Resource Distribution Flashcards
(29 cards)
What are natural resources?
Resources that are used by humans for survival and to improve the quality of life.
Can natural resources be living and non-living?
Yes.
What are material resources?
Resources that are natural resources humans use to make objects or to eat as food.
What are some examples of material resources?
Rocks and minerals, soil, Earth’s atmosphere, freshwater lakes and rivers, plants and animals, and fossil fuels.
What are energy resources?
Natural resources that are resources that people use for energy.
What are some examples of energy resources?
Wind, sunlight, moving water, geothermal energy, biomass materials, and nuclear materials.
What are the three most common sources of energy used in the U.S?
Fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil.
How and what can corn be used as both an energy and material source? What about petroleum?
Wheat, corn, and soybeans are food that can be made by biofuel, making it an energy and material source. Petroleum is processed for use as a fuel. It’s also used to make paint, crayons, candles, and plastic.
What is a nonrenewable resource?
A natural resource that cannot be replaced as quickly as it is used.
What is a renewable resource?
A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate it is used, or faster.
What are some examples of renewable resources?
Air, water, fish, animals, and plants.
Are all renewable resources ‘unlimited’? What is an example to justify your reasoning?
No. For example, the passenger pigeon was hunted to extinction.
What are some consequences of offshore drilling?
It can pollute the marine environment, which are resources for food and medicine.
How can negative effects of using natural resources be reduced?
Using fewer resources, including less-polluted products.
As humans use more resources, what happens to resource availability?
It begins to reduce.
What had happened to the Aral Sea since 1960?
It slowly began to dry up since people used the freshwater to irrigate crops.
How do humans impact soil?
The humans lower the quality and availability of the soil.
What can be done to protect soil resources?
Techniques such as crop rotation and contour plowing can help to protect soil resources.
How does extracting resources change mineral and fossil fuels distribution?
It becomes less available.
Humans don’t control Earth’s water cycle, but they do control _______________________
the distribution of freshwater on Earth.
How do humans extract groundwater?
They extract from aquifers, which are wells that pump water from below the surface.
How long does it take for mature soil to form?
Hundreds of thousands of years to form.
What affects the rate of soil formation and the type of soil that forms?
The rock type, climate, and presence of organisms.
Why are fossil fuels only found in a specific location?
Because the process takes place over millions of years.
