Water, Air, and Land Resources Chapter 4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources

Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. Most of this water is salt water. Salt water is important but fresh water is what people use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing food. Less than 1% of Earth’s water is usable fresh water. The water planet

Freshwater pollution 2 types: point sources and nonpoint sources. Point source pollution – comes from a known and specific location, like a factory, leaking landfill or storage tank. Nonpoint source pollution – does not have a specific source. Runoff – water that flows over land carries a lot of nonpoint source pollution like oil, sediment from construction sites, pesticides, sulfuric acid. This pollution can kill fish and other aquatic life. It can also cause problems for humans that get their drinking water from these areas. Freshwater pollution

Earth’s atmosphere is made of nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and other gases. The atmosphere makes life on Earth possible. The atmosphere provides important gases. It also shields live from harmful solar radiation. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor help trap heat to warm the Earth’s surface. Earth’s blanket of air

Pollution can change the chemical composition of the atmosphere and disrupt natural cycles. Fossil fuels are a major air pollution source. Global warming has occurred because of pollution – this is the unnatural warming of the lower atmosphere. This could possibly cause melting glaciers. CFC’s destroy the ozone level and increase our exposure to UV radiation. Air pollution can also cause health problems like coughing, wheezing, headaches, and lung, eye, and throat irritation. Pollution of the air

The land provides soil and forests, and mineral and energy resources. Removing and using resources from the Earth’s crust can take an environmental toll. Land resources

Damage to land resources Mining is important because they produce mineral resources but the process tears up the Earth’s surface and destroys vegetation. It causes soil erosion and creates pollution. Agriculture can impact land – irrigation has depleted groundwater and cause salinization (build-up of salts) in soil, making soil unusable. Damage to land resources

Removal of forests for paper and lumber can cause land damage Removal of forests for paper and lumber can cause land damage. Clear-cutting is the removal of all trees in an area – this leads to soil erosion and destroys the habitat that lives there. Land can also serve as disposal sites, like landfills and waste facilities. If an old landfill leaks it can contaminate soil and underground water.