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Environmental Resources

Presentation · January 2006

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10510.36163

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A. Balasubramanian
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NATURAL RESOURCES:

By Prof. A. Balasubramanian

Introduction:

The environment includes all biotic and abiotic factors that affect the life of an organism or a plant or human beings. All life on
earth needs food and energy for survival, growth and reproduction. Energy is a basic requirement for growth, based on which the
biomass is produced.

The growth of vegetation

needs
fertile soil,
essential nutrients,
water and
sunlight.

Human life requires

air,
food,
water and
other materials for
shelter,
transport and
varieties of socio-economic and life-support activities.

Most of the required materials are available in raw or convertible forms on earth.

These are the natural resources of the planet earth.

In this episode, the following modules are discussed:

1. Definition and types of resources

2. Earth’s Atmospheric natural resources
3. Earth’s Lithospheric natural resources-
4. Earth’s Hydrospheric natural Resources
5. Earth’s Bisospheric Natural resources

1. Definition and types of resources

A resource is anything that an organism uses and consumes from the environment.

Some resources are directly available for use, while the other resources must be extracted at some cost to the organism.

Normally, the extraction of a resource by an organism has an effect on the environment. The type of effect which is negative versus
positive and its magnitude is determined by a number of factors.

In human societies,
cultural beliefs can determine what is classified as a resource.

Current human societies on the Earth use many non-essential resources in their daily lives.

Resources are to be used only for essential activities, since they have a value in life.

Resources are classified into many types.

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Throughout human time scale, resources like Solar energy, wind energy and tidal energy are expected to be available. These are
virtually inexhaustible resources for human consumption.

Such types are called as perpetual resources. We can say that these are the everlasting resources of the earth.

Whereas,
coal,
oil and
mineral deposits
are non-renewable or
exhaustible resources.

Once used such materials will not come back again. These are available in a fixed amount. Out of which, some nonrenewable
resources can be recycled or reused to meet certain requirements.

A renewable resource is one that is available over a period of time and space. These can be used and produced by human
involvement. Even if they are depleted in the short run they can be replaced through natural processes.
Forest wealth,
marine food,
energy for water,
wind,
biogas,
timber,
herbs and
cattle are all considered to be under this category.

One can use these resources under an optimum level.

Over use of these may create shortage.

Over production may increase pollution on the environment.

The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used without decreasing its potential for renewal is called its sustained yield.

Exceeding the sustained yield can cause a resource to become nonrenewable or nonexistent. This will induce a resource crunch and
depletion. This is called as environmental degradation. Typical examples are:
a) Oil crisis due to shortage of oil resources
b) Fuel for domestic use, due to shortage of coal and natural gas
c) Over grazing of land and its impact on cattle population
d) The reduction in the nutrient level of soils due to intense agricultural production
e) Over-exploitation of groundwater and declining water tables in aquifers

The Concept of Carrying Capacity

The population size of most organisms is usually controlled by the availability of a few key resources that limit its ability to survive
and reproduce. When resources are abundant, the population of the species grow without damage. When population grows, the
demand supersedes the supply. If the resources are over-consumed, the population of the species will experience a decline census
and resource crunch. The scarcity of resources leads to starvation and death.

The population size of most species reaches a steady state equilibrium that is defined by the availability of the limiting resources in
its habitat. This equilibrium is also called the carrying capacity. Human populations are also influenced by a habitat's carrying
capacity.

Earth’s natural resources are of several kinds like land resources, soil resources, water resources, forest resources, marine
resources, mineral resources, animals and human resources. These are in addition to the Solar radiation and atmospheric wind.

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2. Earth’s Atmospheric natural resources

Air present in the atmosphere, is a mixture of gases, smokes and dust. Atmosphere contains 5000 million tones of gases. Nitrogen
amounts to 78%, oxygen to 21%, carbon-dioxide to 0.33% and argon to 0.93%.

Almost all of these gases are needed in one way or the other, for the life to survive and to maintain the balance of these in the
atmosphere.

