Environmental Studies and Natural Resources
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary aim of improving communication in the described context?

  • To prioritize the study of zoology and botany
  • To specialize in individual fields of study
  • To focus on environmental law and policy-making
  • To make ideas and results from any field available to practitioners from other backgrounds (correct)

    • Which of the following is NOT a resource provided by the atmosphere?

  • Protection from harmful ultra-violet light
  • Food for human consumption
  • Clean water for human use (correct)
  • Oxygen for human respiration

    • What is the thickness of the stratosphere?

  • 100 kilometers
  • 50 kilometers (correct)
  • 12 kilometers
  • 200 kilometers

    • What is the role of the ozone layer in the stratosphere?

    <p>To absorb ultra-violet light</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why does the atmosphere have variations in climate, temperature, and rainfall?

    <p>Due to the uneven warming of the sun</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a consequence of disrupting the atmosphere's natural balance?

    <p>It has both global and regional effects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the approximate percentage of India's land area covered by forests based on satellite data?

    <p>19.27%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated number of people living as shifting cultivators in India?

    <p>300 million</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason for the increasing demand for fuel wood in India?

    <p>Growing population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated amount of forests cleared annually for shifting cultivation?

    <p>5 lakh ha</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the approximate value of environmental services provided by a typical tree?

    <p>$196 to $250</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main function of forests in regulating the hydrological cycle?

    <p>Absorbing rainfall and slowing down runoff</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the per capita forest area in India?

    <p>0.075 ha</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What percentage of moisture in the air above tropical forests comes from their transpiration?

    <p>50-80%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the estimated demand for fuel wood in India in 2001?

    <p>300-500 million tons</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of forests in preventing soil erosion?

    <p>They act as windbreaks and bind soil particles</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term used to describe the role of forests in absorbing oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide?

    <p>Photosynthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many species of wild animals and plants are found in tropical forests alone?

    <p>7 million</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of traditional water management in villages?

    <p>Democratic and publicly approved plans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a benefit of river valley projects with big dams?

    <p>Improved standard of living and quality of life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential drawback of big dams?

    <p>Environmental impacts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a role of 'gram sabhas' in traditional water management?

    <p>Approving plans publicly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are big dams considered a symbol of national development?

    <p>Due to their multiple uses</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can big dams provide to remote areas?

    <p>Drinking water</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common characteristic of density-independent factors that limit population growth?

    <p>They occur regardless of the population size.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following human activities can disrupt ecosystems by altering abiotic factors?

    <p>Urban sprawl</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary effect of clear cutting on ecosystems?

    <p>It changes the abiotic factors of the ecosystem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can volcanic eruptions disrupt ecosystems?

    <p>By altering the abiotic factors of the ecosystem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary effect of habitat depletion on ecosystems?

    <p>It disrupts the balance of both biotic and abiotic components.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of disruptions to biological components of an ecosystem?

    <p>Changes in the biodiversity of the ecosystem.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Interdisciplinary Approach to Environmental Science

    • The aim is to improve communication and make ideas and results from various fields available to practitioners from other backgrounds.

    Earth's Resources and Man

    • The resources on which mankind is dependent are provided by various sources or 'spheres'.
    • The atmosphere provides:
    • Oxygen for human respiration and metabolic requirements
    • Oxygen for wild fauna in natural ecosystems and domestic animals used by man as food
    • Oxygen as part of carbon dioxide, used for the growth of plants
    • The atmosphere forms a protective shell over the earth, with:
    • Troposphere: the lowest layer, only 12 kilometers thick, and warm enough for human survival
    • Stratosphere: 50 kilometers thick, containing a layer of sulphates essential for rain formation and a layer of ozone that absorbs ultra-violet light and prevents cancer

    Deforestation

    • Major causes of deforestation:
    • Shifting cultivation: 300 million people practice slash and burn agriculture, clearing over 5 lakh ha of forests annually
    • Fuel requirements: increasing demand for fuel wood, leading to pressure on forests
    • Raw materials for industrial use: wood for various industries, such as furniture, pulp, and paper
    • Ecological uses: forests provide environmental services, including production of oxygen, reducing global warming, and regulating the hydrological cycle

    Ecological Services of Forests

    • Production of oxygen: trees produce oxygen through photosynthesis, essential for life on earth
    • Reducing global warming: forests absorb carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions
    • Wildlife habitat: forests provide homes for millions of wild animals and plants
    • Regulation of hydrological cycle: forests act as giant sponges, absorbing rainfall, slowing down runoff, and recharging springs
    • Soil conservation: trees prevent soil erosion and act as windbreaks
    • Pollution moderators: forests absorb toxic gases and help keep the air pure and clean

    Traditional Water Management

    • Innovative arrangements ensure equitable distribution of water, democratically implemented through 'gram sabhas'
    • Traditional water managers in villages prove to be effective in managing water resources

    Big Dams: Benefits and Problems

    • Benefits:
    • River valley projects with big dams provide multiple uses, including employment opportunities, improved standard of living, and economic growth
    • Check floods and famines, generate electricity, and reduce water and power shortage
    • Environmental problems:
    • Impacts on upstream and downstream levels, including habitat destruction and disruption of ecosystems

    Disruptions to Ecosystems

    • Density-independent factors: limiting factors that occur regardless of population size, including:
    • Weather changes
    • Temperature changes
    • Human activities (pollution, urban sprawl, etc.)
    • Natural disasters (volcanoes, fires, etc.)
    • Urban sprawl affects:
    • Water quality (surface and ground)
    • Habitats
    • Soil quality
    • Air quality
    • Noise pollution
    • Disruptions to physical (non-living) components:
    • Volcanic eruptions
    • Pollution
    • Hurricanes
    • Clear cutting
    • Fires
    • Floods
    • Drought
    • Nuclear bomb
    • Habitat depletion (human and natural)
    • Disruptions to biological (living) components:
    • Volcanic eruptions
    • Pollution (land and water)
    • Hurricanes
    • Urban sprawl
    • Fires
    • Clear cutting
    • Drought
    • Introduction of exotic species
    • Overharvesting (non-native) species
    • Habitat depletion (human and natural)

    Biodiversity

    • Importance of preserving biodiversity in ecosystems

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