Earth’s Natural Resources Chapter 4 Energy and Mineral Resources Alternative Energy Resources Wind, Air, and Land Resources Protecting Resources

Energy and Mineral Resources Renewable and Nonrenewable resources. Renewable resource: replenished over a fairly short period of time. Ex’s) Nonrenewable resources: takes millions of years to form and accumulate.

Place a star on the renewables and an X on the nonrenewables

Renewable and Nonrenewable resources Fossil Fuels: A hydrocarbon that may be used as a source of energy. Coal Oil / Petroleum Natural Gas

Coal Passes through 4 stages of development. Read page 95 in the text List the 4 stages of the development of coal below.

Coal More than 70% of the coal mined today is used by powerplants to generate electricity. Where is most of the coal located in Pa? What type of coal is located there? Burning coal creates acid rain

Petroleum and Natural Gas How does Petroleum and Natural Gas form? (p.96) What prevents oil and natural gas from migrating to the surface? Draw and label a type of structure that traps oil.

Tar Sands Where is most of the tar sand deposits located? What are some drawbacks from obtaining oil from tar sands? Where is most of the worlds oil shales?

Formation of Mineral Deposits Ore - Metallic mineral that can be mined for $$$. Some of the most important mineral deposits form through… igneous processes As the magma cools, heavy minerals settle to the bottom hydrothermal solutions -or- hot water solutions As the water cools metallic ion separate out of solution placer deposits Gold is popular placer deposit!

Nonmetallic mineral resources Divided into two groups Building materials Industrial minerals Name 4 nonmetallic minerals and their uses.

Alternative Energy Resources Solar Nuclear Wind Hydroelectric Geothermal Tidal

Using your textbook, outline each of the types of alternative energy resources on a separate sheet of paper Your outline should be in the following format Alternative Energy Source (e.g. Solar Energy) Renewable, or nonrenewable? Simple description of how it works to capture energy in your own words. Advantages List… Disadvantages

Water, Air, and Land Resources Nearly 71% of Earth’s surface is water! About 2% fresh water 1.6% of fresh water is ice at the poles Less than 1% of Earth’s fresh water is usable

Water Pollution There are two types of water pollution Point source pollution Comes from a known and specific location “You can point to it” Nonpoint source pollution Does not have a specific point of origin Difficult to identify a specific source Runoff Water that flows over the land rather than seeping into the ground Largest source of water pollution in the United States!

Point source or nonpoint sources of water pollution?

The Atmosphere - Earth’s Blanket of Air Chemical composition helps maintain life on earth Nitrogen - 78% Oxygen - 21% Trace gases - 1% CO2 Argon

Air Pollution Pollution can change the chemical composition of the air disrupting natural cycles. Burning of fossil fuels is a major source of air pollution Motor vehicles Coal and oil fired powerplants

Burning fossil fuels releases… Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Oxide Soot When they combine with water vapor in the air they create acid rain When they combine with sunlight smog is produced

Burning fossil fuels and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) CO2 is a Greenhouse Gas Greenhouse gas traps heat from the sun The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased since the industrial revolution began in the 19th century The increase in CO2 has altered the Carbon cycle and contributed to unnatural warming of the lower atmosphere (global warming)

Land Resources Land provides soil and forests, as well as mineral and energy resources. How do land resources impact your daily life? Soil - to grow the food you eat Forests - to build your home, furniture, paper… Petroleum - Energy, plastics… Minerals - makeup, coins in your pocket… Removing and using these resources can take a heavy toll on the environment!

Strip mines - drastically changes the landscape Destroys vegetation Causes soil erosion Creates pollution contaminating soil and water Destroys ecosystems

More damage to land resources… Agriculture extensive irrigation systems Fertilizers Pesticides Genetically modified food Forestry - Removal of virgin forests Eliminates diversity of plant and animal species Landfills and waste facilities Potential to leak toxics into soil and ground water

How many plastic water bottles do we throw away each year? Look it up… How many plastic water bottles do we throw away each year? Year? Day? Hour? Minute? Second?

Protecting Resources Each year we throw out about… 30 million cell phones 8 million TV’s 18 million computers Enough tires to circle the 3 times Enough shrink wrap to wrap the state of Texas! We have 6% of the world’s population yet we produce 33% of the world’s garbage!

How can keep ourselves in check? Many think conservation and pollution prevention are the answers. Conservation is the careful use of resources. Pollution prevention means stopping pollution from entering the environment.

At your table, come up with 10 conservation methods you can use in your daily lives.

Keeping water clean and safe Government began passing laws to prevent and decrease pollution. Clean Water Act (1972): The CWA went after industries to reduce or eliminate point sources of pollution into surface waters. Safe Drinking Water Act (1974): helped protect drinking water resources.

Protecting the Air In 1970 congress passed the Clean Air Act. Nations most important air pollution law Because of the CAA: motor vehicles and power plants use control devices to reduce or eliminate harmful byproducts of fossil fuel combustion Energy Conservation = Cleaner Air How does turning off the lights when you’re not using them decrease air pollution?

Caring for Land Resources Preventing pollution and managing land resources wisely! Farmers Contour plowing: plowing across a hillside reduces runoff Use of organic fertilizers and IPM (pesitcides as a last resort) Forestry Selective cutting rather than clear cutting: preserves habitats and conserves resources

What you can do to care for the land Start a compost pile! Practice using IPM (integrated pest management) Conserve water, and electricity The three R’s Reduce Reuse Recycle