The water vapour present in the atmosphere is a major contributor for condensation and cloud formation. It ultimately leads to
precipitation. Of the eleven gases present in the atmosphere, nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
and ozone are extremely important to the health of the Earth's biosphere. Nitrogen and oxygen have very important associations
with life. The addition of nitrogen to the Earth's surface soils and various water bodies supplies much needed nutrition for plant
growth. Sun’s Solar radiation is a major source of energy for all life support activities.

Air has to be in circulation for maintaining an equilibrium. The distribution of heat in the atmosphere is responsible for the
difference in pressure and also for the movement of the air. Wind is a major agent for a set of natural processes. It has the potential
to help in producing wind energy also. Trade winds are responsible for the monsoons and the convection currents. Weather and
climatic depends on the flow of winds.

Temperature of the atmosphere is a major asset to the natural processes. Some gases present in the atmosphere can change the
heating rates.

The amount of moisture present in the air is known as the humidity. The more moisture there is in the air, the higher is the
humidity. The humidity of the air depends on temperature and location. Humidity controls the weather conditions. Monsoons are
generated by the difference in the heating and cooling of air over land and sea.

The global hydrologic resources are dependant on the atmospheric clouds. Condesning clouds provide the much needed rain and
snow. Rainfall is the ultimate source of all life on earth. Global climate and atmospheric conditions form the basis for monsoons.

Fresh air is a blessed gift of nature for every life. When the air inside the house is warm and polluted with smokes and dusts, people
come out of the house for breathing fresh air. Human beings can never survive without the air. Hence air is considered to be the
primary natural resource of life on earth.

Air will take on the shape of whatever thing it gets a chance to go into. Air has weight. Air goes in and out of our lungs
everyday. The unique properties of air are used for many industrial applications. The compressibility, pressure and dynamics of
air are useful in running pistons, ginning of soft and friable materials, cooling and controlling equipment. The movement of air
as wind blow is also used to dry objects and cleaning floors.

3. Earth’s Lithospheric natural resources-

Land resources include all the terrestrial ecosystems including mountains, forests, grasslands, range lands, mangroves, floodplains,
meadows and deltas. Earth’s lithosphere is the storehouse of various rocks and innumerable mineral resources, groundwater and
fossil fuels. The Heat of the Earth’s interior is a good source for geothermal energy.

Soil is the primary natural resource of the ecosystems helpful to grow all vegetation. Soil is the home for all microbes. Soil fertility
encourages agricultural productivity. Soils, their physical and chemical properties are more helpful in many human activities. Soils
are used for making bricks, pottery and in earthen structures. Productivity from agriculture depends on soil resources.

Man has first started to use minerals and rocks for his needs far back in ancient times. Stone has played a large role in the primitive
society. The stone age man used stones and clays to prepare things which were necessary for his defense, hunting and household
articles as well as ornaments. People used soil, mud and rocks for construction.

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Valuable metallic ores, non-metallic substances and gemstones were identified for various works. Aristotle was the first naturalist
to classify the stones. Mining for copper, lead and silver began in the sixth and seventh centuries. Large mining enterprises were
started during the fifteenth century. Utilization of mineral resources greatly increased during the eighteenth century.

Due to the progress in industrial growth more and more natural resources are being used in one way or the other. Minerals are
naturally occurring inorganic substances having a set of definite physical properties and chemical composition. Many minerals are
of very high practical and economic value.

They are classified into

A. Metallic Minerals which include both ferrous and non-ferrous minerals.
B. Non-metallic minerals support on various activities.
C. Atomic Minerals are helpful in generating atomic energy and also in nuclear studies.

Extraction of various metals are done from the ore minerals of metallic category. Much of the minerals are used in many of the
industries today. They are all classified as industrial minerals. Minerals form the raw materials in many industries. They are the
backbones of modern industrial society and life. The list of minerals used in different industries are:
1. Mineral Fuels like Coal, Petroleum and Natural gas.
2. Refractories using Fire clay, Kaolin and magnesite
3. Abrasives using diamond, corundum, emery, garnet
4. Paints from Ochres and orpiments and plasters from gypsum
5. Cement from Limestone and dolomites.
6. Glass from Quartz and Feldspar
7. Ceramics from Kaolin (china clay) and Feldspar
8. Insulators from asbestos, Mica and Fire clay
9. Paper and pulp industries using Kaolin, barite and gypsum
10. Optical and scientific instruments using calcite, Fluorite, Gypsum, agate, Quartz, mica and tourmaline.
11. Radioactive minerals : Pitchblende, monazite, etc.

