Energy and environment vtu syllabus module iii
- 1. Rudresha N Assistant Professor Mechanical Department P.A. College of Engineering Mangalore – 574153 E-mail: rudresh.n.naik@gmail.com, rudresh.mech@pace.edu.in Mobile No: 8892206795 Energy and Environment
- 2. Environmental studies deals with every issue that affects an organism. It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach that brings about an appreciation of our natural world and human impacts on its integrity. Its components include biology, geology, chemistry, physics, engineering, sociology, health, anthropology, economics, statistics, computers and philosophy.
- 3. Scope As we look around at the area in which we live, we see that our surroundings were originally a natural landscape such as a forest, a river, a mountain, a desert, or a combination of these elements. Everything around us forms our environment and our lives depend on keeping its vital systems as intact as possible. Natural forest acts like a sponge which holds water and releases it slowly. Deforestation leads to floods in the monsoon and dry rivers once the rains are over.
- 4. Our natural resources can be compared with money in a bank. If we use it rapidly, the capital will be reduced to zero. On the other hand, if we use only the interest, it can sustain us over the longer term. This is called sustainable utilisation or development. Activity 1: Take any article that you use in daily life – a bucket full of water, or an item of food, a table, or a book. Trace its components journey backwards from your home to their origins as natural resources in our environment. How many of these components are renewable resources and how many non-renewable?
- 5. For every resource we use we must ask ourselves the following questions: • What is the rarity of the resource and where does it originate? • Who uses it most intensively and how? • How is it being overused or misused? • Who is responsible for its improper use – the resource collector, the middleman, the end user? • How can we help to conserve it and prevent its unsustainable use?
- 6. Activity 2: Try to answer the questions above for one of the components in the article you chose in Activity 1. Then answer the following questions: • Are you using that resource unsustainably? • In what ways could you reduce, reuse and recycle that resource? • Is there an unequal distribution of this resource so that you are more fortunate than many others who have less access to it?
- 7. Importance We live in a world in which natural resources are limited. Water, air, soil, minerals, oil, the products we get from forests, grasslands, oceans and from agriculture and livestock, are all a part of our life support systems. Without them, life itself would be impossible. We waste or pollute large amounts of nature’s clean water; we create more and more material like plastic that we discard after a single use; and we waste colossal amounts of food, which is discarded as garbage.
- 8. Manufacturing processes create solid waste by products that are discarded, as well as chemicals that flow out as liquid waste and pollute water, and gases that pollute the air. Air pollution leads to respiratory diseases, water pollution to gastro-intestinal diseases, and many pollutants are known to cause cancer. We cannot expect Governments alone to manage the safeguarding of the environment, nor can we expect other people to prevent environmental damage.
- 10. Activity 3: • Think of all the things that you do in a day. List these activities and identify the main resources used during these activities. What can you do to prevent waste, reuse articles that you normally throw away, what recycled materials can you use? • Think of the various energy sources you use everyday. How could you reduce their use?
- 11. Activity 4: Exercises in self learning about the environment Attempt to assess the level of damage to the environment due to your actions that have occurred during your last working day, the last week, the last year. Then estimate the damage you are likely to do in your lifetime if you continue in your present ways.
- 12. Use the following examples for the above exercise: Example – Plastic: Plastic bags, plastic ball pens Think about all the articles you use daily that are made from plastic. Plastic plays an important part in our modern lives. Make a list of the plastic articles you usually use. • How can you reduce the amount of plastic you use? • What effects does plastic have on our environment? • Where did the plastic come from/ how is it made? • What happens to it when you throw it away/ where does it go?
- 13. Example – Water: • How much do you really need to use, as against how much you waste when you: (a) Brush your teeth? (b) Have a bath? (c) Wash clothes? (d) Wash the scooter or car? • Where did the water come from? What is its actual source? How has it reached you? • Where will the waste water go? • Do you feel you should change the way you use water? • How can you change this so that it is more sustainable?
- 14. Productive value of nature: As scientists make new advances in fields such as biotechnology we begin to understand that the world’s species contain an incredible and uncountable number of complex chemicals. These are the raw materials that are used for developing new medicines and industrial products and are a storehouse from which to develop thousands of new products in the future. While individually, we perhaps cannot directly prevent the extinction of a species, creating a strong public opinion to protect the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in which wild species live is an importance aspect of sustainable living. There is a close link between agriculture and the forest, which illustrates its productive value. For crops to be successful, the flowers of fruit trees and vegetables must be pollinated by insects, bats and birds. Their life cycles however frequently require intact forests.
