Category Environtal Studies

Why is biosphere vital to humans?

            When Man goes into space, he needs protective gear because he is out of his environment. We live comfortably in the biosphere where life thrives.

            Biosphere comes from the Greek word ‘bios’, which means life. We humans live in the biosphere. Biosphere is a layer that extends slightly above and slightly below the surface of the earth. This space covers the earth’s entire surface.

            Biosphere is, in fact, the living part of our home planet and it comprises a number of ecosystems. It also includes the atmosphere. The atmosphere acts just like a blanket over the earth as it protects our planet from harmful rays of the sun.

            Millions of different ecosystems are present in the biosphere and they are contained within many geographical areas known as biomes. The ecologists divide the biosphere into smaller units such as ecosystems, habitats and niches. This division makes its study easier because each of these units can be studied individually in detail.

            Biosphere consists of some 35,000 species of living creatures including human beings.

Picture Credit : Google

What is environment?

            We tend to take our life for granted and think that the survival of living beings on earth depend; exclusively on the availability of fresh air, food and drinking water. However, our life depends on so many other factors too. The environment around us preserves life as a mother’s womb protects the child within!

            Environment is formed by whatever surroundings we live in. In the case of Earth, all the physical surroundings present on our planet are called environment. In other words, environment is the setting in which human life, as well as countless other life forms, comfortably exists.

            The environment includes both living and non-living things. The part of the environment where life exists is called the biosphere. All the living beings including human beings and plants are part of the biosphere.

            The non-living part of the environment has three main parts: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere. The atmosphere is the air, which comprises of various gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. Hydrosphere, as the name suggests, consists of water bodies. All oceans and other bodies of water on earth such as rivers and lakes make up the hydrosphere. The lithosphere denotes the outer layer of Earth.

            Our existence and survival depends entirely on atmosphere. All animals, plants, and other living beings rely on the non-living aspects of the environment to survive.

Picture Credit : Google

Why is deforestation damaging the world’s ecology?

                    The world’s tropical rainforests are being lost at an alarming rate, and already the effects of this loss can be seen. Rainforest trees are cut down to provide timber as well as land for grazing and raising crops, The remaining scrub and branches are usually burned, providing a rich source of fertilizer for one or two years, Then the land becomes barren. Rainfall washes away the topsoil, leaving bare rock in which very little grows.

                    The results of deforestation are seen in countries such as Bangladesh, where heavy rains are no longer soaked up by the forests in the foothills of the Himalayas. Instead the rainwater sweeps down the valleys, causing enormous flooding and loss of life.

Picture credit: google

 
 
 

INTRODUCTION – WEATHER

An understanding of the weather is often vital to daily life – framers, for example, require information about the weather to try and protect their crops. Extremes of weather can ruin entire crops.

Sometimes even our safety depends on knowing about weather conditions. With advance warning of a major storm, ships or aeroplanes can be routed away from danger. Flood warnings can be issued and people moved to a safe area.

Farmers need to irrigate, or water, their crops if there is no rain.

Heavy rain can cause rivers to burst their banks and flood large areas of land.

THE WEATHER

When we say “The Sun is shining”, we are talking about the weather. However, when we say “It’s always sunny here”, we are talking about the climate. The climate describes the way weather behaves over many years. The climate depends on many factors, including how far from the equator a place is. Weather is caused by changes in the ‘atmosphere’ – the layer of air surrounding the Earth.

Generally, weather and climate are caused by parts of the world becoming warmer than others when the Sun’s rays heat the Earth’s surface. These differences in temperature make the air move and these air movements cause the different types of weather we know.

The changing weather – hot, sunny conditions in summer heavy snow in winter. Some parts of the world get hurricanes – very strong winds.

THE WIND

Winds carry warm and cold air around the world. Knowing which way the wind is blowing is a useful guide to the type of weather we can expect. Around the world, there are many differences in temperature. Air in contact with hot land or sea is warmed. As warm air is lighter than cooler air, it rises. Cooler air then moves in to take its place. This movement of air is what we call wind.

Winds can be extremely powerful; they can knock down trees, and can push along boats fitted with sails. The map shows the routes of the main winds across the globe. These routes were once followed by sailing ships carrying their cargoes around the world.

 

Sea breezes

As the Sun shines, air over the land is heated more than air over the sea, and this hot air rises. Cooler air from over the sea moves in to take its place.

The hot air cools as it rises, but it does not fall straight back down. Instead, it spreads out over the sea and falls down there. This circular air current causes an onshore breeze.

 

 

 

 

The map shows the major winds of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yachts with the wind in their sails