Download Natural Resources

Natural
Resources
Lesson 5.3
What are natural resources?
 Almost
everything people use comes
directly or indirectly from natural
resources. People need air to breath and
water to drink. They need soil to grow
food. Rocks and minerals are needed to
form soil. Forests produce some of the
raw materials for shelter and fuel for fires.
Earth’s natural resources can be classified
by the time it takes to produce them.
What are fossil fuels?(nonrenewable resources)
 Fossil
fuels formed from the remains of ancient
organisms and is used today as a source of energy.
 Sediment covers the dead organsims. The pressure
from the sediment presses the dead plants into
peat. As peat hardens, it forms a sedimentary rock
called bituminous coal, or soft coal.
 As bituminous coal sinks deeper into Earth’s layers, it
forms a metamorphic rock called anthrocite, or
hard coal.
 Both hard and soft coal are fossil fuels.
More Fossil Fuels
(nonrenewable resources)
 When
ocean organisms die and sink to
the bottom of the ocean, they are also
covered by sediment. There, the
combination of heat and pressure turned
the decayed material into oil or natural
gas.
 Oil and natural gas can be found under
the ocean or under land that was once
covered by the ocean.
This power plant uses gas turbines.
Using Fossil Fuels
(nonrenewable resources)
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When fossil fuels are burned, they release the energy
stored in the ancient organisms that made them.
Gasoline in a car releases energy to move the
engine.
Oil burning releases energy to heat buildings.
Natural gas can be burned on a stovetop to cook
food.
Coal, oil, and natural gas can supply energy to a
power plant. At the power plant, their energy is
converted to electricity, and carried through wires to
your home.
More Nonrenewable
Resources
 Some
nonrenewable resources cannot be
reproduced at all. They are a fixed
quantity. Examples are gold and copper.
Renewable Resources
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Nature replaces some resources relatively quickly.
These are natural resources.
Wind
Sunlight
Water
Fish
Trees or even dead plants
Animal waste
Some of these come in unlimited supply, like
sunlight. Others, like fresh water, exist in limited
number even though it’s constantly being
replaced. Water shortages can occur if water is
polluted or over-used.
Hydro-electric Power Plant
Careful Use of
Natural Resources
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Trees are not always fully renewable. They
are sometimes cut down faster than new
ones can grow to replace them. Trees are
used for construction of buildings, furniture,
and paper, so we need to be careful with this
resource.
Animal resources can also be used up quicker
than they are replaced. For example, many
fish populations are declining rapidly due to
overfishing. Once completely gone, a living
thing cannot be replaced.
Why is it so salty?
 97%
of Earth’s water is salty, but why?
When rain or snow fall, they fall as fresh
water. They land on mountains or other
land, then much of it drains to rivers and
streams. As it moves across the land, the
water picks up sals in soil and rocks. The
water then flows into the ocean carrying
the salt with it. The salt remains in the
ocean. Rivers have salt, but don’t taste
salty because it’s such a small amount.
Freshwater Sources
 We
know that only 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater,
and 2% of that is in glaciers. So where is the 1% that
we use? It can be found in:
 Running water –Many cities are built near rivers and
streams. They provide water for homes and
businesses. (Pearl River in Jackson)
 Standing water- Lakes or reservoirs fill holes in the
ground. A reservoir is an artificial lake built to store
water. They’re usually built with a dam. (Ross
Barnett Reservoir)
 Ground water – Seeps into rocks called aquifers.
Aquifers have pores that absorb water. Eventually,
the water sinks to a rock that will not absorb the
water, so it just sits there.
How do we get
to the
groundwater?
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Water is pumped up
through a well drilled to
reach the groundwater.
As water is removed, the
level of the water
underground drops. In
order for the water to
reach that height again,
more water must seep
down to replace it.
How do we clean water?
The water pumped into our buildings has been
cleaned in a water treatment plant. There, it
goes through 5 tanks, each with a different job:
1. Coagulation – Sticky particles are added to
the water to attract any
dirt in it.
2. Sedimentation- Clumps of dirt and sticky
particles fall to the bottom on the tank.
3. Filtration – Water passes through a series of
filters, which ar layers of sand, gravel, and
charcoal. This removes any remaining
particles.
4. Disinfection- Chlorine and other chemicals
are added to the water to kill harmful
bacteria.
5. Storage – Clean water is stored until needed.