Earth Science

Energy Resources
Non-renewable - a natural resource that cannot be re-made or re-grown at a
scale comparable to its consumption.
 Nuclear Energy
o a nuclear energy is a non-renewable resource because once the
uranium is used, it is gone.
o nuclear fission uses uranium to create energy.
 Coal, petroleum, and natural gas
o are considered nonrenewable because they can not be replenished in
a short period of time.
o these are called fossil fuels
 how is coal made? – dead plants buried in the water and
exposed to heat and pressure is turned into coal.
 How are oil and gas are made? – tiny sea plants and dead
animals are buried on the ocean floor. Overtime, they were
covered with silt and sand. They were buried deeper and it was
exposed to heat and pressure which turned them into oil and
gas. Today, we drill down to reach the rock formations with oil
and gas.
 What is the difference between coal and oil? - Coal forms on
land in massive peat bogs that eventually get buried by the sea
and other sediments are laid on top of them - after millions of
years, the peat turns into coal. Oil and gas are derived from
algae and other organisms living and dying in the oceans. They
eventually get covered by other sediments and the whole lot
turns to rock. But the oils and the gases from the dead algae
eventually get squeezed up out of their original rock
formation, migrate upwards in the sedimentary rock basin and
then get trapped in a reservoir.

Conventional oil energy

Advantages
 Relatively low cost
 High net energy yield
 Efficient distribution system
Disadvantages
 Running out
 42-93 years
 Low prices encourage waste
 Air pollution and greenhouse gases
 Water pollution

Renewable Resources - Renewable resources are natural resources that can be

replenished in a short period of time.
 Solar – energy from the sun.
 Geothermal - energy from earth’s heat.
 Wind – energy from the wind
 Biomass - energy from burning organic or living matter
 Water or Hydroelectric - energy from the flow of water
Water Resources
Hydrologic Cycle Earth’s Waters

Earth’s water budget – total amount of water in the planet and remains constant
through time

Saltwater Reservoir
 covers 71% of the earth
 Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Arctic Ocean, Southern
Ocean (added in 2000)
Major zones in the ocean
Freshwater Reservoir
 Glaciers
o permanent body of ice
o two divisions: ice sheets 98% & alpine glaciers 2%
 Ice Sheets
o is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater
than 50,000 km2
o also known as continental ice
o 24 million km3 estimated amount of freshwater stored in glaciers &
ice sheets
o 90% is concentrated in Antarctica
o The rest is found in Greenland
 Permafrost
o Soil, rock or sediment frozen for 2 consecutive years
 Stream
o Channels- Clearly defined passage way
o Tributaries - smaller streams
o Drainage basin/Watershed - Land area in which the water flow into a
particular stream
o Drainage divide - The line that separates individual drainage basin
o Interfluve - Narrow, elongated landform separating individual
streams within a basin
o Overland flow
o Stream flow
 Rivers
o 1.6% of the total surface and atmospheric water
 Lakes
o Large inland bodies of fresh or saline water
o Water came from streams, overland flow and ground water
o Store 67% of total surface and atmospheric water
o Ponds (small, shallow lakes)
 Wetlands
o Land areas which surface is covered by water for significant periods
o 8.5% of total land surface and atmospheric water
o 3 types:
 MARSH - (shallow wetland around lakes, streams; grasses &
reeds are dominant)
 SWAMP (lush trees & vegetation)
 ESTUARY (freshwater & saltwater meets)
  Groundwater
o Fresh water found in the rock and soil layers beneath the surface
o Largest reservoir of liquid fresh water on Earth
o 30.1% of the total fresh water
o 2 types:
 Aquifers - (water-bearing rock layers)
 Porosity - (total amount of empty pore spaces in the rock;
determines the amount of groundwater an aquifer can hold

Soil Resources
 Pedosphere
o Foundation of terrestrial life
o Living skin of Earth
 Soil Composition
o 45% Minerals (gravel, sand, silt & clay)
o 25% air
o 25% water
o 5% organic matter
 Soil Formation
o Parent Material (chemistry & type)
o Climate (temperature, rainfall, moisture)
o Topography (gradient of the slope)
o Biological Factors (plants, animals, microorganisms)
o Time (rate of soil formation)
 Soil Texture
o Relative proportion of the particle sizes in soil.
 Soil Profile
o Surface Horizon (composed of mineral matter mixed with some
humus)
o Subsoil (accumulated clay and other nutrients)
o Substratum
o Organic horizon
 Soil Orders
o Gelisols (frozen soil)
o Histosols (high organic content & wet)
o Spondosols (sandy & acidic; found in moist climates; support dense
forests)
o Andisols (volcanic ash)
o Oxisols (very weathered; common in tropical countries)
o Vertisols (clay like)
o Aridisols (very dry; arid regions)
o Ultisols (weathered soils)
o Mollisols (deep & fertile)
o Alfisols (moderately weathered; productive soils; temperate & humid
regions)
o Inceptisols (slightly developed; young soils)
o Entisols (newly-formed)
 Soil and Soil Quality
o Arable land for agriculture (plowable)
o Regulating water and filtering potential pollutants
o Nutrient cycling
o Foundation and support (plant roots; support for human shelter)
o Mineral deposits (laterites)
 Soil Degradation
o Soil erosion
o Soil compaction (reduces amount of air, water & space available)
o Desertification (irreversible)
o Intensive agriculture
o Urbanization
 Conserving Soil Resources
o Increasing soil organic matter
o Keeping the soil covered and vegetated
o Avoiding excessive tillage
o Manage pets and nutrient efficiently
o Promoting crop rotation
o Reducing erosion and preventing soil compaction