- 15. Aesthetic/Recreational value of nature: This is created by developing National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in relatively undisturbed areas. A true wilderness experience has not only recreational value but is an incredible learning experience. The beauty of nature encompasses every aspect of the living and non-living part of our earth. One can appreciate the magnificence of a mountain, the power of the sea, the beauty of a forest, and the vast expanse of the desert.
- 16. A wilderness experience has exceptional recreational value. This has been described as nature tourism, or wildlife tourism, and is also one aspect of adventure tourism. These recreational facilities not only provide a pleasurable experience but are intended to create a deep respect and love for nature. A botanical garden or a zoo, one concept that can be developed is to create small nature awareness areas with interpretation facilities at district and taluka levels. These areas can be developed to mimic natural ecosystems even though they could be relatively small in size.
- 17. Such nature trails are invaluable assets for creating conservation education and awareness. They can be developed in a small woodlot, a patch of grassland, a pond ecosystem, or be situated along an undisturbed river or coastal area. This would bring home to the visitor the importance of protecting our dwindling wilderness areas.
- 18. The option values of nature: Thus if we use up all our resources, kill off and let species of plants and animals become extinct on earth, pollute our air and water, degrade land, and create enormous quantities of waste, we as a generation will leave nothing for future generations. Our present generation has developed its economies and lifestyles on unsustainable patterns of life. however, nature provides us with various options on how we utilize its goods and services. This is its option value. We can use up goods and services greedily and destroy its integrity and long term values, or we can use its resources sustainably and reduce our impacts on the environment. The option value allows us to use its resources sustainably and preserve its goods and services for the future.
- 19. NEED FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS Just as for any disease, prevention is better than cure. To prevent ill-effects on our environment by our actions, is economically more viable than cleaning up the environment once it is damaged. Individually we can play a major role in environment management. We can reduce wasting natural resources and we can act as watchdogs that inform the Government about sources that lead to pollution and degradation of our environment. This can only be made possible through mass public awareness. Mass media such as newspapers, radio, television, strongly influence public opinion. However, someone has to bring this about. If each of us feels strongly about the environment, the press and media will add to our efforts. Politicians in a democracy always respond positively to a strong publicly supported movement
- 20. Suggested further activities for concerned students: • Join a group to study nature, such as WWFI or BNHS, or another environmental group. • Begin reading newspaper articles and periodicals such as ‘Down to Earth’, WWF-I newsletter, BNHS Hornbill, Sanctuary magazine, etc. that will tell you more about our environment. There are also several environmental websites. • Lobby for conserving resources by taking up the cause of environmental issues during discussions with friends and relatives. Practice and promote issues such as saving paper, saving water, reducing use of plastics, practicing the 3Rs principle of reduce, reuse, recycle, and proper waste disposal.
- 21. • Join local movements that support activities such as saving trees in your area, go on nature treks, recycle waste, buy environmentally friendly products. • Practice and promote good civic sense such as no spitting or tobacco chewing, no throwing garbage on the road, no smoking in public places, no urinating or defecating in public places. • Take part in events organised on World Environment Day, Wildlife Week, etc. • Visit a National Park or Sanctuary, or spend time in whatever nature you have near your home.
- 22. Institutions in Environment Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai: BNHS began as a small society of six members in 1883. publishes a popular magazine called Hornbill and also an internationally well-known Journal on Natural History. publications include Salim Ali ------Handbook on birds, JC Daniel’s ----Indian Reptiles, SH Prater’s ----Indian Mammals and PV Bole’s -------Indian Trees. One of its greatest scientists was Dr. Salim Ali whose ornithological work on the birds of the Indian subcontinent is world famous.
- 23. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-I), New Delhi: The WWF-I was initiated in 1969 in Mumbai after which the headquarters were shifted to Delhi with several branch offices all over India. The early years focused attention on wildlife education and awareness. It runs several programs including the Nature Clubs of India program for school children and works as a think tank and lobby force for environment and development issues. Center for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi: Activities of this Center include organising campaigns, holding workshops and conferences, and producing environment related publications. It published a major document on the ‘State of India’s Environment’, the first of its kind to be produced as a Citizen’s Report on the Environment. The CSE also publishes a popular magazine, ‘Down to Earth’,
- 24. CPR Environmental Education Centre, Madras: The CPR EEC was set up in 1988. It conducts a variety of programs to spread environmental awareness and creates an interest in conservation among the general public. It focussed attention on NGOs, teachers, women, youth and children to generally promote conservation of nature and natural resources. Its programs include components on wildlife and biodiversity issues. CPR EEC also produces a large number of publications. Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad: The Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad was initiated in 1989. It has a wide range of programs on the environment and produces a variety of educational material. CEE’s Training in Environment Education {TEE} program has trained many environment educators.