Slates, Talc, asbestos, salt, mica and many minerals are used directly or indirectly in industries.

In addition to these, lithosphere contains a good number of building and ornamental stones. Rock type, color, Grain size, texture,
hardness, durability, porosity, density, strength, sonic velocity and permeability are the characteristics determining the suitability of
a stone (or) a rock for construction purposes.

Granite family of rocks are available in plenty in the region of India. They have been used in the construction of most of the
temples and public edifies. Charnockite which is the black variety of granite and dolerites exported to other countries from India.
Sandstones of older geological formations have been extensively used as a building material in several regions. Limestone, Marble,
slates and laterite are the normal building stones.

Lithosphere contains a good number of gemstones. These are commercial valuable unique natural resources of the globe. Most of
the jewelry works based on the available native elements like gold, silver and copper. Gemstones like Diamond, Garnet, Topaz,
Ruby, saphire corundum, Beryl, Olivine, amethyst, Jasper, Tourmaline, Agate and Emerald are the notable gem resources of the
globe.

India is fortunate to have some basic mineral resources for its industries. India is considered to be more or less self-contained in
mineral resources. The country is rich with iron and manganese ores, along with bauxite, mica and fossil fuels.

4. Earth’s Hydrospheric Natural Resources

Hydrosphere is the sphere of water. It encompasses the global water resources and its distribution over the land, atmosphere, and
oceans. The water resources of the globe include,
the major oceans and seas,
glaciers and ice on mountains and polar regions,.
Rivers and streams with their running water
Lakes, ponds and reservoirs
Groundwater and soil moisture

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And the water vapour.

The major part of the global water is saline and is present in the oceans. Fresh water is very limited and is found in rivers and in
lakes. The surface water resources are mainly used for

Drinking and sanitation

Agriculture and irrigation
domestic consumption,
industrial processes
power generation and water transport.
Groundwater resources are mainly used for drinking, domestic consumption and industrial applications when the surface water is
limited.

Water plays many complex roles in human activities and natural systems. Freshwater is one of the most essential of the elements
that support human life and economic growth and development. It is irreplaceable for the purposes of drinking, hygiene, food
production, fisheries, industry, hydropower generation, navigation, recreation and many other activities.

Water is equally critical for the healthy functioning of nature, upon which human society is built.

The reality is that 97.5 per cent of all water on Earth is salt water, leaving only 2.5 per cent as freshwater. Nearly 70 per cent of
that freshwater is frozen in the ice caps of Antarctica and Greenland, and most of the remainder is present as soil moisture, or lies in
deep underground aquifers as groundwater not accessible to human use.

Much of the approximately 110,000 cubic kilometres of precipitation that fall on the continents each year evaporates back into the
atmosphere, or is absorbed by plants. About 42,700 cubic kilometres of the water that falls on Earth flows through the world's
rivers. Freshwater resources are very unevenly distributed: at one extreme are the deserts, where almost no rain falls, and at the
other are the most humid regions, which can receive several metres of rainfall a year.

THE OCEANS AND SEAS are the storehouses of many naturally depositing substances and marine life. The ocean is the earth's
water reservoir. Oceans are the heat regulators, absorbing more heat from the atmosphere than land. Oceans play an important role
in determining the climate of an area.

The ocean provide many things to human population and other life. It is far more than a place for swimming, sailing and other
recreation. The ocean serves as a source of food, energy, and minerals. Ships use the ocean to carry cargo between continents.
Above all, the global climate is regulated by the oceans If there were no oceans, life could not have been in existence on the planet
earth.

Every natural element can be found in the waters of the ocean. But the ocean is especially known for its salts. Sea water contains
about 35000 mg/L of salts. Six elements account for 99 per cent of the ocean's salinity (saltiness). They are, in order of amount,
chlorine, sodium, sulphur (as sulphate), magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Most of the salty material in the sea consists of the
compound sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt.

