Environmental Science Quiz

Civil Engineering Program

• Program: Civil Engineering
• Program Code: CE
• Expert: Dr. B. R. Ambade, LCE, G P Bramhapuri
• Date: 06/07/2020
• Study at your Doorstep (MSBTE LEAD)

Environmental Studies

• Course Code: 22447
• Course Objective: Develop Public Awareness about Environment
• Unit Outcome: UO 1a, 1b
• Study at your Doorstep (MSBTE LEAD)
• Written by: Dr. B. R. Ambade

Agenda Points

• Environment, its need and scope
• Segments of environment

Content

• Definitions, need of environmental studies
• Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere

Learning Objectives/ Key Learning

• Discuss the scope of environment
• Describe various types of environment
• Describe the importance of environmental studies

Concept Map of Environment

• Shows interconnectedness of various environmental elements

Unit 1: Environment

• Environment is derived from the French word 'enviro', meaning 'surrounding'
• Environment defined as physical, chemical and biological world around us (people, children, benches, ground, grass, trees, insects, birds, sunlight, air, land, water, mountain)
• Biotic components (living things) constantly interact and exchange with other biotic components and abiotic components for survival
• Examples of Biotic components: People, children, trees, grass, insects, and birds
• Examples of Abiotic components: Playgrounds, benches, swings, slides, air, water, and mountains

Types of Environment

• Natural environment (original form without human interference): The earth's original form
• Man-made environment (modified by the interference of human beings): Infrastructure, utilities, institutions, parks, buildings, and energy networks
• Social environment (includes social, economic and political conditions wherein the individual lives): Customs, traditions, ethics , language, culture, and professions
• Psychological environment (an environment which enables the individual to understand the personality of a person and his goal from the psychological aspect): every individual has his psychological environment

Structure of Environment

• Solid environment (lithosphere): Solid earth (soil, land, mountains)
• Liquid environment (hydrosphere): Water resources (rivers, reservoirs, oceans, glaciers)
• Gas environment (various gases): Oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane (present in the atmosphere)
• Biological environment (flora and fauna): Plants (trees, grass, shrubs), animals (domestic, wild, humans, birds, insects)

Scope of Environmental Studies

• Educate students, citizens, experts on environmental complexity
• Enable solutions to environmental problems
• Reverse environmental degradation through empowerment of educated communities
• Develop eco-friendly technologies to save natural resources and reduce pollution.
• Maintain ecological balance for future generations.
• Important areas: natural resources, ecosystems, biodiversity, conservation, environmental pollution, social issues, and human population

Need and Importance of Environmental Studies

• Public awareness of environmental issues
• International importance of environmental issues
• Development-related problems
• Energy conservation
• Saving species from extinction
• Saving natural resources
• Reducing pollution
• Wise planning of development
• Sustainable development

Segments of Environment

• Atmosphere: composed of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and other trace gases
• Biosphere: realm of living organisms and their interactions with the environment
• Hydrosphere: all types of water resources (oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, polar icecaps, glaciers, and groundwater)
• Lithosphere: outer mantle of the solid earth (minerals, soils, organic matter, air, and water)

Environmental Issues: Ozone Depletion

• Ozone layer in the atmosphere protects the Earth from harmful UV radiation
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) release chlorine atoms, which deplete the ozone layer
• Impacts of ozone depletion: sunburn, reduced immunity, skin cancer, cataracts, reduced photosynthesis, damage to plants, plankton depletion, penguin depletion, reduced frog egg hatching, degradation of building materials

Environmental Issues: Nuclear Accidents

• Major nuclear accidents since 1957 reported by multiple countries (Fukushima, Japan, Kashiwazaki, Japan, Mihama, Japan, Blayais, France, Tokaimura Japan, Tokaimura Japan, Chernobyl, Ukraine, Three Mile Island, USA, The Urals, USSR, Windscale, UK)

Impacts of Nuclear Accidents

• Development of cancer, deaths, species extinction, alterations in DNA, residual radioactivity affecting environment and pollution, high fever, diarrhoea, fatigue, mortality, infection, and bleeding etc., skin diseases, disturbance to aquatic life, and long-term effects

How to Avoid Environmental Problems

• Sustainable Development: hazards mitigation, energy conservation, pollution control, water resources management, biodiversity conservation, Rain water harvesting, solid waste management, and world conservation strategy
• 4Rs Strategy: Reduce waste generation, reuse resources, recycle materials, recover energy from waste

Public Awareness about Environment

• Educate people, increase community participation, implement eco-friendly technologies, conserve resources, practice good civic sense and hygiene, practice reducing pollution, join nature-related activities, buy eco-friendly products, and join environmental groups

Environmental Issues: Global Warming

• Global warming is the phenomenon of rising Earth's temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
• GHGs absorb heat radiated from the Earth's surface and re-emit it. Examples of GHGs include CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and others.
• Effects: Temperature increases, glaciers melt, rising ocean levels, changing forest and crop yields, affecting human health, and changing ecosystems and seasonal patterns

Environmental Issues: Climate Change

• Climate change is a change in the average weather in a specific location over a long period
• Possible causes: Changes in solar output, Earth's orbit, drift of continents, volcanic eruptions and greenhouse gases

Environmental Issues: Acid Rain

• Caused by sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas)

• Pollutants react with water to form sulfuric acid, nitric acid and other pollutants

• Acid Rain effects: Environmental damage to lakes, aquatic life, buildings, forests, plants, animals and soil

Revision

• Green house effect and its impacts
• Global Warming and its impacts
• Climate change and its impacts
• Acid Rain and its impacts

References

• Various publications and websites providing information on environmental issues, science, and the 4Rs strategy.