- 25. Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore: Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research (BVIEER), Pune Botanical Survey of India (BSI): Kalpavriksh, Pune: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun: Uttarkhand Seva Nidhi (UKSN), Almora: Zoological Survey of India (ZSI):
- 26. People in Environment Charles Darwin ----‘Origin of Species’ Ralph Emerson spoke of the dangers of commerce to our environment way back in the 1840s Henry Thoreau in the 1860s wrote that the wilderness John Muir is remembered as having saved the great ancient sequoia trees in California’ forests Rachel Carson published several articles that caused immediate worldwide concern on the effects of pesticides on nature and mankind
- 27. EO Wilson is an entomologist who envisioned that biological diversity was a key to human survival on earth. He wrote ‘Diversity of Life’ in 1993 Salim Ali’s name is synonymous with ornithology in India and with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)
- 28. Ecosystem • Forests, • Grasslands • Deserts • Mountains • Rivers • Lakes • Marine Environment
- 29. Energy flow in Ecosystem SUN
- 31. FOOD CHAINS, FOOD WEBS AND ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS • The transfer of energy from the source in plants through a series of organisms by eating and being eaten constitutes food chains. • The most obvious aspect of nature is that energy must pass from one living organism to another.
- 32. Food Webs • In an ecosystemthere are a very large number of interlinked chains. This forms a food web. • If the linkages in the chains that make up the web of life are disrupted due to human activities that lead to the loss or extinction of species, the web breaks down.
- 34. What you should see are its different characteristics. A forest has layers from the ground to the canopy. A pond has different types of vegetation from the periphery to its centre. The vegetation on a mountain changes from its base to its summit. Ecosystem: The living community of plants and animals in any area together with the Non-living components of the environment such as Soil, Air and water constitute the ecosystem. Ecosystems are divided into 1. Terrestrial or land based ecosystem 2. Aquatic ecosystem
- 35. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF AN ECOSYSTEM. Structural aspects Components that make up the structural aspects of an ecosystem include: 1) Inorganic aspects – C, N, CO2, H2O. 2) Organic compounds – Protein, Carbohydrates, Lipids – link abiotic to biotic aspects. 3) Climatic regimes – Temperature, Moisture, Light & Topography. 4) Producers – Plants. 5) Macro consumers – Phagotrophs – Large animals. 6) Micro consumers – Saprotrophs, absorbers – fungi. Functional aspects 1) Energy cycles. 2) Food chains. 3) Diversity-interlinkages between organisms. 4) Nutrient cycles-biogeochemical cycles. 5) Evolution.
- 36. The Water Cycle
- 37. The Carbon cycle
- 38. The Oxygen Cycle
- 41. Forest ecosystem Forests are formed by a community of plants which is predominantly structurally defined by its trees, shrubs, climbers and ground cover. Natural vegetation looks vastly different from a group of planted trees, which are in orderly rows. The most ‘natural’ undisturbed forests are located mainly in our National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Forest types in India 1. Coniferous forests 2. Broadleaved forests Coniferous forests Grow in the Himalayan mountain region, where the temperatures are low. These forests have tall stately trees with needlelike leaves and downward sloping branches so that the snow can slip off the branches. They have cones instead of seeds and are called gymnosperms.
- 43. Broadleaved forests Broadleaved forests have large leaves of various shapes. It is Classified as 1. Evergreen forests 2. Deciduous forests 3. Thorn forests 4. Mangrove forests
- 44. Evergreen forests grow in the high rainfall areas of the Western Ghats, North Eastern India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These forests grow in areas where the monsoon lasts for several months. Some even get two monsoons, such as in Southern India. Evergreen plants shed a few of their leaves throughout the year. There is no dry leafless phase as in a deciduous forest. An evergreen forest thus looks green throughout the year. The trees overlap with each other to form a continuous canopy. Thus very little light penetrates down to the forest floor. The forest is rich in orchids and ferns. The barks of the trees are covered in moss. The forest abounds in animal life and is most rich in insect life.
- 46. Deciduous forests These are found in regions with a moderate amount of seasonal rainfall that lasts for only a few months. Most of the forests in which Teak trees grow are of this type. The deciduous trees shed their leaves during the winter and hot summer months. In March or April they regain their fresh leaves just before the monsoon, when they grow vigorously in response to the rains. Thus there are periods of leaf fall and canopy regrowth. The forest frequently has a thick undergrowth as light can penetrate easily onto the forest floor.