Oceans have enormous amounts of other resources. They include:

(1) food,
(2) energy,
(3) minerals, and
(4) medicines.

A good amount of life thrives in the oceans. An incredible variety of living things reside within the ocean. Marine life ranges in size
from microscopic one-celled organisms to the blue whale, which may measure up to 30 metres long. Ocean plants and fishes and
other sea animals are the major resources. Ocenas contains many natural mineral substances like manganese nodules , oolites and
oozes.

Under the freshwater resources, rivers, reservoirs and lakes are of primary importance.

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The presence of large lakes in a region greatly influences the lives of the people living nearby. Lakes affect weather conditions over
a large area. In summer, a lake never gets as warm as the land that surrounds it. As a result, breezes blowing over the water are
cooled. In winter, a lake does not cool off as fast as the surrounding land, and may cause the climate to be warmer. These water
bodies are good ecosystems and habitat for many life. Irrigation, water supply and recreation are the major applications of these
natural resources. Rivers have been important to transportation and trade for many centuries. They also serve as an important
energy source. Today, hydroelectricity meets about a quarter of the world's electric power needs.

Groundwater is another natural resource mainly derived from the rainfall that percolates into the subsoil. It forms the largest source
of freshwater available over the globe. Groundwater is not uniformly distributed throughout the earth's outer layer. Ground water is
the source of water for wells and many springs. Bore wells are drilled down to aquifers to draw ground water to the surface. The
unique features of groundwater is that it is available everywhere. Though it is less than 1% over globe, it caters to the catering to the
needs of 60 % of world’s population. Hydropshere is the major sphere supporting life through its natural resources.

5. Earth’s Biospheric Natural resources

The biosphere is made up of all that is living on earth, from the smallest bacterium to the largest whale. It includes between 3 and
30 million species of plants, animals, and fungi, bacteria, and protozoans. The biosphere extends over the Earth's surface in a thin
layer from a few kilometers into the atmosphere, in very cold environments, to the deep-sea vents of the ocean depths, in very hot
environments.
The biosphere is a life-supporting global ecosystem, where each living being depends on each other and the environment. The
ecosystem includes all living organisms and the abiotic or nonliving environment on which they depend for their energy and the
nutrients they need to live.

The natural resources of the biosphere includes

The Forests
The Animal wealth and
The human resources.

In addition to these, the raw materials and produces from the activities like
agriculture,
mariculture,
silviculture and
aquaculture generate a huge amount of food and other resources which govern the life and economy of a country.

Forests and forest products are plenty of natural resources for our use. Forest are the gift of nature for human and animal life. They
are the native homes and parks for wildlife and sanctuaries for birds. The primary and secondary resources of forests have helped
the population to sustain for several centuries. Forests have a variety of uses to humans, including wood from trees, nutrition from
animals, for grazing, recreation, medicinal and so on. Timber and non-timber forest products are essential materials for human use.
Forests are air purifiers.
The complex ecological relationships involving forests could allow humans to benefit from them in a variety of ways.

Biomass, productivity of forests and the biodiversity are the ultimate strengths of the biosphere. Herbal medicines, animal extracts
and food items are the benefits of these resources.

All population thrives on the biospheric reserves and resources. Farmers, Foresters and fishermen are the major stakeholders of
many biospheric reserves.

Earth is the living planet containing a lot of terrestrial, freshwater and marine species.

Energy and biomass are the major factors in the biosphere. The natural resources of the biosphere includes all species and
populations of the plant and animal kingdom.

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Biogenic chemicals, plant and animal extracts, herbs, fruits, nuts and roots of plants are used in varieties of ways for human needs.
Though their availability is very limited, but their usage is very essential. Seeds and husks, ivory from elephants, feathers of birds
are valuable resources for human use.

The natural resources of the Earth are not uniformly distributed. The availability and purpose of usage are also varied. Some are
essential, strategic and critical substances. Some are rare items and precious commodities. Many of these may be renewable and
non-renewable resources. The non-renewable resources are to be properly conserved by the human beings. Conservation and
management of natural resources in the environment needs adequate planning and analysis.

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