cook” at ˚F for millions of years Ocean crust rotation allows oil to escape 14/activities/Gas.aspx

Uses of Resources Coal and Oil –Used as energy resources –Thirty years ago Coal supplied 31% of the world’s fossil fuels Oil supplied nearly half (Flannery 77) Coal and Oil –Used as energy resources –Thirty years ago Coal supplied 31% of the world’s fossil fuels Oil supplied nearly half (Flannery 77) In 1995 humans were using 24 million barrels of oil per year Every one of the 6 million people is using 4 times as much energy as those 100 years ago Meaning burning of fossil fuels has increased 16-fold over that time (Flannery 77) In 1995 humans were using 24 million barrels of oil per year Every one of the 6 million people is using 4 times as much energy as those 100 years ago Meaning burning of fossil fuels has increased 16-fold over that time (Flannery 77)

Efficiency Transformation from plants to usable products – 10% efficiency for coal –0.001% efficiency for oil Coal deposits –62% removed from underground –82% removed from surface Transformation from plants to usable products – 10% efficiency for coal –0.001% efficiency for oil Coal deposits –62% removed from underground –82% removed from surface (Dukes 34-35)

Efficiency In 1997 ~ 44 Eg (44*10 18 g) of photosynthetic product-carbon was necessary to generate the fossil fuels burned. This is 422 times the net amount of carbon fixed globally each year The amount of solar energy needed to grow this vegetation was 36 times the sum of solar energy that strikes Earth’s surface in one year. (Dukes 37) In 1997 ~ 44 Eg (44*10 18 g) of photosynthetic product-carbon was necessary to generate the fossil fuels burned. This is 422 times the net amount of carbon fixed globally each year The amount of solar energy needed to grow this vegetation was 36 times the sum of solar energy that strikes Earth’s surface in one year. (Dukes 37)

Dukes, J.S. “Burning Buried Sunshine: Human Consumption of Ancient Solar Energy,” Climate Change 61 (2003):40.

What does that mean for Us? Every gallon of gas created we have used 100 tons of ancient plant life We are using 20% more than the planet can sustain in order to provide for us. Overexploiting fisheries, overgrazing, destroying forests, polluting oceans and atmosphere By 2050, population ~ 9 billion, we will be using 2 planets worth of resources –But the waste is in fact limiting factor (Flannery 78-79) Every gallon of gas created we have used 100 tons of ancient plant life We are using 20% more than the planet can sustain in order to provide for us. Overexploiting fisheries, overgrazing, destroying forests, polluting oceans and atmosphere By 2050, population ~ 9 billion, we will be using 2 planets worth of resources –But the waste is in fact limiting factor (Flannery 78-79)

What can WE do? “The true value of energy to society is the net energy, which is that after the energy costs of getting and concentrating that energy is subtracted” We need to do more research in which the net energy is evaluated –Lotka’s principle: systems win and dominate that maximize their useful total power from all sources and flexibly distribute this power toward needs affecting survival. “The true value of energy to society is the net energy, which is that after the energy costs of getting and concentrating that energy is subtracted” We need to do more research in which the net energy is evaluated –Lotka’s principle: systems win and dominate that maximize their useful total power from all sources and flexibly distribute this power toward needs affecting survival.

What can WE do? It has been estimated that there are 6.3*10 12 metric tons of coal and 320*10 9 m 3 available on the earth (Hubbert ) –How much do you use in your car? The amount of time spent on creating the ancient resources is so much greater than the time we have to recover that there is no hope of replenishing the supply in any reasonable amount of time (Hawkins 2004) We need to invest in sources of energy –Solar, wind, water, nuclear Do your part!! –Walk when you can, recycle, turn off your lights, invest in your own research It has been estimated that there are 6.3*10 12 metric tons of coal and 320*10 9 m 3 available on the earth (Hubbert ) –How much do you use in your car? The amount of time spent on creating the ancient resources is so much greater than the time we have to recover that there is no hope of replenishing the supply in any reasonable amount of time (Hawkins 2004) We need to invest in sources of energy –Solar, wind, water, nuclear Do your part!! –Walk when you can, recycle, turn off your lights, invest in your own research

Works Cited Dukes, J.S. “Burning Buried Sunshine: Human Consumption of Ancient Solar Energy,” Climate Change 61 (2003). pp Flannery, T. (2005). The Weather Makers: How We Are Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. Canada: HarperCollins. pg Hawkins, D.G. “Global Warming: Dodging the Silver Bullet,” NRDC presentation (February 2004), entations/hawkins.pdf Hubbert, M. King. ･ Energy from Fossil Fuels. Science, New Series, Vol. 109, No (Feb. 4, 1949), ･ Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science. pp Odum, Howard T. Energy, Ecology, and Economics. ･ Ambio, Vol. 2, No. 6, Energy in Society: A Special Issue (1973). Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Science. pp Dukes, J.S. “Burning Buried Sunshine: Human Consumption of Ancient Solar Energy,” Climate Change 61 (2003). pp Flannery, T. (2005). The Weather Makers: How We Are Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. Canada: HarperCollins. pg Hawkins, D.G. “Global Warming: Dodging the Silver Bullet,” NRDC presentation (February 2004), entations/hawkins.pdf Hubbert, M. King. ･ Energy from Fossil Fuels. Science, New Series, Vol. 109, No (Feb. 4, 1949), ･ Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science. pp Odum, Howard T. Energy, Ecology, and Economics. ･ Ambio, Vol. 2, No. 6, Energy in Society: A Special Issue (1973). Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Science. pp