maddie morse science

natural resources

We are using up, or depleting natural resources. A natural resource is any substance, organism, or energy that comes from nature.

NOnrenewable Resource

A nonrenewable resource is a natural resource that can only be used once

Examples:

• Most minerals

• Fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas

• Nuclear energy

Fuel

Fuel is a substance used to provide energy such as heat, light, motion, or electricity

• This energy is the result of a chemical change

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels: nonrenewable energy resources that form in the Earth’s crust over millions of years from the remains of organisms 

• can be liquids, gases, or solids

• humans depend on these energy resources the most and use a variety of methods to obtain and process them

• The three major fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas

Coal

Coal is fossilized carbon. It is a solid fossil fuel formed underground from buried, decomposed plant material. 

• is the solid fossil fuel that humans use most 

• mostly used to fuel electrical power plants

• once was the leading source of energy in U.S., but now isn't used as much

MIning

• Surface mining: includes strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining; the soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed 

• Underground mining: the mineral is removed through shafts and tunnels

Petroleum

Petroleum (oil) is a thick, black, liquid fossil fuel

• forms from the remains of small animals, algae, and other organisms that lived in oceans and shallow inland seas hundreds of millions of years ago

• used mostly for transportation and to heat homes

• accounts for more than ⅓ of the energy produced in the world

Natural Gas

Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel.

• mixture of methane and other gases 

• forms from some of the same organisms as oil 

• used for heating and generating electricity

The Greenhouse Effect

The atmosphere naturally acts like a blanket, keeping the Earth warm enough for life to exist. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air has increased by 25 percent since the late 1800s. Carbon dioxide and other pollutants act like a greenhouse trapping the warmth. This has caused a significant increase in global temperatures. 

Climate Change

a change in global or regional climate patterns

Global Warming

Global warming is the gradual rising of the Earth's temperature. 

If temperatures continue to rise, polar ice caps would melt raising the sea level. This would flood coastal areas, pollute underground water supplies, and cause present shorelines to disappear.

Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear Energy: nonrenewable energy source that comes from the nuclei of atoms

• The heat released from fission is used to turn water into steam. The steam then turns the blades of a turbine to generate electricity

• Generates about 20% of electricity in the U.S.

Fission

Fission: nuclei of radioactive atoms are split and energy is released

• a neutron slams into a larger atom, forcing it to excite and split into two smaller atoms

Radioactive Waste

• Produced by nuclear power plants and takes hundreds or thousands of years to become harmless

• Can have harmful effects on all living things

• Can cause cancer and birth defects in humans

Fusion

Fusion: joining of nuclei of small atoms to form larger atoms

• Pros: produces few dangerous wastes

• Cons: needs large amounts of pressure and heat, still many years away from being widely used

Pollution

• Pollution is the presence of harmful substances in the environment.

• Pollutants may be chemicals, noise, or heat.

• They damage or kill plants and animals living in the affected habitat and may also harm humans.

1. air pollution

Sometimes is visible, but more often is invisible

Can make people’s eyes burn and make them have difficulty breathing, increases risk of lung cancer

Caused by: natural disasters and burning fossil fuels 

2. Land pollution

Caused by: pesticides and fertilizers, garbage

3. Water pollution

Sometimes harms people directly and sometimes indirectly

Drinking dirty water causes disease, as does eating fish that live in polluted water

Caused by: oil and natural gas leaks, chemicals, mining & drilling, radioactive waste, garbage

Landfill

A place to dispose of waste material by burying or covering over it with soil

• Pros:

  • Can hold large amounts of waste

  • When a landfill is complete, it creates land that can be reclaimed, built on, or used as farming land

• Cons:

  • Can release methane 

  • Can pollute water, air, and soil

  • Odor and visual impact 

  • Items barely decompose in a modern landfill

  • Landfills face capacity restrictions

Incinerator

An apparatus for burning waste material, especially industrial waste, at high temperatures until it is reduced to ash

Resource Recovery

Resource Recovery (Waste-to-Energy): waste is burned to produce energy

• Pros: 

  • reduces bulk of municipal waste to ash

  • provides energy

  • relieves pressure on land 

  • minimizes surface and groundwater contamination as well as greenhouse gas emissions

• Cons: 

  • Some items may be difficult to burn or cause potentially harmful emissions

  • Strict regulatory restrictions and high economic costs

Population Growth

• Overpopulation occurs when the number of people is too large for them to regularly get the resources they need.

Habitat Destruction

• Biodiversity refers to many different species in a certain habitat worldwide. Every time a habitat is damaged, changed, or destroyed, biodiversity is lost

Causes of Habitat Destruction

• Deforestation: the clearing of forests for purposes such as agriculture, logging, and urban development

• Urbanization: land used for housing, roads, and other infrastructure

• Agriculture

• Oil Spills

• Mining

• Poaching: hunting illegally

• Pollution

Invasive Species

• A living thing that begins to thrive in a new place that it isn’t supposed to be

• Happens because people are constantly on the move and boats, airplanes, and cars can carry plant seeds, animal eggs, and adult organisms from one part of the world to another

• They can become pests and drive out other species due to lack of predators and using up resources

Smog

• Smog: photochemical fog produced by the reaction of sunlight and air pollutants

Acid Precipitation

• Acid precipitation: rain or snow that has a high acid content due to air pollutants

Ways to Maintain Biodiversity

1. Species Protection

• Endangered Species Act forbids activities that would damage a plant or animal on the endangered species list

2. Habitat Protection

• Nature preserves

Conservation

• Conservation: the wise use of and the preservation of natural resources

•  Example: riding your bike or using mass transportation conserves fuel

The 3 Rs

Reduce

• use less, reduce waste, buy less

Reuse 

• use over again

• Important way to conserve resources and prevent pollution, reuse products, reuse water

Recycle: breaking down trash and using it again as something new

• trash, resources

Biodegradable 

• Biodegradable: able to be broken down by the environment 

Ways to get energy besides fossil fuels:

Nonrenewable:

• Nuclear energy

Renewable:

• Solar energy

• Wind energy

• Hydroelectric energy

• Biomass

• Geothermal energy

Renewable ReSources

Renewable resource: a natural resource  that can be used again and again or has an unlimited supply

• Water

• Sunlight

• Plants 

• Animals 

• Air 

Solar Energy

Solar energy is the energy from the sun.

• can be changed into electricity by use of solar power plants or cells

• passive or active solar heating

Wind Energy

Wind energy is created indirectly by solar energy through the uneven heating of air. 

• can turn a wind turbine that pumps water or produces electricity

• clusters of wind turbines are called wind farms

Hydroelectric Energy

Electricity produced by falling water 

• dams

• water wheels

Biomass

Biomass is any organic matter that contains stored energy.

• burning of biomass (ex: burning wood or charcoal)

• plant material can be changed into liquid fuel

  • gasohol as fuel for cars

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is energy produced by heat within the Earth's crust.

• uses primarily steam to generate electricity

• can also be used as a direct source of heat