Natural Resources
What is a natural resource?
Any natural material that is used by humans, such as air, soil minerals, water, petroleum, plants, and animals.
What are some examples of urbanization?
Urbanization would be building:
- buildings
- parking lots
- roads
- city parks
What is thermal pollution? Give an example.
Any heating of natural water that results from human activity. An example would be water that is used for cooling some power plants gets warmed up.
If the Air Quality Index is 15, would the air be considered clean or unhealthy?
What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource?
A renewable resource can be restored at the same rate it is consumed but a nonrenewable resource takes a much slower amount of time to be restored.
How would deforestation lead to desertification?
Deforestation removes vegetation from an area and decreases the amount locations where organisms can live. This leads to a hostile living environment (desertification).
What is eutrophication and who contributes to it?
It is an increase in the amount of nutrients in water from decomposing organisms.
What are particulates? Give two examples.
A particulate is a tiny particle of solid that is suspended in air or water. Examples include ash, dust, and pollen.
What is a material resource?
A natural resource that humans use to make objects or to consume as food or drink.
Why is soil important?
It is a habitat for organisms and stores water and nutrients.
What are the five ways in which water quality is measured?
Dissolved solids, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, microbial load.
What is the relationship between greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect?
Greenhouse gases act as a blanket to insulate and reradiate heat throughout the Earth's atmosphere. This process is called the greenhouse effect.
What is an energy resource and which one of the resources discussed would be the most useful and long-living?
An energy resource is a natural resource that humans use to generate energy. The Sun is an inexhaustible resource that provides a lot of energy
What can lead to land degradation.
urbanization, deforestation, and poor farming practices.
What is a reservoir and how can it be harmful to the environment?
It is a body of water that forms behind a dam. Dams stop river waters from flowing along their natural course.
What are the three reasons why Earth's atmosphere is important?
It provides gases that organisms need to survive, It absorbs harmful radiation, and it keeps the Earth warm.