Resources and Fresh Water

1. Resources and Fresh Water

2. resource • commodity that has some value attached to it. Renewable resources • can replace or replenish themselves – Freshwater is an example of a renewable resource. Non-renewable • cannot be replaced or replenished once thy have been used – Fossil fuels or old growth trees are examples of non-renewable resources.

3. world’s fresh water in Canada’s - Ice caps or glaciers • What is an aquifer? a water-bearing rock, sand or gravel.

4. Aquifers advantages • time and cost-efficient in farming. • easily accessible than surface water • cleaner than surface water. disadvantages • recharge themselves slowly • impermeable rock does not allow water to seep through the rock and become accessible.

5. solutions to the problem of groundwater depletion. water exports – the transferring of water over long distances • the desalinization of salt water (removing the salt from sea water) • basic conversion of water to make it drinkable.

6. What environmental damage occurs when farmers till their lands? • Moisture escapes • much of the soil is lost • To compensate the land is irrigated and fertilizers are used. . Why are pesticides currently being phased out in Canada? • harmful to the farm workers who are spreading them on crops • seep into nearby streams when spread. • concern about purchasing fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides

7. organic products naturally grown without the use of pesticides. genetically modifiedcrops its genes are spliced from one organism to another.

8. Pros and Cons of genetically modified products. • Pros- lower costs, fewer pesticides used, and increased yields • Cons – no long-term testing done on genetically modified crops

9. tropical rainforests • purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Why has the Brazilian government been encouraging the development of the rainforest over the past 30 years? Provide examples. • trying to support its people through the development of its rainforests. • tried a practice called subsistence farming, • involved giving impoverished farmers =8he rainforest to develop, as well as basic lumbering.

10. negative effects of deforestation • dry wastelands when reforestation is not possible • raised riverbeds, which causes flooding and clogged reservoirs • contributes to the formation of new islands, which depletes coastal fisheries. factors that have contributed to the decline of Canada’s forests. • forest fires, industrial development, and logging.