TASK 18GEOGRAPHY

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TERM 4 GEOGRAPHY WILL COMPRISE OF:

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NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHThe word “natural” means occurring in nature and a resource is something that can be used. Water, air, forests. Soil, animals and marine life are all used by people to survive and make a living.

Natural resources are resources that exist without any actions of humankind. This includes all valued characteristics such as magnetic, gravitational, electrical properties and forces, etc. On Earth, it includes sunlight, atmosphere, water, land (includes all minerals) along with all vegetation, crops, and animal life that naturally subsists upon or within the previously identified characteristics and substances.

Natural resources are materials and components (something that can be used) that can be found within the environment. Every man-made product is composed of natural resources (at its fundamental level). A natural resource may exist as a separate entity such as fresh water, air, and as well as any living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form that must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, rare-earth elements, petroleum, and most forms of energy.

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NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHAir is an inexhaustible natural resource that is essential for the survival of all living organisms on Earth. It is made up of different gases in varying quantities. Nitrogen makes up 78% and oxygen makes up 21% of the air you breathe. The other 1% consists of traces of water vapour, carbon dioxide, argon and a few other components. In the atmosphere, about 95% of the total air is present up to a height of 20km above the Earths surface. The remaining 5% of air is present up to a height of about 280km.

Industries, such as chemical manufacturers, iron and steel plants, cement manufacturers and thermal electric power stations are responsible for a lot of the air pollution in South Africa. The coal fired power plants in Mpumalanga emit large amounts of Sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere. Having to breathe polluted air may cause respiratory problems, headaches, sleepiness and even lung cancer.

Key terms:

• Inexhaustible: everlasting, impossible to use up.

• Desalination: The process of removing salt from seawater.

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RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCESRenewable resources — Renewable resources can be replenished naturally. There are some of these resources, like sunlight, air, wind, water, etc. which are continuously available and their quantities are not noticeably affected by human consumption. Though many renewable resources do not have such a rapid recovery rate, these resources are susceptible to depletion by over-use. Resources from a human use perspective are classified as renewable so long as the rate of replenishment/recovery exceeds that of the rate of consumption. They replenish easily compared to non-renewable resources.

Non-renewable resources – Non-renewable resources either form slowly or do not naturally form in the environment. Minerals are the most common resource included in this category. From the human perspective, resources are non-renewable when their rate of consumption exceeds the rate of replenishment/recovery; a good example of this are fossil fuels, which are in this category because their rate of formation is extremely slow (potentially millions of years), meaning they are considered non-renewable. Some resources naturally deplete in amount without human interference, the most notable of these being radio-active elements such as uranium, which naturally decay into heavy metals. Of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them, but coal and petroleum cannot be recycled. Once they are completely used they take millions of years to replenish.

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TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES Potential resources — Potential resources are those that may be used in the future—for example, petroleum in sedimentary rocks that, until drilled out and put to use remains a potential resource

Actual resources — Those resources that have been surveyed, quantified and qualified and, are currently used—development, such as wood processing, depends on technology and cost

Reserve resources — The part of an actual resource that can be developed profitably in the future

Stock resources — Those that have been surveyed, but cannot be used due to lack of technology—for example, hydrogen

Biotic — Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere (living and organic material), such as forests and animals, and the materials that can be obtained from them. Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they are formed from decayed organic matter.

Abiotic – Abiotic resources are those that come from non-living, non-organic material. Examples of abiotic resources include land, fresh water, air, rare-earth elements, and heavy metals including ores, such as gold, iron, copper, silver, etc.

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EXAMPLES OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTH

The rainforest in Fatu-Hiva, in the Marquesas Islands:

is an example of an undisturbed natural resource. Forests provide timber for humans, food, water and shelter for the flora and fauna tribes and animals. The nutrient cycle between organisms form food chains and biodiversity of species.

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EXAMPLES OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHThe Carson Fall in Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia:

is an example of undisturbed natural resource. Waterfalls provide spring water for humans, animals and plants for survival and also habitat for marine organisms. The water current can be used to turn turbines for hydroelectric generation.

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EXAMPLES OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHThe ocean:

is an example of a natural resource. Ocean waves can be used to generate wave power, a renewable energy. Ocean water is important for salt production, desalination, and providing habitat for deep water fishes. There are biodiversity of marine species in the sea where nutrient cycles are common.

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EXAMPLES OF NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHThe Wind:

Wind is a natural resource that can be used to generate electricity.

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NATURAL RESOURCES ON EARTHPlease do activity 4.1 on Air pollution in your Spot on Social Sciences Textbook, page 68.

1. Name 5 sources of air pollution

2. What effect does air pollution have on the health of the community?

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WATER AS A RESOURCE Water in some form or the rother is constantly moving form the land into the air, and back again. This movement of water is known as the water cycle/hydrological cycle.

