The document discusses various types of natural resources including energy resources like crude oil, coal, natural gas, and renewable resources like biomass fuels and hydropower. It also covers non-fuel mineral resources and land resources such as soils, wetlands, and forests. Resource management aims for sustainable development through conservation, reuse, and substitution to satisfy current needs without compromising the future.

1. Overview Resource Terminology Energy Resources and Industrialization Nonrenewable Energy Resources Renewable Energy Resources Nonfuel Mineral Resources Land Resources Resource Management

2. Resource Terminology Natural resource Physically occurring, exploitable material that a society perceives to be useful Renewable resources Replaced by natural processes Perpetual From sources that are virtually inexhaustible Potentially renewable Can last indefinitely if natural replacement rate is not exceeded

3. Resource Terminology Nonrenewable resources Exist in finite amounts May be reusable Resource reserves Some have been identified, others undiscovered Proved reserves Can be extracted profitably from known deposits Subeconomic May become economic with improved technology or increased prices

4. Energy Resources and Industrialization Energy is used to make all other resources available Wood Predominant source of fuel for most of human history Fossil fuels Economic base of wealth in industrialized countries Correlation between energy consumption and gross national income per capita

5. Nonrenewable Energy Resources Crude oil Coal Natural gas Oil shale and tar sands Nuclear energy

6. Crude Oil Almost 40% of commercial energy consumed Refined into waxes, tars, and various fuels Largest reserves are in the Middle East OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries U.S. imports about 66% of oil consumed Pessimists: production could peak by 2010 Optimists: supplies will last far into the future Advances in exploration and production

7. Coal Very large world supplies China and the U.S. are dominant producers Electric power generation, coke for steel production, home heating and cooking Rank: reflects transformation of organic material Lignite through bituminous coal to anthracite Grade: based on content of waste materials Bulky and not as easily transported as oil Major heavy industrial centers on or near coal fields

8. Natural Gas Efficient, versatile, burns cleanly Mostly for industrial and residential heating Flows easily and cheaply by pipeline Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Liquefied by refrigeration for storage or transport Russia and the Middle East contain 2/3 of the world’s proved reserves

9. Oil Shale and Tar Sands Oil shale Sedimentary rock rich in organic material (kerogen) Extracted and converted into a crude oil by distillation Enormous world reserves Rich deposits in Green River Formation (CO, UT, WY) Tar sand Sand and sandstone saturated with heavy oil Mined, crushed, and heated to extract petroleum Resources many times larger than conventional oil Major deposits in Alberta Monetary and environmental costs

10. Nuclear Energy Nuclear fission Controlled splitting of an atom to release energy About 20% of electricity in the U.S. Recent revival of interest in nuclear power worldwide No new plants ordered in the U.S. since 1979 High costs, safety concerns, lack of safe storage for radioactive waste, potential terrorist targets Nuclear fusion Combining two atoms to release energy Technological problems with controlled fusion Tremendous potential if overcome

11. Renewable Energy Resources Biomass fuels Hydropower Solar energy Geothermal energy Wind power

12. Biomass Fuels Energy from organic material produced by plants, animals, or microorganisms Wood Source of most biomass energy Key source of energy in developing countries Ethanol Alcohol produced from plants Brazil: ethanol derived from sugarcane U.S.: most ethanol derived from corn Waste Fermenting crop residues, animal and human refuse

13. Hydropower Flowing water drives turbines Location-specific About 7% of electricity in the U.S. Vast majority of electricity in Pacific Northwest Environmental and social costs Reservoirs flood land, alter streamflow patterns, trap silt Displacement of people, disruption of ecosystems

14. Solar Energy Inexhaustible and nonpolluting Ultimate origin of most forms of utilized energy Chief drawback: diffuse and intermittent Hot water and space heating Electricity generation Converting solar energy into thermal energy Photovoltaic (PV) cells Convert solar energy directly into electrical energy

