Ch5L4: Air and Water Resources

Chapter 5 Lesson 4

Air and Water Resources

Importance of Air and Water

• Using some natural resources, such as fossil fuels and minerals, makes life easier, but without them we'd survive.

• Air and water are resources we cannot live without. Most living things can only survive a few minutes without air.

• Water is the main component in blood. It plays a role in the chemical reactions in our bodies.

Air

• Most living things need air to survive. However, polluted air can actually harm humans and other living things.

• Photochemical smog is a brownish haze produced with nitrogen compounds and other pollutants in the air react in the presences of sunlight. It can irritate your respiratory system and increase asthma attacks.

• Acid precipitation is precipitation that has a pH less than 5.6 when it falls into lakes it can harm the organisms living there.

• Natural events like forest fires and volcanic eruptions also release pollutants.

Water

• Of all the water on Earth, only 3% is fresh water. And most of that is frozen in glaciers (but those are melting...) that leaves only 0.9% for us to use.

• We need this 0.9% for drinking water, farming, industry, electricity production, household activities etc.

• Water used for farming can be contaminated with chemicals and harm the environment.

Managing Air and Water Resources

• Animals and plants don't use natural resources to produce electricity and crops, but they do use air and water, so managing these resources are important for all living things.

• The U.S. Clean Air Act was passed in the 1970's and limited the amount of pollutants companies can be released into the air.

Multiple Choice

How much of Earth's water is available for humans to use?

• 0.01%

• 0.90%

• 3.0%

• 97.0%

Question

In terms of human health, why is it important to manage air resources wisely?

In terms of human health, why is it important to manage air resources wisely?

We can't survive without air, and polluted air can cause respiratory illness, increase chances of asthma attacks, and warm the atmosphere.

Question

How can you remove salt from water? Can you produce freshwater on a large scale this way? Why or why not?

Task

Select a natural resource and explain why it is important to manage the resource wisely.