4.3 Water, Air, & Land
Resources
The Water Planet
 Water covers over half of Earth’s surface (71%)
 Saltwater
 Freshwater
 < 1% of the water on Earth is useable to us
Pollution of Freshwater
Point Source
Pollution
 Comes from a known source
or a specific location
 Examples
 Factory Pipes
 Sewage treatment plant
Nonpoint Source Pollution
 Does not have a particular
point of origin
 Examples
 Runoff often carries
nonpoint source pollution
 Rainfall
 Snow
Pollution in the Air
 The chemical make up of the atmosphere helps to
maintain life on Earth
 Atmosphere shields Earth from solar radiation
 Fossil Fuel combustion is the major source of air
pollution
 Cars
 Coal
 Oil burning power plants
Pollution in the Air
continued…
 CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) destroy ozone layer
 Problem? Increase health problems
 CO2 amts. in the atmosphere have increased since
industrialization started in the 19th century
 Carbon cycle has since been altered which in return
leads to unnatural warming of the atmosphere
 Global Warming
Land Resources
 Earth’s land provides soil & forests, as well as mineral & energy
resources
 Irrigations
 Farming new land (+)
 Depleting groundwater (-)
 Salinization (-) build up of salts in the soil
 Mining (~500,000 in US)
 Essential for mineral resources (+)
 Messes up Earth’s surface (-)
 Destroys vegetation (-)
 What are land resources?
 Soil to grow food
 Forests for lumber, furniture, paper
Land Resources
continued…
 Land for Disposal Sites
 Landfills
 When done correctly little damage is done
 When done incorrectly harmful wastes leak into the soil
and groundwater
 Clearing of trees by clear-cutting = damaged land
 Removing all the trees from a forest
 Destroys ecosystems
Motion Accelerates Erosion
Activity
4.4 Protecting Resources
How to Protect What We
Have
Water
 1970S the Federal Govn’t
passed several laws to
prevent or decrease pollution
& protect resources
 1972 Clean Water Act
 1974 The Safe Drinking
Water Act
Air
 1970 Clean Air Act (most
important air pollution law)
 Increased use of alt. energy
sources help clear the air
 Protecting the land resources
involves preventing pollution
& managing land resources
wisely.
How You Can Prevent
Water Pollution
How You Can Save
Energy
• Never pour household chemicals
down the drain / toilet (cleaners,
paints, thinners)
• Recycle
• Never dump toxic chemicals in the
gutter into the ground
• Use energy – saving fluorescent
bulbs
• Don’t put things that contain
hazardous substances in the trash
(batteries)
• Look for the Energy Star sticker
when you buy electric products
• Avoid using hazardous substances
in the beginning
• Let the sun in to warm rooms
• Turn off lights when you leave the
room. Turn off radio, TV, or
computer when not in use
Making an Oil Slick