Terms Flashcards
Stock resource
Can run out and can’t be replaced in the foreseeable future - e.g., fossil fuels.
Flow resource
These are resources that can be replenished - don’t require human management - e.g., sunlight.
Critical flow resource
Require careful management by humans - so that they are replenished as fast as they are used up - e.g., wood from forest.
Resource
Is the entire supply of a material - undiscovered or discovered.
Reserve
Is amount of the resource that is economically viable to extract.
Possible resources
These are resources that are thought to exist - but haven’t been sampled.
Inferred resources
These are resources that have been identified - but haven’t been measured.
Indicated reserve
The size of a reserve has been partly measured - measurements have been used to estimate the actual extent of the resource.
Measured reserve
The size of a reserve that has been measured and is known accurately.
Stages of development
Exploration, exploitation. depletion, development, exhaustion.
Resource frontier
A place that is abundant with natural resources that is being exploited for the first time.
Resource peak
The point at which maximum amount of the resource is being extracted each day.
Environmental Impact Assessment
undertaken before a new development has started - used to assess the environmental impacts of the development - widely used in developed but used less in developing countries - must be undertaken in the UK.
Water diversion
Changing the course of a river so it flows to a different area - moving water from an area of surplus to an area of deficit - the Aral Sea is now 10% of its original size.
Desalination
The removal of salt from sea water - so it can be used as a water source - Dubai obtains 99% of its water through desalination - a lot of energy is needed to desalinate water - may cause pollution.
Grey Water
A type of recycled water - mostly waste water from homes - can be used to irrigate farmland without being treated - makes water supplies more sustainable.
Virtual water trade
Virtual water is water that has been used in the production of something - when products are traded - so is virtual water - virtual water levels can help countries to think about the water that they are using.
Groundwater management
Injection wells allow water to be piped back into depleted aquifers - Infiltration structures are water filled basins - that infiltrate into an aquifer.
Strategies to manage energy consumption
Buildings - install double glazing and insulation - using energy efficient building materials - installing energy efficient boilers - as well as solar panels.
Acid rain
Gases released by fossil fuels dissolve in water vapour - then falls as acid rain - kills fish and trees - reduces the nutrient content of the soil - corrodes rocks e.g., limestone.
