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Human Use of Resources

S8.B.3.3.1-4S8.D.1.2.1,2

Unit 2

Lesson 7Unit 4

Lesson 4

2

Renewable Resources

• Can be replaced within a human lifetime

• Examples include:• Plants (trees)• Animals• Water• Sunlight• Wind• Fertile soil

3

Nonrenewable Resources

• Cannot be replaced in a human lifetime

• Examples include:

1. Fossil Fuels (coal ,oil, natural gas)• Take millions of years to form on Earth

2. Metals (Uranium, iron, gold, silver, aluminum etc.)• Cannot be replaced once removed from Earth

Shale Drilling video

Marcelllus shale

LP’s on shale

4

Formation of

Fossil Fuels

• Mining– Process of removing non-living natural resources

from earth

• coal is commonly mined in PA– Some materials are found as pure materials

underground (coal, gold, silver)– Most materials that are mined are ores

• ores- rock or mineral that contains high amounts of a useful substance

– Example is Bauxite- made of Al and O5

• Prospecting– Process of determining where natural resources are

in the Earth before building a mine• Study geological maps• Study rocks and minerals in an area• Drilling

Coal mine tour

Common ores

6

Problems with Using Resources

1. Mining Accidents click me Chili why explosions Abandoned mines can cause water pollution Creating mines destroys habitats for organisms

Reclamation- After mining, returning land to its original state

2. Oil Pumps can break3. Oil spills click me or me4. Burning Fossil Fuels causes pollution and Global

Warming5. Resource Depletion- using renewable resources faster

than they can be replaced.• Over-fishing• Deforestation

Knox Mine Disaster knox

7

Disposing of Our Resources1. Landfills are being filled much faster than trash is decomposing

– 55% of US trash ends up in landfills (125 million tons)– Harmful materials can leak into groundwater– Incomplete decomposition– Production of methane gas

2. Incineration- burning trash prevents large amounts of trash piling in landfills

• About 12% of U.S. trash

• Contributes to air pollution

Landfill video clip

Parts of a landfill

8

Disposing of Our Resources• Recycling- Taking materials from old products

and using them to make new products

• Composting- a form of recycling in which people mix organic wastes (fruits, vegetables, leaves, wood) with soil and allow decomposers to break down the materials

- Creates a nutrient-rich soil (Compost)Home Compost!

33% of U.S. trash is recycled or composted

Recycling

Compost

9

Problem With Agriculture and Using Resources

1. Repeatedly planting same crops in same soil depletes soil of its nutrients

• Chemical fertilizers help add nutrients to the soil» Chemicals can runoff into water systems and pollute

aquatic ecosystems

• Crop Rotation involves planting different crops in a field in different years or different times of the year

» Helps add a variety of nutrients to the soil» Is a more environmentally friendly solution to keeping

soil fertile

Problem With Agriculture and Using Resources

2. Clearing land to grow crops destroys habitats and biodiversity

3. Irrigation harms ecosystems by using up fresh water that organisms need

4. Machines to plant, harvest, and transport crops run off fossil fuels

• The Manufacturing of products from raw materials uses up lots of electricity and fossil fuels

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11

Controlling Pests in Agriculture

• Many pests (rodents, insects, fungi) damage crops.• Chemical Pesticides are often used.

– Are toxic to organisms other than the ones they target– Can make their way into aquatic ecosystems– Insects can become immune to them

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

• using a combination of pest management techniques in order to protect crops while minimizing the negative effects

1. Introduce Natural Predators

2. Genetically engineer crops to produce harmful chemicals

3. Chemical Pesticides