Ecology Survivor

First Period

What are Earths Resources?

1. Natural resources are anything on Earth used by people; the energy in these resources comes from the sun 2. Examples are air in the atmosphere, soil, fresh water, petroleum, rocks, minerals, forests, wildlife, food, coal and wind 3. People use natural resources for energy

1. Renewable resources are natural resources that can be replaced as quickly as we use them, however a renewable resource can become a nonrenewable resource if not used wisely. Trees, fresh water are examples. some resources like the sun are renewable because they can never be used up! 2. a nonrenew resource is one that can be used much faster than it can be formed, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas 3. renew means begin again

What types of resources exist on Earth?

How can we protect natural resources?

1. taking care of resources even when you arent using them, only use them when you have to. conserve energy, turn the water off when you brush your teeth 2. recycling is when using things that have been thrown away to make new objects and when objects made from recycled materials use fewer natural resources than objects made from new materials 3. reducing, reusing, and recycling are three important ways to conserve energy. Examples: use alternate modes of transportation, recycle plastic and paper, check with your communitys recycling center to learn the types of materials that can be recycled

What are fossil fuels?

1. Nonrenewable, Take millions of years to form 2. Most energy (heat and electricity) comes from fossil fuels. When they are burned they release energy. Different types are petroleum, coal, natural gas 3. A fossil fuel is an energy resource made from the remains of plants and tiny animals that lived long ago

Natural Gas
1. A mixture of hydrocarbons that are in the form of gas 2. Natural gas include methane, propane, and butane 3. Heat and pressure within Earths crust chemically change the remains of plants and animals (tiny ocean creatures) into natural gas

Petroleum
1. Petroleum is a mixture of hydrocarbons in the form of liquid. It forms the same way natural gas forms 2. Refined petroleum provides 40% of Earths energy. If you burn petroleum, it will create smog 3. It is so valuable it is often called black gold. Also known as crude oil

Coal
1. A solid fossil fuel. The stages of coal formation: peat, lignite, bituminous, anthracite 2. When swamp plants die, they sink to the bottom of the swamp. If they do not decay completely, coal can form 3. Like other fossil fuels, coal releases heat when it is burned. Burning coal can cause environmental problems. Coal can cause a lot of pollution

What is Alternative Energy?

1. Alternative energy sources are renewable. They are sources of energy that are not fossil fuels. Because fossil fuels are harmful, we can use alternative energy instead 2. Some are not easy to use, but some can be easily converted into usable energy sources 3. Examples: nuclear, biomass, solar, chemical energy (fuel cells), geothermal, gasohol, wind power, hydroelectric (water)

Types of Alternative Energy

1. Examples: wind power, solar, nuclear, chemical, gasohol, geothermal (heat from the mantle), biomass, hydroelectric 2. Wind power and water power (hydroelectric) and biomass are all powered by the sun and wouldnt exist without it. 3. Nuclear energy is formed when atoms come together (fusion) or are split apart (fission) 4. Chemical energy is released when hydrogen and oxygen react to form water 5. Biomass is organic matter than can be a source of energy we burn it