- 48. Thorn forests These are found in the semi- arid regions of India. The trees, which are sparsely distributed, are surrounded by open grassy areas. Thorny plants are called xerophytic species and are able to conserve water. Some of these trees have small leaves, while other species have thick, waxy leaves to reduce water losses during transpiration. Thorn forest trees have long or fibrous roots to reach water at great depths. Many of these plants have thorns, which reduce water loss and protect them from herbivores.
- 50. Mangrove forests These forests grow along the coast especially in the river deltas. These plants are able to growin a mix of saline and fresh water. They grow luxuriantly in muddy areas covered with silt that the rivers have brought down. The mangrove trees have breathing roots that emerge from the mud-banks.
- 52. Hungul Musk deer Pigmy Hog lion tailed macaque
- 53. Bustard Florican Water monitor lizard
- 54. Grassland ecosystems A wide range of landscapes in which the vegetation is mainly formed by grasses and small annual plants are adapted to India’s various climatic conditions. These form a variety of grassland ecosystems with their specific plants and animals. Grasslands cover areas where rainfall is usually low and/or the soil depth and quality is poor. The low rainfall prevents the growth of a large number of trees and shrubs, but is sufficient to support the growth of grass cover during the monsoon. Many of the grasses and other small herbs become dry and the part above the ground dies during the summer months. In the next monsoon the grass cover grows back from the root stock and the seeds of the previous year.
- 55. Animals are able to live in conditions where food is plentiful after the rains, so that they can store this as fat that they use during the dry period when there is very little to eat. Grassland Types in India: variety of ecosystems that are located in different climatic conditions ranging from near desert conditions, to patches of shola grasslands that occur on hillslopes alongside the extremely moist evergreen forests in South India. 1. Himalayan pasture belt. 2. Terai Grasslands. 3. Semiarid Grasslands. 4. Shola Grasslands
- 56. Himalayan pasture belt Himalayan pasture belt extends up to the snowline. The grasslands at a lower level form patches along with coniferous or broadleaved forests. Himalayan wildlife require both the forest and the grassland ecosystem as important parts of their habitat. The animals migrate up into the high altitude grasslands in summer and move down into the forest in winter when the snow covers the grassland. Himalayan hill slopes are covered with thousands of colourful flowering plants. There are also a large number of medicinal plants. Like rennet, Aconitum ferox.
- 58. Terai Grasslands The patches of tall elephant grass, which grows to a height of about five meters, are located in the low-lying waterlogged areas. The Sal forest patches cover the elevated regions and the Himalayan foothills.
- 59. Semi-arid plains of Western India, Central India and the Deccan These are covered by grassland tracts with patches of thorn forest. Several mammals such as the wolf, the blackbuck, the chinkara, and birds such as the bustards and floricans are adapted to these arid conditions. The Scrublands of the Deccan Plateau are covered with seasonal grasses and herbs on which its fauna is dependent. It is teaming with insect life on which the insectivorous birds feed.
- 60. Shola grasslands Shola grasslands consist of patches on hillslopes along with the Shola forests on the Western Ghats, Nilgiri and Annamalai ranges. This forms a patchwork of grassland on the slopes and forest habitats along the streams and lowlying areas.
- 61. Grasslands are not restricted only to low rainfall areas. Certain grassland types form when clearings are made in different forest types. Some are located on the higher steep hill slopes with patches of forest that occur along the streams and in depressions. The grasslands are related to repeated fires that do not permit the forest to grow. The grasses are the major producers of biomass in these regions. Each grassland ecosystem has a wide variety of species of grasses and herbs. Some grass and herb species are more sensitive to excessive grazing and are suppressed if the area is over grazed. Others are destroyed by repeated fires and cannot regenerate. Thus overused or frequently burnt grasslands are degraded and are poor in plant species diversity.
- 62. Desert ecosystem Desert and semi arid lands are highly specialized and sensitive ecosystems that are easily destroyed by human activities. The species of these dry areas can live only in this specialized habitat. Deserts and semi arid areas are located in Western India and the Deccan Plateau. The climate in these vast tracts is extremely dry. There are also cold deserts such as in Ladakh, which are located in the high plateaus of the Himalayas. The most typical desert landscape that is seen in Rajasthan is in the Thar Desert. This has sand dunes. There are also areas covered with sparse grasses and a few shrubs, which grow if it rains In an area it may rain only once every few years. In the adjoining semi arid tract the vegetation consists of a few shrubs and thorny trees such as kher and babul.
