NATURAL RESOURCES
What are our two sources of fresh,
drinkable water?
RESERVOIRS
(which are lakes that hold fresh water,
like Hemlock and Canadice Lakes)
and GROUNDWATER
(which taps into the water that flows
underground, filling your well)
What is the difference between Passive
solar power and Active solar power
PASSIVE: no effort. Windows let in
heat, solar cover on pool
ACTIVE: solar cells convert sun's energy
into an electrical current (calculators)
Describe three uses of plants
1. OXYGEN
2. FOOD
3. MEDICINE
4. CHEMICALS
5. BUILDING MATERIALS
Where does solar energy
come from?
The SUN
What are the three kinds of
fossil fuels?
1. COAL (black “rock-like”, mined)
2. PETROLEUM (liquid, oil)
3. NATURAL GAS
(gas found in ground)
Draw a picture of strip cropping
Define Erosion
EROSION IS THE
LOSS OF TOPSOIL
(water washes it away
or wind blows it away)
Which gases make up our air?
What are their percentages?
78% NITROGEN
20% OXYGEN
2% CARBON DIOXIDE
Describe two ways in which
water can be polluted.
1. RAW SEWAGE (waste water from homes)
2. PESTICIDES (chemicals that kill insects)
3. PHOSPHATES & NITRATES (fertilizers)
4. THERMAL POLLUTION (releasing hot water
into the environment)
Name the atoms used in
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Fission splits
URANIUM atoms.
What is the main source of all
air pollution?
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS!
Name the type of conservation farming
method where the farmer plows across a
slope, instead of up and down the slope?
CONTOUR
FARMING
Name the three characteristics that
make something a Hazardous Waste
1. FLAMMABLE (burns easily)
2. TOXIC (poisonous)
3. REACTS DANGEROUSLY with
other substances
Name three ways to conserve
fresh water
1. Replant vegetation on barren slopes
2. Desalination (take salt out of salt
water)
3. Build dams to create reservoirs
4. Protect our watersheds
5. Use cooling towers
6. Waste water treatment plants
How do cooling towers help protect
our water supply?
Cooling Towers cool water from
industry before releasing it into the
environment.
What is formed when water vapor
mixes with nitrogen and sulfur oxides?
ACID RAIN!
Explain the differences between
Nuclear fission and Nuclear fusion
Nuclear Fission is the SPLITTING
of Uranium atoms (fission division)
(radioactive wastes! And costly!)
Nuclear Fusion is the
COMBINING of Hydrogen atoms
(no wastes! Not a reality yet!)
What are phosphates and
nitrates, and how do they harm
water and aquatic life?
Phosphates and nitrates are fertilizers. They
increase the plant growth in a body of water
(algae bloom). When the plants die off in large
amounts, bacteria decay the dead plants
and use up the oxygen in the water.
Fish and other aquatic life die.
What is SMOG?
Smoke + fog
How long does it take for 1 cm of
topsoil to form?
200-400 years!
Which type of water holds more
oxygen, warm or cold?
Cold water holds more oxygen.
Define Geothermal Energy
Geo = earth
Thermal = heat
Using the heat in the earth to boil
water and create steam. The steam is
then used to turn a turbine to
generate electricity.
Draw a picture of Terracing
What is the difference between
renewable resources and nonrenewable? Give an example of each.
Renewable resources can be replaced,
reproduce, or cycle: water, air, nitrogen,
plants, & animals.
Non-renewable resources are limited.
Once they are gone, they are gone!
Coal, oil, natural gas, soil
Describe how a farmer practices Crop
Rotation. What does he do? Which
plants should he use?
The farmer would plant different crops
in his field over time. Every couple of
years, he needs to plant a Legume
(beans, peas, alfalfa, clover). These
plants will return nitrates to the soil.
How do you prevent overgrazing?
Grazing animals (cows, horses & sheep)
are moved from pasture to pasture
throughout the year. This allows the
grass to grow back and the soil to
recover from too much grazing.
Define depletion
Depletion is the loss of nutrients from
the soil. This happens from planting the
same crop in a field for too many years,
flooding, poor farming practices,
erosion, etc.
What is a watershed?
A watershed is the LAND area around a
lake or river. Water runs off the land
and into the body of water. (it “sheds”
water into the lake!)
Describe Strip Cropping
Strip Cropping is when a farmer will
plant a low cover crop in between a
taller crop. The low cover crop holds
the soil in place and prevents erosion.
Draw a picture of windbreaks
Why is raw sewage a problem to
aquatic life?
Raw Sewage increases the amount of
bacteria in the water. The bacteria
decompose the sewage and use up the
Oxygen that is in the water. Aquatic life,
that depends on the Oxygen,
then dies.
What is it called when
electricity is produces through
moving water?
Hydroelectric Power.
As water moves through a dam, the
water turns a turbine, which in turn
generates an electrical current.
From which Fossil Fuel does
Gasoline come from?
Gasoline is one of the many by products
of petroleum (crude oil)
Define Transpiration
The process by which plants
give off excess water
How does water become
a vapor (gas)?
Through Evaporation
How do animals give off excess
water to the atmosphere?
Through respiration and/or excretion
How do Clouds form?
Through Condensation
Why is Conesus Lake
important?
Fishing, boating, vacationing, brings
money into the community, drinking
water for Avon & Geneseo, ecologically
important to plants & animals.
What is ACTIVE solar energy?
Changing the sun's energy into
electricity (using solar cells)