What Are Natural Resources?

The US consumes almost _______ of timber annually.

20 billion cubic feet

Which of the following best explains why air is considered a natural resource?

Air is a raw material for biological processes supplied by the Earth.

Explain how fossil fuels originated, and why this process results in them being considered nonrenewable resources.

Fossil fuels were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. When the remains of these organisms were buried they began to undergo transformations into fossil fuels. Fuels such as coal were formed from organisms that lived long before the dinosaurs, so the length of times involved in their formation are so long as to be beyond the life span of any species. This long formation time is why they are considered nonrenewable resources.

How can reduced precipitation lead to limited water availability?

It may lead to drought.

Cyanobacteria have been engineered to produce isobutanol directly. What advantage does this have over other alternative biofuels?

Multiple processing steps can be avoided.

Explain how humans react and adapt to the limited availability of water.

One of the easiest things people can do when water is scarce is limit its use. Lawns get watered less often, or only at specific times of day. Vehicles are washed less often or not at all. In addition, when water is scarce, wastewater is reused more often if it does not contain sewage. Even blackwater gets used more, but only after processing it to remove contaminants and pathogens.

Explain the difference between actual and potential resources and why the distinction is important. Do the same for renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Potential resources are those that may be used at some future point, but are not being used now, like actual resources. Renewable resources are those that are continually replenished while nonrenewable resources are produced over such long periods of time that they are not considered replenishable. The distinctions are important because resources that are actively being used, actual resources, impact people's daily lives. And if these resources are nonrenewable, rather than renewable, they can only be used for a limited period of time.

Why does fossil fuel use in the United States make the U.S. vulnerable to the political wishes of foreign countries?

The US imports much of its petroleum from foreign countries which set the prices.

Explain how fossil fuel use in the US makes us vulnerable to the demands of foreign countries.

The United States imports much of its petroleum from foreign countries who can set the price. This leaves the United States vulnerable to price spikes and artificial shortages as happened during the 1970's oil crisis.

Distinguish between the fossils of ice age mammals found in the La Brea Tar Pits and the organisms that make up the fossil fuels of the tar.

The tar in the La Brea Tar Pits is a fossil fuel that began forming hundreds of million years ago from the bodies of marine organisms. During the last ice age, a few tens of thousands of years ago, mammals like mammoths and sabertooth cats, became trapped in the tar, leaving their bones behind. The mammals became trapped in the tar that already existed, and were not in fact part of what created it.

Which of the following are benefits of fossil fuel use?

all of the above

Which of the following is an example of a natural resource?

all of the above

It is expected that US forests will _______.

be able to meet long term timber needs

Cyanobacteria have been genetically modified to produce _______.

isobutanol

The leading cause of limited water supplies is _______.

low precipitation

The United States' fossil fuel shortage of makes the country dependent on outside sources.

oil

The leading cause of limited water supplies is

reduced precipitation.

Which of the following is not a natural resource?

time

Nonrenewable resources, like fossil fuels, were produced through biological processes.

true