15. Geothermal Energy Generated by harnessing the naturally occurring steam and hot water produced by contact with heated rocks in the earth’s crust Usually where magmas are near the surface E.g., Iceland Electricity generation, heating, and cooling Geothermal heat pumps

16. Wind Power Windmills can turn turbines directly, do not use any fuel, can be built rather quickly Technological advances in design Lowered cost of electricity generation California dominated development in 1980s Since then, growth in other states and Europe Chief disadvantage: unreliable and intermittent Aesthetic impact, hazard to birds

17. Nonfuel Mineral Resources Ore Mineral deposit that can be extracted at a profit Exploitation of a mineral resource Exploration, extraction, concentration, smelting/refining, transporting, manufacturing Practicality and profitability of mining a deposit determined by: Value, quantity available, richness of the ore, distance to market, land acquisition and royalty costs

18. The Distribution of Nonfuel Minerals Larger countries are more likely to contain commercially exploitable deposits Russia, China, Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Australia Roughly half of the nonfuel mineral resources Many types of minerals are concentrated in a small number of countries E.g., South Africa Gold ore, chromium and platinum-group metals

19. Copper: A Case Study Important to industrialized societies Conducts heat and electricity well, malleable, resists corrosion Largest deposits found in western North America, western South America, Australia Chile leads the world in production Demand outstrips supply Significant price increase in recent years Grade of ores mined in the U.S. has decreased Increased recovery by recycling Spurred the search for substitutes

20. Land Resources Soils Wetlands Forest resources

21. Soils Formed by physical and chemical decomposition of rock material and decay of organic matter Formation equals or exceeds erosion under most natural conditions Erosion is accelerated by removal of vegetation Soil converted to a nonrenewable resource Pressures upon land have increased with population growth E.g., clearing and conversion of tropical rain forests has accelerated erosion

22. Soils Desertification Conversion of arid and semiarid lands into deserts Due to climatic change and human activity Africa is most at risk Evidence of accelerated soil erosion is found in all parts of the world Recently at an all-time high in the U.S.

23. Soils Secondary effects of soil erosion Croplands become less productive Siltation of streams and reservoirs accelerates Erosion-borne silt pollutes water supplies Danger of floods increases Costs of maintaining navigation channels grow Salinization Concentration of salts in topsoil as a result of the evaporation of surface water Occurs in poorly drained soils in dry climates Often as a result of improper irrigation

24. Wetlands Vegetated land surfaces periodically or permanently covered by standing water Inland Freshwater bogs, marshes, swamps, floodplains Coastal Covered by either fresh or salt water Estuarine zone Narrow area of wetlands along coastlines where salt water and fresh water mix

25. Wetlands Perform a number of vital functions Trap and filter silt, pollutants, and nutrients that rivers bring downstream Habitat and food for a variety of plants and animals Absorb floodwaters and help stabilize shorelines Many wetlands have been lost or degraded

26. Forest Resources Commercial forests Northern coniferous Temperate hardwood Tropical lowland hardwood Serve a variety of purposes Timbering; soil and watershed conservation; wildlife habitat; recreation; recycling of water, carbon, oxygen Clear cutting All the trees removed from a given area Selective cutting Medium and large trees cut singly or in small groups

27. U.S. National Forests 155 national forests Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act Recreation, timber production, watershed protection, wildlife habitat preservation Much timber has been cut in recent years Old growth forests in Washington and Oregon Tongass National Forest Clear cutting and road building are endangering wildlife habitats

28. Tropical Rain Forests Some countries subsidize conversion of forests To farming, cattle ranching, mining, etc. Millions of acres are cleared every year Brazil has the largest area of tropical rain forests One of the highest rates of clearing Policy of developing the Amazon Basin Global concerns about clearing tropical forests Oxygen and carbon balance Contribution to air pollution and climate change Loss of biological diversity

29. Resource Management Sustainable development Satisfies current needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Sustainable use of resources Using them at rates within their capacity for regeneration Wise management of resources entails: Conservation Reuse Substitution