ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (GLS684) NATURAL RESOURCES
What are the Earth’s Natural Resources? • • • • • • •
Mineral Resources Energy Resources Living Resources Air Water Sunlight Soil
Resources are limited and are either Renewable or Non renewable
What are Renewable Resources? Renewable Resources can be replaced by nature at a rate close to the rate at which they are used.
What are examples of Renewable Resources? • Vegetation (Crops & Forests) • Sunlight • Air • Soil • Geothermal • Water • Ice
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What are Nonrenewable Resources?
Resources that exist in a fixed amount Nonrenewable are renewed very slowly or not at all.
What are examples of Nonrenewable Resources?
Coal Oil Natural Gas Petroleum Sand, Stone, & Gravel • Salt • Talc • • • • •
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Graphite Sulphur Gypsum Uranium Phosphate Rock, Potash, & Nitrates • And other Minerals
Mineral Resources
Nonrenewable Energy Resources • A. Fossil Fuels are nonrenewable and may cause pollution • They are relatively cheap and easy to extract and use. (Examples include: Coal, Oil, Petroleum, and Natural Gas) • B. Nuclear power: energy is created by atomic fission. It produces very little air pollution, but it does produce toxic waste that takes millions of years to decompose. It uses the radioactive mineral Uranium, which is nonrenewable.
Renewable Energy Resources
Have less of an impact on the environment and promote sustainability (the ability for future generations to have the same resources that we do)
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Water Wind Sun Geothermal Energy
How does the way in which some resources are extracted and used affect the Earth’s environment? • Can lead to pollution of land, water, and air • May contribute to global warming • Destruction of landscape may occur
Consuming Energy
Malaysia : https://www.worldd ata.info/asia/malaysi a/energyconsumption.php
Conserving natural resources • To conserve natural resources, you should try to use them only when necessary. • 3 R’s – Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
Reusing Products
Ways to Reuse Products Carry a reusable tote bag when shopping. Reuse wrapping paper, plastic bags, and boxes. Give outgrown clothes to others. Use the back sides of paper for notes. Cut up old sheets and towels for cleaning rags. Donate old items to various organizations. Make art projects out of discarded items.
Reducing Waste • You can reduce waste by – precycling, or buying products that reduce waste – reading labels to avoid buying hazardous waste products – avoiding buying disposable products – buying refills instead of single packages
Recycling Products • Recycling – turning a used product into a product that can be used • Recycling is one way to dispose of goods and get the most use from them – Paper – Plastic – Bottles – Cans – Scrap metal
Recycling Products • You can recycle by – participating in recycling programs – buying products from companies that use recycled materials and practice recycling – buying environmentally friendly products – contacting companies that generate a lot of waste to ask about their recycling policies
Pollution cycle
SOIL POLLUTION How can soil be lost or damaged?
• Exhausted – lose fertility because crops planted year after year. • Polluted – mining, chemical spills, HUMANS • Erosion – wind, water • Desertification – once wet area, undergoes drought conditions OR grazing animals OR cutting trees http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CTW/ChinaDesertification.jpeg
Causes of Soil Pollution •
Industrial Activity: –
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Agricultural Activities: –
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Every human produces a certain amount of personal waste products by way or urine and feces (Biological waste : full of toxins and chemical).
Accidental Oil Spills: –
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Chemical utilization are not produced in nature and cannot be broken down by it.
Waste Disposal: –
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biggest contributor, especially since the amount of mining and manufacturing has increased. The industry waste not disposed off in a manner.
Oil leaks can happen during storage and transport of chemicals. These chemicals in fuel : enter into the groundwater through soil and make the water undrinkable.
Acid Rain: –
air mixes up with the rain and fall back on the ground. The polluted water could dissolve away some of the important nutrients found in soil and change the structure of the soil.
Effect of Soil Pollution •
Effect on Health of Humans: • Long term exposure to such soil can affect the genetic make-up of the body, causing congenital illnesses and chronic health problems that cannot be cured easily.
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Effect on Growth of Plants: • Most plants are unable to adapt when the chemistry of the soil changes so radically in a short period of time.
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Decreased Soil Fertility: • can decrease soil fertility and therefore decrease in the soil yield
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Toxic Dust: • foul gases from landfills pollutes; health of some people. The unpleasant smell causes inconvenience to other people
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Changes in Soil Structure: • The death of many soil organisms (e.g. earthworms) in the soil can lead to alteration in soil structure.
