Why study EST

 Man is the only animal responsible for the

depletion and destruction of environment and
the extinction of the life system.
 Environment is a methodically study of human
and environment.

 It basically studies the interaction among both of

them.

 The field implies the study of ethics, psychology,

demography, policy, politics, laws, economics,
philosophy, environmental sociology, justice,
planning, pollution control etc.
• Environment is what we see around us.
• It is basically divided into two major parts-

1. Biotic
2. Abiotic
(both have their respective effect on each other)
 Abiotic Components:  Biotic Components:
They are the non living They are the living
components around us things that shape an
which play a major role in ecosystem.
the environmental system. • The biotic factors are
the living components
which affect each other.
Examples- heat , temp; Air,
light, moisture etc… • They may include the
factors in which they
consume each other,
the human also
included in it.
 Afforestation:  Deforestation:
The direct conversion The direct human
of not forested land for induced conversion of
around 50 years to the forested land to
forested land with the deforested land (non-
help of plantation, seeding forested)
etc.
 Anthropogenic: Environmental caused or
produced by human.

 Aquifer: Water bearing Strata.

 Biodiversity: A short form for biological
diversity. In short the variety of living organism
from all sources is called as biodiversity.
(terrestrial, marine, aquatic)

 Bio-sequestration: it is the capturing of the

atmospheric greenhouse gas (CO2) by the
biological process.
 Biotope: Area of uniform environmental
Condition providing space for specific plants
and animals. (biological community)

 Habitat: subject is related to particular

population of species.
 CFCs: Choloroflurocarbons. They are the
chemical components that contribute for the
depletion of ozone layer.
 Work related to CFC was undertaken in
Montreal Protocol.

 Carbon Sequestration: Capturing of CO2 by

the method of Afforestation or any other
method.
 Producers: also called as  Decomposers: they are
Autotrophs. Organism also called as
that convert energy from DETRITIVORES.
sun into food. Ex: plants.
 They break down the
 Consumers: They are also chemical components
called as HETEROTROPHS. into simpler form from
the producers and the
consumers, which can
 Animals who depend
be reused.
upon producers. Example:
cow, goat depend upon  Example: bacteria,
plants, herbs, shrubs. fungi, etc..
 Demography: study of size, structure and
distribution of the population which is
temporal change or spatial (occupying space)
change in response to birth, migration, aging
and death.

 Dendrochronology: it is the scientific method

of dating based on the analysis of patterns of
tree rings.
 Environment: physical and biological factors along
with chemical interactions that affect the organism.
 Ecosystem: it is the complex of plants, animals
,microorganism and non-living environment. They
interact with each other. They don’t have political
boundaries.
 Ecological Collapse: a situation in which the
ecosystem suffers a drastic change. This change may
be permanent or not permanent. It results in the
mass extinction. Ex: earthquake, tsunami, floods,
etc..
 Ex ante: before the event. Ex post: after the event.
 VIRUSES
• NOROVIRUS: most • ROTAVIRUS: most
common for viral common cause of
gastroenteritis in diarrhea among infants
human. and children.
• Causes vomiting and
diarrhea.
• Permafrost: it also called CRYOTIC SOIL.
• It is the soil at or below the freezing point (i.e:
0 Degree/ 32 F)
• This land is under the same temperature for
more then 2 or more years.
• Rangelands: vast natural landscapes in the
form of grasslands, shrubs, herbs, deserts
etc…
• Riparian: Area is the interface between land
and a river or stream.
 GHGs: Also called as Green House Gases.

 Atmospheric gases that trap the heat and is

responsible for the warming of earth.
 The major GHGs are carbon dioxide ,
methane, nitrous oxides.
 Less prominent but very powerful are hydro
fluorocarbons (HFCs), per fluorocarbons (PFCs)
and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
 JAKARTA MANDATE
• Short form for Jakarta Mandate on Marine
and Coastal Biological Diversity.
• Dealt with the importance of marine and
coastal biological diversity.
• Adopted in 1995 by the parties to the
Convection on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• it includes the program on marine and coastal
work.
 KYOTO PROTOCOL
• It is a protocol to the UN Framework
Convection on Climate change (UNFCCC).