- 63. Kher Plant Babul
- 64. The Great and Little Rann of Kutch are highly specialised arid ecosystems. In the summers they are similar to a desert landscape. These are low-lying areas near the sea, they get converted to salt marshes during the monsoons. During this period they attract an enormous number of aquatic birds such as ducks, geese, cranes, storks, etc. The Great Rann is famous, as it is the only known breeding colony of the Greater and Lesser Flamingos in our country. The Little Rann of Kutch is the only home of the wild ass in India.
- 65. Wild Ass Geese Storks Flamingos
- 66. The rare animals include the Indian wolf, desert cat, desert fox and birds such as the Great Indian Bustard and the Florican. Some of the commoner birds include partridges, quails and sandgrouse. partridgesdesert cat quails sandgrouse
- 67. Aquatic ecosystems The aquatic ecosystems constitute the marine environments of the seas and the fresh water systems in lakes, rivers, ponds and wetlands.
- 68. If aquatic ecosystems are misused or over utilized, their ability to provide resources suffers in the long term. Over-fishing leads to a fall in the fish catch. River courses that are changed by dams to provide electricity affect thousands of people who do not get a continuous supply of water downstream for their daily use. When wetlands are drained, their connected rivers tend to cause floods. These are all examples of unsustainable changes in the use of natural resources and nature’s ecosystems that are dependent on hydrological regimes.
- 69. Brackish water ecosystems in river deltas are covered by mangrove forests and are among the world’s most productive ecosystems in terms of biomass production. The largest mangrove swamps are in the Sunderbans in the delta of the Ganges Pond ecosystem There are differences in a pond that is temporary and has water only in the monsoon, and a larger tank or lake that is an aquatic ecosystem throughout the year. Most ponds become dry after the rains are over and are covered by terrestrial plants for the rest of the year.
- 70. When a pond begins to fill during the rains, its life forms such as the algae and microscopic animals, aquatic insects, snails, and worms come out of the floor of the pond where they have remained dormant in the dry phase. Gradually more complex animals such as crabs frogs and fish return to the pond.
- 71. Lake ecosystem There are fish that are herbivorous and are dependent on algae and aquatic weeds. The small animals such as snails are used as food by small carnivorous fish, which in turn are eaten by larger carnivorous fish. Animals excrete waste products, which settle on the bottom of the lake. This is broken down by small animals that live in the mud in the floor of the lake. This acts as the nutrient material that is used by aquatic plants for their growth. During this process plants use Carbon from CO2 for their growth and in the process release Oxygen. This Oxygen is then used by aquatic animals, which filter water through their respiratory system.
- 72. Lake Ecosystem Stream and River ecosystems Streams and rivers are flowing water ecosystems in which all the living forms are specially adapted to different rates of flow. Some plants and animals such as snails and other burrowing animals can withstand the rapid flow of the hill streams. Other species of plants and animals such as water beetles and skaters can live only in slower moving water.
- 74. Some species of fish, such as Mahseer, go upstream from rivers to hill streams for breeding. They need crystal clear water to be able to breed. They lay eggs only in clear water so that their young can grow successfully. The community of flora and fauna of streams and rivers depends on the clarity, flow and oxygen content as well as the nature of their beds. The stream or river can have a sandy, rocky or muddy bed, each type having its own species of plants and animals.
- 75. Marine ecosystems The Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal constitute the marine ecosystems around peninsular India. The shallow areas near Kutch and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are some of the most incredible coral reefs in the world. Coral reefs are only second to tropical evergreen forests in their richness of species. Fish, crustacea, starfish, jellyfish and the polyps that deposit the coral are a few of the thousands of species that form this incredible world under the shallow sea.
- 76. The marine ecosystem continued to maintain its abundant supply of fish over many generations. Now with intensive fishing by using giant nets and mechanised boats, fish catch in the Indian Ocean has dropped significantly.
- 77. Seashore ecosystems Beaches can be sandy, rocky, shell covered or muddy. On each of these different types, there are several specific species which have evolved to occupy a separate niche. There are different crustacea such as crabs that make holes in the sand. Various shore birds feed on their prey by probing into the sand or mud on the sea shore.
- 80. CASE STUDY Threats to wetlands in Assam Threats to wetlands in Assam Almost 40% of all wetlands in Assam are under threat. A survey conducted by the Assam Remote Sensing Application Center (ARSAC), Guwahati, and the Space Research Center, Ahemadabad, has revealed that 1367 out of 3513 wetlands in Assam are under severe threat due to invasion of aquatic weeds and several developmental activities. The wetlands of Assam form the greatest potential source of income for the State in terms of fisheries and tourism. Though the wetlands of Assam have the capacity of producing 5,000 tones of fish per hectare per year, around 20,000 tones of fish have to be imported to meet local demands. This is primarily due to poor wetland management.