Natural Resources

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Natural Resources Noun

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[nach-er-uhl ree-sor-siz]

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Natural Resources

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Materials, substances, and components found in the natural environment that are useful to humans and not produced by man.

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Example: This image shows examples of natural resources, which are materials or substances from nature that humans use, such as sunlight, water, soil, and plants.

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Renewable Resources Noun

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[ri-noo-uh-buhl ree-sor-siz]

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Renewable Resources

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Natural resources that can regenerate or be replenished by natural cycles within a relatively short time, such as a human lifetime.

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Example: This image shows five examples of renewable resources—biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, and water—which are natural resources that can be replenished over time.

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Nonrenewable Resources Noun

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[non-ri-noo-uh-buhl ree-sor-siz]

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Nonrenewable Resources

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Natural resources that cannot be regenerated or replenished by natural processes and exist in a finite, limited amount.

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Example: This image shows examples of nonrenewable resources like coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy, which are finite and cannot be easily replaced once consumed.

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Biochemical Cycles Noun

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[bahy-oh-jee-oh-kem-i-kuhl sahy-kuhls]

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Biochemical Cycles

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The pathways by which a chemical substance moves through both the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of Earth.

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Example: This diagram shows how essential materials, like nutrients, are cycled between living things (plants, microbes) and the non-living environment (soil) in an ecosystem.

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Ecological Cycles Noun

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[ee-kuh-loj-i-kuhl sahy-kuhls]

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Ecological Cycles

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Natural processes through which essential resources and elements are continuously reused and replenished within the environment.

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Example: This image shows how essential natural resources, like water and carbon, are continuously used and recycled by living things and the environment in a loop.

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Watershed Noun

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[waw-ter-shed]

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Watershed

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An area of land where all the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes to a common outlet.

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Example: This diagram shows a watershed: an area of land (outlined by the dashed line) where all water drains downhill to a common outlet like a river.

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Fossil Fuels Noun

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[fos-uhl fyoo-uhls]

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Fossil Fuels

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Energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals.

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Example: This diagram shows how fossil fuels, like oil and gas, are trapped in underground rock layers and extracted using a pump for use as energy.

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Greenhouse Gas Noun

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[green-hous gas]

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Greenhouse Gas

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A gas in the atmosphere that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing and emitting infrared radiation.

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Example: Solar radiation from the sun enters Earth's atmosphere, where greenhouse gases like CO2 and CH4 trap some of the heat, warming the planet.

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Carbon Dioxide Noun

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[kar-buhn dahy-ok-sahyd]

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Carbon Dioxide

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A colorless gas (CO2) released when fossil fuels are burned, considered a primary greenhouse gas affecting Earth's temperature.

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Example: This image shows a model of a carbon dioxide molecule (CO₂), which consists of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms.

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Methane Noun

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[meth-eyn]

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Methane

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A potent greenhouse gas (CH4) and the main component of natural gas, contributing significantly to global warming.

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Example: This image shows that methane (CH₄), a natural gas, is produced by livestock like cows, illustrating a major biological source of this greenhouse gas.