• Adapted in 1997 and entered into force in

2005.
 MONTREAL PROTOCOL
• Short form for Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

• Held in Vienna Convection for the protection

of OZONE LAYER.

• Adapted in 1987 and entered into force in

1989.
 VIENNA CONVECTION
• It was the program meant for the protection of
OZONE LAYER.
• Adapted in 1984 and entered into force in 1985.
• Vienna Convection on Law of Treaties- adapted
in 1969 and came into force in 1980.
• Vienna Convection on Succession of States in
Respect of treaties- adapted in 1978 and
entered into force 1996
 OCED
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development.
• International organisation of 34 countries.
• Founded in 1961.
• Major work was to stimulate economic
progress and world trade.
• Most of the countries are high economic
countries with very high development index.
• They are regarded as developed countries.
 STOCKHOLM CONFERNCES
• Short form for UN Conference on the Human
Environment
• Was held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972.
• Outcomes were:
1. establishment of UN Environment program(UNEP).
2. Establishment of environmental funds.
3. Action plan.
4. Stockholm declaration.
 RIO CONFERENCE
• Short form for United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development (UNCED)
• Was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992.
• Outcomes:
1. The UN framework convection on climate change(UNFCCC)
2. Convection on Biological Diversity. (CBD)
3. Agenda 21
4. Establishment of the commission of sustainable
development (CSD)
5. The Rio Declaration on Environment and development.
6. Non-Legally Binding Authorities statement of principles for
Global consensus on management.
 Segments of Environment
• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Lithosphere
• Biosphere
 ATMOSPHERE
• Most valuable gas is Oxygen (required for
respiration) (natural flora and fauna, as a part
of CO2 for photosynthesis)
• Other gaseous are Nitrogen, CO2, Ozone etc.
• It forms the protective layer over the earth.
• Moving upward from ground level, these
layers are named the troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and
exosphere.
• The exosphere gradually fades away.
 Troposphere
• The troposphere is the lowest layer of our
atmosphere. Starting at ground level, it extends
upward to about 10 km .
• We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly
all weather occurs in this lowest layer.
• Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of
the water vapour in the atmosphere is found in
the troposphere.
• Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder,
as you climb higher in the troposphere.
 Stratosphere
• The next layer up is called the stratosphere.
• The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to
about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground.
• The ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. Ozone
molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light
from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat.
• Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the
higher you go. That trend of rising temperatures with altitude
means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence (violent
and unsteady movement of air)and updrafts of the troposphere
beneath.
• Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly
because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The jet
stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the
stratosphere.
 Mesosphere
• Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere.
• It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles)
above our planet.
• Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere.
• Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow
colder as you rise up through the mesosphere.
• The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about
-90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer.
• The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe; air
pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of
the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as
you go higher.
 Thermosphere
• The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the 
thermosphere.
• High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the
thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times
thousands of degrees.
• However, the air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to
us! In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part
of the atmosphere. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the
thermosphere!
• Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a
powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the
temperature within it.
• Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere
between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground.
Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C
(932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher.
 Exosphere
• Although some experts consider the thermosphere to be the
uppermost layer of our atmosphere, others consider the exosphere to
be the actual "final frontier" of Earth's gaseous envelope.