HOW CAN SOIL BE CONSERVED? • Soil conservation is the management of soil to prevent destruction. – – – – –
Contour Plowing Crop Rotation Conservation Plowing Windbreaks Leaving soil fallow
Contour Plowing plowing fields along curves of slopes
Conservation Plowing dead weeds and stalks are left in the ground from year to year
Crop Rotation plant different crops in a field from year to year
Windbreak trees planted along the edge of a field
Terracing • Prevents erosion from heavy rains on steep hills
WATER POLLUTION
Distribut
Water Quality Index and Water Quality Standards in Malaysia
Water Quality Index and Water Quality Standards in Malaysia http://www.wepa-db.net/policies/law/malaysia/eq_surface.htm
Water Quality Index and Water Quality Standards in Malaysia
WQI FORMULA WQI FORMULA AND CALCULATION FORMULA WQI = (0.22* SlDO) + (0.19*SIBOD) + (0.16*SICOD) + (0.15*SIAN) + (0.16 * SISS) + (0.12 * SipH) where; SIDO = Sublndex DO (% saturtlon) SIBOD = Sublndex BOD SICOD = Sublndex COD SIAN = Sublndex NH3-N SISS = Sublndex SS SipH = Sublndex pH 0 ≤ WQI ≤ 100
WATER POLLUTION How can water be lost or cause damage? • Point-Source Pollution- pollution that comes from one specific site. EX: leak from a sewer pipe
WATER POLLUTION How can water be lost or cause damage? • Nonpoint-source Pollution – Pollution that comes from many sources; Reaches bodies of water as runoff • EX: street gutters, fertilizers, eroded soil, drainage from mines
How can Water be conserved? By using only the water needed By recycling water By using drip irrigation systems. Waste water can be treated by sewage treatment plants and septic systems
Air Pollution How can Air cause damage or loss? • Air Pollution - The contamination of the atmosphere by the introduction of pollutants from human and natural sources
https://ourworldindata.org/air-pollution
Malaysia Air Quality Index :2015
Real Time Air Quality Index http://aqicn.org/map/malaysia/#@g/-12.1458/88.1104/4z
Malaysia Air Quality Index • •
The ambient air quality measurement in Malaysia is described in terms of Air Pollutant Index (API). Closely follows the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA)
How is the API calculated ? • Following the requirement of the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Standard (MAAQS) from the standpoint of human health implications, the pollutants was measured at varying averaging time according to WHO standard2.
Malaysia Air Quality Index The air pollutants included in Malaysia's API:
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Ozone (O3): occur naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere. This important gas shields the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. However, at the ground level, it is a pollutant with highly toxic effects.
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Carbon monoxide (CO): colourless, odourless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels including petrol, diesel, and wood.
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Nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Nitrogen dioxide is a nasty-smelling gas. Some nitrogen dioxide is formed naturally in the atmosphere by lightning and some is produced by plants, soil and water
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Sulphur dioxide (SO2) : Sulfur dioxide is a gas. It is invisible and has a nasty, sharp smell. It reacts easily with other substances to form harmful compounds, such as sulfuric acid, sulfurous acid and sulfate particles
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Particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 micron (PM10): PM include dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. Some particles are large enough or dark enough to be seen as soot or smoke, while others are so small they can only be detected individually with a microscope.
Air Pollutants PRIMARY POLLUTANTS • Industrial emissions • Vehicle Exhaust • Volcanic Ash
SECONDARY POLLUTANTS • The formation of smog
SOURCES OF HUMAN-CAUSED POLLUTION • Industrial & Indoor Air Pollution (more dangerous) • Acid Precipitation • The Ozone Hole
Sources of Emissions of Air Pollution (International energy resources 2011)
Source Indoor Air-Pollution
Source Indoor Air-Pollution
Effect of Air Pollution
How Can Air Be Conserved? • •
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By legislation, such as the Clean Air Act By Technology such as scrubbers - devices used to remove pollutants before they are released by smokestacks By changes in Lifestyle Conserve energy
Final Countdown
One way in which something you learned TODAY relates to something you learned previously
Name an example of a renewable resource.
One Important fact from lesson about Air
Name an example of a nonrenewable resource.
One Important fact from lesson about Water
One Important fact from lesson about Soil