Air Pollution

  aggravated because of four developments: Increasing traffic, growing cities, rapid economic development, and industrialization contamination of air by the discharge of harmful substances   Major air pollutants and their sources Carbon monoxide (CO) It is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of carbon – based fuels including petrol, diesel, … Read more Air Pollution

Environment Pollution: An Introduction

Environment Pollution is  defined as ‘an addition or excessive addition of certain materials to the physical environment (water, air and lands), making it less fit or unfit for life’. Pollutants are the materials or factors, which cause adverse effect on the natural quality of any component of the environment. Classifications According to the form in … Read more Environment Pollution: An Introduction

Key Initiatives To Protect Marine And Coastal Environments

    Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System (COMAPS) Being implemented from 1991. Assesses the health of coastal waters and facilitates management of pollution-related issues Programme was restructured and modified in 2000 2001 to include pollution monitoring; liaison, regulation and legislation; and consultancy services. 2.Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ)   Launched in … Read more Key Initiatives To Protect Marine And Coastal Environments

Coral Reef and Coral Bleaching

  Coral is actually a living animal. has a symbiotic relationship (each gives something to the other and gets something back in return) With ‘zooxanthellae’ microscopic algae which live on coral [i.e. instead of living on the sea  floor, the algae lives up on the coral which is closer to the ocean surface and so … Read more Coral Reef and Coral Bleaching

MANGROVES

  Mangroves are the characteristic littoral plant formation of tropical and subtropical sheltered coastlines. are trees and bushes growing below the high water level of spring tides which exhibits remarkable capacity for salt water tolerance. basically evergreen land plants growing on sheltered shores, typically on tidal flats, deltas, estuaries, bays, creeks and the barrier islands. … Read more MANGROVES

EUTROPHICATION AND HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

  Eutrophication is a syndrome of ecosystem, response to the addition of artificial or natural substances such as nitrates and phosphates through fertilizer, sewage, etc that fertilize the aquatic ecosystem. The growth of green algae which we see in the lake surface layer is the physical identification of an Eutrophication. Some algae and blue-green bacteria … Read more EUTROPHICATION AND HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

India’s action against Desertification

India as a signatory to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has submitted four National Reports to UNCCD  in the years 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010 Some of the major programmes currently implemented that address issues related to land degradation and desertification is:- Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), National Afforestation Programme (NAP), National Mission for … Read more India’s action against Desertification

Cold Desert/ Temperate Desert

  Cold desert of India include areas of ladak, leh and kargil of kashmir and spiti valley of Himachal  Pradesh and some parts of northern Uttaranchal and Sikkim. Lies in rain shadow of Himalaya Oak, pine, deodar, birch and rhododendron are the important trees and bushes found there. Major  animal include yaks, dwarf cows, and … Read more Cold Desert/ Temperate Desert

Hot DESERT ECOSYSTEM  

Deserts are formed in regions with less than 25 cm of annual rainfall, .or sometimes in hot regions where there is more rainfall, but unevenly distributed in the annual cycle. Lack’ of rain in the mid latitude is often due to stable high pressure zones; deserts in temperate regions often lie in “rain shadows”, that … Read more Hot DESERT ECOSYSTEM  

INDIAN FOREST TYPES

  Forest types in India are classified by Champion and Seth into sixteen types.   Tropical Wet evergreen forests are found along the Western Ghats, the Nicobar and Andaman Islands and all  along the north-eastern region. It is characterized by tall, straight evergreen trees. The trees in this forest form a tier pattern: Beautiful fern … Read more INDIAN FOREST TYPES