• As you might imagine, the "air" in the exosphere is very, very, very
thin, making this layer even more space-like than the thermosphere.
In fact, air in the exosphere is constantly - though very gradually -
"leaking" out of Earth's atmosphere into outer space.
• There is no clear-cut upper boundary where the exosphere finally
fades away into space. Different definitions place the top of the
exosphere somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and
190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth. The latter
value is about halfway to the Moon!
 Ionosphere
• The ionosphere is not a distinct layer like the others
mentioned above.
• Instead, the ionosphere is a series of regions in parts
of the mesosphere and thermosphere where high-
energy radiation from the Sun has knocked electrons
loose from their parent atoms and molecules. The
electrically charged atoms and molecules that are
formed in this way are called ions, giving the
ionosphere its name and endowing this region with
some special properties.
 HYDROSPHERE
• Provides water for drinking, cleaning, washing,
agriculture, industry, gardening, food etc.
• Resources are sea, rivers etc.
• Food resources which are obtained from sea
are fish, crustacean, sea weeds etc..
• This flowing water is used for electricity
generation.
 HYDROSPHERE
• It covers the area of around 3/4th of the earth
surface.
• Main area is marine ecosystem.
• Some of the fresh water lies in aquifers.
• Deforestation causes the problems causing the
soil erosion, water pollution, rain erodes etc..
 LITHOSPHERE
• It is composition of soil, stone, gravel, sand etc..
• It also consists of nutrients for plants, growth, oil,
coal, gas and domestic and industrial organic and
inorganic material.
• In the Lithosphere it includes the CRUST and
UPPER MANTLE which constitute the harder and
rigid outer layer.
• The Lithosphere is underlain by ASTHENOSPHERE.
 ASTHENOSPHERE
• It is weaker, hotter an deeper part of Upper
mantle.
• Lithosphere is rigid for a long geological
period. It has elasticity also.
• The lower layer is viscously and plastic strain.
• Lithosphere is broken into Tectonic Plates.
 TYPES OF LITHOSPHERE
• Oceanic Lithosphere: associated with ocean
crust. It is present in ocean basins. It is about
50-100 km
• Continental Lithosphere: Associated with
continental crust. It is about 40- 200 km.
(upper 30-50km is typically crust)
 BIOSHPERE
• It is considered to have evolved some 3.5 billion years ago.
• It is a global sum of all Ecosystem.
• It is also called as The Zone of LIFE on Earth.
• It is a closed and self regulating system.
• It is integration of all living beings and their relationship with each other.
(hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere)
• The microbial life deep beneath is called as Uninhabitable Zones, which is
considered to be more in number then the on earth population.
• The actual thickness of biosphere in not measurable.

• Birds fly at an altitude of 650-1800ms, while deep water fishes can be found
down to -8372 ms in Puerto Rico Trench.

• Examples: Ruppell’s Vulture is found at an altitude of 11,300 ms.

