Resources tagged with "Pollution"
Issues tagged Pollution
Acid Mine Drainage: Acid Seep Acid Seep in Nevada source: Glenn Miller, copyright held by photographer. Summary Acid mine drainage (AMD) refers to the outflow of acidic water from a mining site. In most cases, this acid comes primarily from oxidation of iron sulfide ... [read-more]
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS): Is 'carbon capture' from coal possible?When coal is burned, large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere. Releases of CO2 from coal-fired power plants make up around 40% of total CO2 emissions in the US, and are ... [read-more]
Chukchi Sea Oil and Gas Development: SummaryOffshore drilling for oil and gas in Alaska's Chukchi Sea has both great economic potential and a significant risk of adverse environmental impact. Storm battered Chukchi coast Hard wind drives waves against cliffs on the Chukchi Sea. GET PHOTO The ... [read-more]
Coal Combustion Methods: Coal can be used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from direct burning to produce heat and/or steam to newer methods of coal gasification and liquefaction (including coal-to-liquids). The following is a summary of coal combustion methods relevant to ... [read-more]
Coal Combustion Wastes: BackgroundBurning coal produces a variety of solid wastes known as coal combustion waste or coal combustion products. These include coal ash (fly ash and bottom ash), boiler slag, and flue-gas desulphurization products. In 2007 over 120 million tons of these ... [read-more]
Coal Impacts: Every form of energy development impacts both people and the environment. However, coal creates greater negative impacts than almost any other energy source, whether fossil or renewable. These impacts take place throughout the lifecycle of coal, from mining to post-combustion ... [read-more]
Coalbed Methane: SummaryCoalbed methane (also called coal mine methane) refers to methane gas that is trapped within minuscule fractures in coal seams. Once viewed solely as a hazard of coal mining, this gas has received recent attention for its use as an ... [read-more]
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: SummaryThe 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil spill released millions of gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound Alaska. The spill immediately resulted in the death of oiled wildlife and significant reductions in tourism, recreational fishing and commercial fishing. Long-term direct ... [read-more]
Gold Mining Methods: There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold... -Robert Service (1907) SummaryHistorically, the majority of gold was mined from "placer deposits", where gold has settled out of an existing or ancient waterway ... [read-more]
Herring Fishery in Alaska: SummaryHerring have been historically harvested in Alaska for food, oil, bait and now sac roe (eggs). In addition to their commercial importance, herring act as a critical bridge between primary producers and the larger animals in the food web. Herring ... [read-more]
Mercury from Coal: Mercury is released into the air from the combustion of coal. This mercury accumulates and concentrates in the food chain, where it is ingested by people (often through eating fish). Mercury is a toxic chemical that can affect the nervous ... [read-more]
Mine Tailings: Basic Mining Terminology: An overview of basic mining terms and where various components of a mineral deposit end up. FULL FIGURE TerminologyMine tailings are materials left over after extraction of valuable minerals from ore. They are distinct from “waste rock” ... [read-more]
Natural Gas in Cook Inlet: datamooseCallbacks_dKGFDVe3N0EU.push(function(datamooseIframe){ $("#DatamooseDescriptionWrapper-data-output-embed-131-dKGFDVe3N0EU").css('display','block') $("#DatamooseDescriptionWrapper-data-output-embed-131-dKGFDVe3N0EU").width(datamooseIframe.style.width) }); Cook Inlet Natural Gas Production and Export: Production and Exports of Natural Gas in Cook Inlet (1958-2010) FULL FIGURE SummaryThe natural gas produced in Cook Inlet is the primary source of energy and heat for the ... [read-more]
Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline Project (Canada): SummaryThe Canadian Northern Gateway Pipeline Project has proposed a pair of 1,200 km pipelines that would link the tar sand oil fields of northern Alberta with a marine port in British Columbia. Supporters of the project emphasize the opportunity to ... [read-more]
Ocean Acidification: Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major polluting byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal. In the atmosphere, it acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat and causing global climate change. However, this released CO2 is also absorbed ... [read-more]
Oil Degradation in the Sea: SummaryWhen oil enters the water from natural or manmade sources it begins to degrade, taking anywhere from days to decades depending on conditions. Processes that spread the oil through the environment usually speed up this degradation. However other factors such ... [read-more]
Pebble Alternative Tailings Storage Options: Our Pebble Articles Overview Block Caving Water Management Nearby Mining Claims Keystone Dialogue Perpetual Maintenance Tailings Storage Alternative Tailings Storage Opposition Powering Pebble Earthquake Risks At the proposed Pebble Mine, the mine developer intends to store the mine’s sulfide mine ... [read-more]
Pebble Tailings Management: Our Pebble Articles Overview Block Caving Water Management Nearby Mining Claims Keystone Dialogue Perpetual Maintenance Tailings Storage Alternative Tailings Storage Opposition Powering Pebble Earthquake Risks The proposed Pebble Mine could produce up to 10.7 billion tons of tailings, a mud ... [read-more]
Pebble and Perpetuity: Our Pebble Articles Overview Block Caving Water Management Nearby Mining Claims Keystone Dialogue Perpetual Maintenance Tailings Storage Alternative Tailings Storage Opposition Powering Pebble Earthquake Risks The life of a mine doesn’t end when the metal is gone. The primary environmental ... [read-more]
Sulfolane Contamination in Alaska: Summary Sulfolane, an industrial solvent used in the production of gasoline, has been detected since 2000 in groundwater located near the North Pole oil refinery, with the sulfolane slowly spreading outside the refinery boundaries. In 2009 sulfolane was discovered in ... [read-more]
The True Cost of Coal: To the electricity customer, coal is relatively cheap. But missing from the sticker price are coal's major impacts on ecosystems, human health, and our economy. People are sickened by pollution from coal fired power plants, shortening their lives and burdening ... [read-more]
True Cost: What is "true cost"?"True cost" is the difference between the market price of a commodity and the comprehensive cost of that commodity to society. The term is normally used to draw attention to missing or hidden costs that are not ... [read-more]
Waste Storage 'In Perpetuity': Perpetual waste storage Toxic waste is an inevitable byproduct of many industries, from mines to power plants, nuclear reactors to municipal landfills. Therefore, we construct facilities to contain or treat these toxic byproducts. In many cases the mandate of these ... [read-more]
Alaska Oil and Gas: Oil and Gas Articles Chukchi Sea Oil and Gas Development Coalbed Methane Drift River Oil TerminalExxon Valdez Oil SpillNatural Gas in Cook Inlet Northern Gateway Pipeline Project (Canada) Oil Degradation in the SeaSulfolane Contamination in Alaska The oil and ... [read-more]
Other Issues: The primary goal of our website is to provide accurate, up-to-date information on natural resource issues, with a particular focus on Alaska. Currently we have sections with detailed articles on Coal and Metals Mining. We are currently working on developing ... [read-more]
Photos tagged Pollution
