02: Natural Resources Flashcards
These are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or
could be useful under conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the earth, supplies such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers, metals, water and geothermal power.
Natural Resources
Categories under Natural Resources
• Renewable Resources
• Non-Renewable Resources
• Forest Resources
• Water Resources
• Mineral Resources
Definition of Renewable Resources
• It can be renewed as it is available
in infinite quantity
• It is sustainable in nature
• It is low cost and environment-friendly
• Lastly, it replenish quickly
Definition of Non-Renewable Resources
• Once completely consumed, it
cannot be renewed due to limited
stock
• Exhaustible in nature
• High cost and less environment-
friendly
• It replenishes slowly or do not replenish naturally at all
Types of Renewable Resources
• Solar Energy
• Wind Energy
• Hydroelectric Energy
• Biomass Energy
• Geothermal Energy
• Ocean Energy
This energy, also known as photovoltaic (PV), cells are made from silicon or other materials that transform sunlight directly into electricity.
Its systems don’t
produce air pollutants or greenhouse gases.
Solar Energy
It turns a turbine’s blades, which feeds an electric generator and produces electricity
Wind Energy
It relies on water—typically fast-moving water in a large river or rapidly descending water from a high point—and converts the force of that water into electricity by spinning a generator’s turbine blades.
Hydroelectric Energy
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(also Hydropower is the largest
renewable energy source for
electricity in the United States)
It is organic material that comes from plants and animals, and includes crops, waste wood, and trees.
Biomass Energy
When it is burned, the
chemical energy is released as
heat and can generate electricity
with a steam turbine
Biomass Energy
“The earth’s core is about as hot as the sun’s surface, due to the slow decay of radioactive particles in rocks at the center of the planet.”
—The sentence pertains to what type of energy?
Definition: Heat from the earth’s interior
Geothermal Energy
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Trivia: If you’ve ever relaxed in a hot spring, you’ve used geothermal energy.
It refers to all forms of renewable energy derived from the sea.
Ocean Energy
Types of Non-Renewable Resources
• Fossil Fuel
- Crude Oil
- Natural Gas
- Coal
- Petroleum
• Nuclear Energy
This, also referred to as petroleum oil, is the only non-renewable resource that is extracted in liquid form.
Crude Oil
It is found between the layers of the earth’s crust, or between the rocks, and it is retrieved by drilling a vertical well into the ground and ocean floor.
Crude Oil
It used to produce gasoline and diesel to power motor vehicles and manufacture plastics, heating oil, propane, and jet fuel, as well as artificial food flavors.
Crude Oil
It is a gaseous non-renewable resource that is found below the earth’s crust but near crude oil deposits in the subsurface.
Natural Gas
It primarily consists of methane, but may also contain other forms of natural gas such as propane, ethane, and butane.
Natural Gas
It is used for heating homes, as well as for cooking in gas ovens, stoves, and grills.
Natural Gas
It is created by compressed organic matter, and it contains carbon and hydrocarbon matter.
Coal
It is formed from plant-filled swamps that have been covered by sediments for millions of years.
Coal
It is extracted by digging up the ground and taking out the coal solids for processing into energy.
Coal
Formation of Petroleum
The process of petroleum formation involves several steps:
• Organic matter from organisms must be produced in great abundance.
• This organic matter must be buried rapidly before oxidation takes place.
• Slow chemical reactions transform the organic material into the hydrocarbons found in petroleum.
Different ranges of heating of Organic Matter
Oil and gas – 90° to 160°C.
Gas only – 160° to 250°C.
Graphite – Above 250°C.
It is primarily obtained through the mining and refining of uranium ore, a naturally occurring radioactive element below the earth’s surface.
Nuclear Energy
Positive Takeaways of Non-Renewable Resources
• Lots available
• Easier to find
• Very efficient
• Simpler to transport
• Easy set-up
Full Definition:
• Lots available: Humans have invested a lot of time, effort, and money into obtaining fossil fuels, so we now have a ready supply.
• Easier to find: Fossil fuels can be found all over the world, with many areas already identified as being rich in these resources.
• Very efficient: Fossil fuels can generate a lot of energy, even from just a small amount of fuel.
• Simpler to transport: Fossil fuels can be easily transported, e.g. using underground pipes to move oil and gas.
• Easy set-up: A fossil fuel plant can be set up at any location, as long as there is a large quantity of fuel to generate power.
Negative Takeaways of Non-Renewable Resources
• Environmental pollution
• Huge amounts of fuel reserves
• Public health issues
• They will run out
• Oil spills
• Rising costs
• Health risks to workers
Full Definition
• Environmental pollution: Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which is directly linked to global warming – so fossil fuels are very damaging to the health of our planet.
• Huge amounts of fuel reserves: To keep power stations working, you need truckloads of fuel. This can make energy generation very expensive.
• Public health issues: Because of all their nasty air pollution, burning fossil fuels can lead to lung problems and asthma attacks in humans.
• They will run out: Once the earth’s supplies of fossil fuels have been used up, they can’t be renewed (at least not for several hundred million years), so we won’t be able to use them for our rising power needs.
• Oil spills: The huge tankers transporting oil sometimes crash and spill their contents into the sea and nearby coast. This is disastrous for the ocean and land and can be deadly for the animals that live there.
• Rising costs: As just a few countries hold a large number of fossil fuels, fuel prices can rise without warning.
• Health risks to workers: Mining for coal or drilling for oil can be very dangerous, resulting in a large number of diseases, injuries, and deaths every year.
It is most important natural habitat for wild life. It is also utilized by farmers for commercial and recreational purposes.
Forest Resources
The two biggest threats of Forest Resources are?
____ occurs when forests are converted to non-forest uses, such as agriculture and road construction. ____ occurs when forest ecosystems lose their capacity to provide important goods and services to people and nature.
Deforestation, Forest Degradation
Why are Forests Important?
• Biodiversity
• Sustainable Livelihood
• Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
It is a renewable resource through the hydrologic cycle whereby water from the ocean moves onto the land and back again.
Water Resources
It provide the material used to make most of the things of industrial-based society; roads, cars, computers, fertilizers, etc.
Minerals
It is a pure inorganic substance that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. These are valuable natural resources being finite and non-renewable.
Minerals
A careful preservation and protection of something especially planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect.
Conservation
It means using the resources in a wise manner so that besides meeting the present requirement it also takes care of the future generations.
Conservation