• Bar Headed Geese (Bird Like DUCK) migrates at an altitude of 8300ms
• Yaks live between 3200-5400 ms above the sea level. Mountain goats live 3050
ms. (they depend on grasses, herbs etc..)
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
• Global warming and Green House effect are
one thing.
• Global Warming happens due to Green house
effect.
• Global warming is rising of the average
temperature of earth’s atmosphere and
oceans.
• This occurred since late 19th century and
continued till date.
 Green House Effect
• The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation
from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface
to a temperature above what it would be without this
atmosphere.
• Radioactively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) in a
planet's atmosphere radiate energy in all directions.
• Part of this radiation is directed towards the surface,
warming it.
•  The intensity of the downward radiation – that is, the
strength of the greenhouse effect – will depend on the
atmosphere's temperature and on the amount of
greenhouse gases that the atmosphere contains.
• Earth’s natural greenhouse effect is critical to
supporting life, and initially was a precursor to
life moving out of the ocean onto land. Human
activities, however, mainly the burning of
fossil fuels and clear cutting of forests, have
accelerated the greenhouse effect and caused 
global warming.
 History
• The existence of the greenhouse effect was argued for
by Joseph Fourier in 1824.
• The argument and the evidence were further
strengthened by Claude Pouillet in 1827 and 1838 and
reasoned from experimental observations by 
Eunice Newton Foote in 1856.
• John Tyndall expanded her work in 1859 by measuring
radioactive properties of a wider spectrum of
greenhouse gases.
• However, the term "greenhouse" was not used to refer
to this effect by any of these scientists; the term was
first used in this way by Nils Gustaf Ekholm in 1901.
 Green House Gases
• The greenhouse effect on Earth the four major gases are:
• Atmospheric gases only absorb some wavelengths of energy but are
transparent to others. The absorption patterns of water vapor and
carbon dioxide .
• Carbon dioxide is not as strong a greenhouse gas as water vapor, but it
absorbs energy in longer wavelengths (12–15 micrometers) that water
vapor does not.
• % Contribution of GHG’s
• water vapor, 36–70%
• carbon dioxide, 9–26%
• methane, 4–9%
• ozone, 3–7%
• It is not possible to assign a specific percentage to each gas because
the absorption and emission bands of the gases overlap (hence the
ranges given above). Clouds also absorb and emit infrared radiation
and thus affect the radiative properties of the atmosphere.
• Because of the GHG’s the global temperature has
increased up to 0.74 degree in last 100 yrs.
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
said that in 21st century the temperature may raise
up to 1.1-2.9 degree Celsius (Lowest) and highest
of 2.4-6.4 degree Celsius.
• Increase in global temperature causes rise in sea
level and expansion in subtropical deserts.
• Rise in temperature is greatest in Artic and causing
sea ice and permafrost.
• Other effects are- heat waves, droughts, heavy
rainfall, species extinction, shifting temp. crop yield
change etc..
 How it works
• Earth receives energy from the Sun in the form of ultraviolet, visible,
and near-infrared radiation.
• About 26% of the incoming solar energy is reflected to space by the
atmosphere and clouds, and 19% is absorbed by the atmosphere and
clouds.
• Most of the remaining energy is absorbed at the surface of Earth. 
Because the Earth's surface is colder than the Sun, it radiates at 
wavelengths that are much longer than the wavelengths that were
absorbed.
• Most of this thermal radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and
warms it. The atmosphere also gains heat by sensible and latent heat
 fluxes from the surface. The atmosphere radiates energy both
upwards and downwards; the part radiated downwards is absorbed by
the surface of Earth. This leads to a higher equilibrium temperature
 than if the atmosphere did not radiate.
•  The greenhouse effect is the contribution of greenhouse gases to this
difference.
 ACID RAIN
• Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation
 that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated
levels of hydrogen ions (low pH).
• It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals
and infrastructure.
• Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and 
nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules
 in the atmosphere to produce acids.
• Some governments have made efforts since the
1970s to reduce the release of sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere with positive
results.
• Nitrogen oxides can also be produced naturally
by lightning strikes, and sulfur dioxide is
produced by volcanic eruptions.
• Acid rain has been shown to have adverse
impacts on forests, freshwaters and soils,
killing insect and aquatic life-forms, causing
paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such
as bridges, and weathering of stone buildings
and statues as well as having impacts on
human health.
 TYPES OF ACID RAIN
• Wet deposition
• Wet deposition of acids occurs when any form of
precipitation (rain, snow, and so on.) removes acids from the
atmosphere and delivers it to the Earth's surface. This can
result from the deposition of acids produced in the raindrops
(see aqueous phase chemistry above) or by the precipitation
removing the acids either in clouds or below clouds. Wet
removal of both gases and aerosols are both of importance
for wet deposition.
• Dry deposition
• Acid deposition also occurs via dry deposition in the absence
of precipitation. This can be responsible for as much as 20 to
60% of total acid deposition.[44] This occurs when particles
and gases stick to the ground, plants or other surfaces.
• Gas phase chemistry
• In the gas phase sulfur dioxide is oxidized by
reaction with the hydroxyl radical via an 
intermolecular reaction:[5]
• SO2 + OH· → HOSO2·which is followed by:
• HOSO2· + O2 → HO2· + SO3
• In the presence of water, sulfur trioxide (SO3)
is converted rapidly to sulfuric acid:
• SO3 (g) + H2O (l) → H2SO4 (aq)Nitrogen dioxide
 reacts with OH to form nitric acid:
• This shows the process of the air pollution
being released into the atmosphere and the
areas that will be affected.
• NO2 + OH· → HNO3Chemistry in cloud droplets
• When clouds are present, the loss rate of SO2 is
faster than can be explained by gas phase
chemistry alone. This is due to reactions in the
liquid water droplets.