Earth’s Resources Chapter 24

Renewable Non-Renewable

The World at Night

Resources The resources that Earth provides are called natural resources These can be classified as renewable or non- renewable

Renewable Resources a renewable resource is one that can be replaced by nature in a relatively short period of time. cut down a tree...plant a seedling fresh surface water...water cycle animals and elements that travel through cycles in Earths systems are also renewable

Sustainable Yield (part of renewable resources) resources have sustainable yield if we replace them at the same rate we use them. plants (crops) and animals (livestock) are in this category The sun is considered sustainable because it will be there for the next 5 billion years

non-renewable resources a resource is non-renewable if it has a finite amount and can only be replaced by geological, physical or chemical process that take millions of years. These include mineral deposits and fossil fuels.

Distribution of Resources Obviously resources are not evenly distributed around the world. We only have about 6% of the world’s population, yet we consume 30% of the resources yearly.

Resources From Earth’s Crust 24.2

Land Resources publicly managed land - federal, state or local for recreation, grazing and mineral and energy resources national parks, national wildlife refuges,

aggregate - an combination of sand, gravel and crushed stone. beneath aggregate is bedrock which is the unbroken parent material for overlying layers this bedrock can be mined is quarries Ores -natural resource that can be mined at a profit These cal fall into several categories: settling of crystals, hyrdrothermal fluids, chemical precipiation and placer deposits.

Effects of Mining Mining can destroy the original contour of the surrounding land many times when ores are extracted from parent rock, the residual material is called tailings. mining can also expose other materials like arsenic and mercury these also have environmental concerns/impact

In 1984, the scientific world woke up to the existence of radon in homes. A construction engineer triggered radiation alarms while entering the Limerick nuclear power plant near Philadelphia. His home in Boyertown was tested and the radon concentration was a shocking 2,700 pCi/L. (2-4pCi/L is normal) The family, including small children, was immediately evacuated. Very high radon levels were also found in nearby houses. This region, known as the Reading Prong, has low-grade uranium deposits and encompasses parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Air Resources 24.3

Origin of Oxygen It is believed that between 4.5 and 4.6 billion years ago, Earth’s atmosphere was primarily CO2, Water vapor and nitrogen As the crust cooled, rains washed much of the CO2 out of the atmosphere and into the oceans where phtotsynthetic organisms released the oxygen into the atmosphere

Cycles of Matter Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle

Natural Air Pollution Sources Volcanoes Fire Radon

Transport and Dilution water and air not only transport pollutants but dilute them as well.

Water Resources 24.4

Useful Properties of Water Liquid water - water is very versatile... high boiling and low freezing temps The hydrogen bonds allow water to stick to and coat many solids. Thermal energy storage capacity - a lot of thermal energy (heat) is stored before a change in temperature helps regulate earth’s temperature

Water as a solvent - water as a liquid dissolves many kinds of compounds this enables water to transport minerals throughout organisms as well as dilute pollutants inside the body and in the environment Solid Water - Water expands when it freezes, and as a solid is less dense than as a liquid

Location of Freshwater Resources Like all resources, fresh water is not evenly distributed throughout the world. This can lead to a need to travel great distances to obtain water (less developed countries) or piping water great distances

Managing Freshwater Resources