Study the diagram below:

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WATER AS A RESOURCE In the diagram on the previous slide, you can see how the sun provides energy which causes the water on the surface of the Earth to evaporate. The liquid water turns into water vapour. Water vapour condenses and forms small droplets in the clouds. Water, in the form of, for example. dew, rain, sleet or snow, returns to the Earth. This is called precipitation. The water that falls on the Earth either soaks into the ground or flows back into rivers and dams and the oceans as run off.

Approximately 97% of all the water on earth is salty and found within the oceans….why do you think this is so?

Because this water is salty, it cannot be used for drinking without undergoing a desalination process. Desalination is an expensive method of removing salt from sea water, however this still does not provide good quality drinking water.

Over 2/3 of the remaining 2% of fresh water is found in glaciers and ice caps. There is more fresh water beneath the surface of the Earth (called ground water) than above the surface in dams and rivers.

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WATER AS A RESOURCE When too much water is used to irrigate crops, fertilisers and pesticides can be washed into rivers. This pollutes the river water and poisons fish and plants downstream. The use of the water needs to be properly managed to prevent a situation such as in the Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West Province. Water from the Crocodile River, containing harmful chemicals and human waste has polluted the dam water. This has led to the rapid growth of algae and water hyacinth, which is using up the oxygen in the water. Without enough oxygen marine life cannot survive.

Please do Activity 4.2 in your Spot On Social Sciences Textbook on page 69.

1. Explain the water cycle.

2. How have marine life in Hartbeespoort Dam been affected by pollution?

3. Water is used in many different ways. With a partner/friend/family membe, find three ways in which water is used for:

• Household (domestic) use

• Recreational use

• Industrial use

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FORESTS AS A RESOURCETrees are one of the most important and useful resources. A forest protects the soil from erosion during a heavy rainstorm. A forest is home to thousands of birds, insects and other animals. People also enjoy the peace of a forest. A forest provides food for people living near it. Many natural medicines come from trees found in forests. Forests can act as the lungs of the world by producing oxygen. When trees are cut down, the wood is used in many ways for example to make furniture and paper, and for firewood.

Animals and marine life as resources:

Wild animals in game reserves, such as the Kruger National Park, are a resource, as many tourists visit South Africa see them in this natural state. This provides income towards our economy and sustains our tourists industry.

Marine animals like whales and sharks are increasingly becoming tourist attractions and are therefore natural resources towards sustaining the economy.

Domestic animals, like cattle and sheep, and marine life are a valuable source of food and therefore can also be regarded as resources. Some domesticated animals are resources and are trained to work with the police and the blind. This aids as a natural resource to human kind.

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POACHINGPoaching is destroying our wildlife!

Rhinos are being poached for their horns and over fishing destroys marine life

Poaching: Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and a supplement for meagre diets. It was set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers.

Overfishing: Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate that the species cannot replenish, resulting in those species becoming underpopulated in that area. In a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2018 report, the FAO estimates that one-third of world fish stocks were overfished by 2015.Over 30 billion euros in public subsidies are directed to fisheries annually.

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11 FACTS ABOUT ANIMAL POACHING1. "Animal poaching" is when an animal is killed illegally. It usually occurs when an animal possesses something that is considered valuable (i.e. the

animal’s fur or ivory).

2. Many countries believe that the rhino horn is an important ingredient for many medicines. This is false. Rhino horn has the same medicinal effect as chewing on your fingernails aka none.

3. In 2012, 668 rhinos were poached in South Africa. As of January 2013 it increased to 946, these animals were being poached at a rate of 2 per day. Send them a note to thank them for their work. Sign up for Wildlife Cards.

4. At the beginning of the 20th century there were a few million African elephants and approximately 100,000 Asian elephants. Today elephants are now considered endangered, there are about 450,000-700,000 African elephants and 35,000-40,000 Asian elephants.

5. Typically the largest adults, with the biggest tusks are poached – putting the matriarchs of elephant herds at the greatest risk.

6. In 2011, there were 13 large-scale seizures of ivory and over 23 tons of ivory confiscated. This is equivalent to at least 2,500 elephants.

7. Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Korea are just a few countries with markets for horn and tusk.

8. Bear gall bladders get top dollar for Chinese herbal remedies. And big-horned sheep antlers can fetch $20,000 on the black market.

9. Tigers are primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts, and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine (although these treatments have been disproved and have no real medical value).

10. In Asia, tiger parts (other than the bone) are used in mythological medicine. This includes: the eyes, hair, internal organs, even tiger penis – which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac.

11. A 2010 United Nations report suggests that gorillas could disappear from large parts of the Congo Basin by the mid-2020s.

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POACHINGPlease do Activity 4.3 in your Spot On Social Sciences Textbook on page 70.

1. Study the map showing forests in South Africa. Name the provinces that have forested areas.

2. Name 5 reasons why forests are regarded as resources.

3. Dogs can be considered resources. Do you agree with this statement ? Give reasons for your answer.

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THANK YOU!AND STAY SAFE

Created by Miss Ankiah, Pitlochry Primary School