A natural resource is a source of products that are inherent to earth Natural resources include renewable and nonrenewable

Transcription

1 Exploiting Earth

2 A natural resource is a source of products that are inherent to earth Natural resources include renewable and nonrenewable resources Natural resources are exploited to create the products and services that we depend on Natural resource extraction causes great environmental disruption

3 Examples of Natural Resources are: Forests Soil Water Minerals Fishing Fossil Fuels

4 Forests cover 22% of US There is a delicate balance between using the forest resources and maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem Commercial forests have trees that can be harvested for profits Non-Commercial forests are farther north and are inaccessible or regenerate very slowly making them poor choices for areas of forestry

5 The largest forest region is the Boreal Forest Region, it is comprised mainly of softwood which is ideal for pulp and paper production Tree growth here is slow due to long winters and low precipitation

6 The West Coast Forest Region is the most productive forest region in US Trees here grow larger than anywhere else in US due to ideal climate It is slightly cooler and drier which decelerates tree growth

7 Mixed Forest Region has a wide variety of tree types from deciduous to hardwood conifers The Mixed Forest region is where Canada gets all of the maple syrup produced in Canada The Mixed Forest Region has little forest left as it has been removed to make way for settlement and agriculture Trees are used to make paper, hockey sticks, flooring and food

8 Clear-cutting is used most frequently in logging operations Clear-cutting involves cutting down all the trees in an area and leaving a barren landscape

9 Shelter wood logging is designed for old growth forests Shelter wood logging is only clear-cutting older trees and leaving seed bearing trees behind so that they can replenish what was taken

10 Selective cutting consists of harvesting only mature trees of the desired type, size and quality Selective cutting is typically used when harvesting hardwood trees This method is the most costly

11 Forests, commercial and otherwise, face threats from fire, pollution, erosion and acid rain

12 A mineral is a naturally occurring, pure, nonliving substance found in the rocks of earth Valuable minerals can be divided into 3 categories metallic minerals, fossil fuels and industrial minerals The most valuable mineral resource are fossil fuels

13 Industrial minerals are neither metallic nor fossil fuels but rather are a varied combination of products extracted from the earth Fossil fuels are any mineral that can be burned to produce energy Metallic metals are minerals that when refined become what we know as metals

14 There are three types of mining, or extracting minerals from the earth s crust Strip mining is used when resources are close to the surface in horizontal layers Open pit mining is used to extract minerals that are close to the surface but may extend deep into the earth s crust Underground mining is used when resources are deep in the earth

15 Strip mining involves removing the trees from the area to be mined It may require blasting Materials are loaded onto trucks or conveyors belts by shovels or draglines Typically strip mining is used to extract oil sands and coal

16 Open pit mining involves removing the forest cover and any extra earth Holes are drilled feet deep then explosives are used to blast the rock apart Ore is loaded into trucks which may carry up to 250 tonnes Ore needs to be processed before it can be used

17 Underground mining is the most involved mining activity It involves digging a deep hole that is wide enough for an elevator so that workers can ride the elevator to the mineral source Ventilation shafts are required to prevent gas and dust build up Tunnels are then built off the main shaft and these tunnels lead to stopes, areas where digging and blasting takes place to get at the mineral resources in the rock

18 Fish used to be considered a renewable resource however over fishing and pollution are depleting the stocks to the point the industry has been shut down on more than one occasion The coasts of US are the areas where fishing is mainly practiced Freshwater fishing is far less valuable then saltwater fishing

19 There are two classifications of saltwater fishing inshore and offshore fishing Inshore fishing is fishing that takes place within 16 to 25 kms of shore Inshore fishing is about 85% of the industry but has a tiny percentage of the overall catch Inshore fishing is typically practiced by individuals and families

20 Offshore fishing is typically practiced by large companies The boats used are more than twice the length of inshore fishers and are equipped with state of the art fishing technology Offshore fishing takes place anywhere on the continental shelf, up 370 km offshore Offshore fishing accounts for 15% of the fishing boats on the water but takes in 90% of the overall catch

21 The fishing industry is in peril in US There are 5 main factors that have contributed to this decline in fish population: -overfishing -improved fishing technology -uncontrolled foreign fishing -destructive fishing practices -changes in natural conditions

22 On the west coast the fishing industry is focused on shellfish and salmon The east coast is focused on cod and shellfish The east coast fisheries have been exploited for hundreds of years The west coast salmon industry is now in a tug of war between commercial, Aboriginal and sport fishers

23 Water, specifically freshwater, is becoming a more and more valuable resource Water is found above ground in the form of lakes and rivers and can also be found in the ground in the form of the water table and aquifers Groundwater is water that seeps through the soil, bedrock and collects in the water table or an aquifer

24

25 Drainage basins are areas of land whose surface runoff is drained by a single river Rivers are often used to produce hydroelectricity Daily water consumption in the United States is the most in the world. Americans use on average 410L of water!

26 Water, especially groundwater from aquifers, is being used so quickly that it can not be replenished Diverting water for the use of hydroelectric dams or flood protection disrupts the hydrological cycle Increases in global temperatures and decreases in precipitation are adding the pressure put on the already tapped water resources

27 Soil may not seem like a resource but all life on earth depends on soil Soil faces threats from erosion, over use and pollution Soil contains nutrients and minerals that are necessary for all life on earth to continue Soil consists of broken down rock, organic material and bacteria

28 The extraction of natural resources always damages the environment There is no way of getting what we need from the environment that does not disrupt the natural balance Most of the time little effort is put into environmental stewardship, or protection The use of resources requires the implementation of machinery that pollutes While natural resource extraction won t stop it is important for us all to try and preserve the resources we do have and reduce the impact we make on the environment