Vocabulary
things humans use that occur naturally in nature
What is a natural resource?
deposits of substances many people use for energy. Oil, coal, and natural gas deposits are found underground in some parts of the world and were formed from decomposing organic matter
What are fossil fuels?
wood, water, mineral, fossil fuels
What are natural resources?
Coal forms from thick deposits of plant matter that accumulated in swampy areas. The decaying plants are under pressure from the thick layers of sediments that buried them; over time the plant matter forms coal.
How are fossil fuels made?
The _____________________ comprises all the living things on Earth. The hydrosphere makes up all water found on Earth, including water vapor, ice, and liquid water.
What is the biosphere?
things like the Sun, wind, and water that can be used indefinitely to provide humans with something they need
Is a natural resource made from Earth’s natural processes of weathering and erosion.
What is soil?
they form underground
What are minerals?
They take millions of years to form and will not last forever.
What are natural resources?
Fossil fuels were made from the_______________ of once-living things.
What is decomposition?
things that will eventually run out that cannot be replaced within a person’s lifetime, like fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas) and fresh water
What are nonrenewable resources?
Is a natural resource that makes up less than 3% of the water found on Earth and is found in glaciers, some lakes, rivers, and underground in aquifers.
What is fresh water?
Water, wind, and sunlight
What are renewable resources?
wind turbines and solar panels
What are ways that we harness renewable resources?
Oil was created when large amounts of _________________, found in water, decomposed. This is why we find large amounts of oil buried under the sea floor and in regions that used to be covered in water.
What is plankton?
Earth’s naturally occurring movements like plate tectonics, weathering, and erosion.
A scientist that studies human activities such as mining or logging to record the affects these activities have on the other living things in those environments.
What is a conservation biologist?
Fuel for cars, heating our homes, and industry; wood for building; sunlight and wind to generate electricity.
How we use natural resources?
Less than 3% of earth's water is ______________.
What is freshwater?
Since all living things contain carbon, fossil fuels emit carbons when they are burned, producing what we call _______________ emissions.
What is carbon?
a metal that is considered rare (not easily found). This natural resource along with platinum, silver, and some others are referred to as precious metals.
What is gold?
Is a scientist that works with lawmakers to make sure environments are protected and not destroyed by human actions.
What is an environmental policy analyst?
Fossil fuels like gas and oil are formed from animal and plant matter deeply buried by sediments. The animal and plant matter decays and over millions of years form oil and gas; if conditions are right, the oil and gas remain trapped below Earth’s surface.
Where do fossil fuels come from?
Gases that plants and animals need for survival, like oxygen and carbon dioxide, are part of the __________________.
What is atmosphere?
A conservation biologist studies how ______________impact the environment when they are searching for and extracting natural resources from the Earth.
What are humans?