Aquatic systems are not called biomes,

The major differences between the various aquatic zones are due to salinity, levels  of dissolved nutrients; water temperature, depth of sunlight penetration.

 

1. Fresh Water Ecosystem-Fresh water ecosystem are classified as lotic

(moving water) or lentic (still or stagnant water).

 

2. Marine Ecosystem-
3. Estuaries-Coastal bays, river mouths and tidal marshes  form  the

estuaries.  In estuaries, fresh water from rivers meet ocean water and the two are mixed by action of tides.

Estuaries are highly productive as compared to the adjacent river or sea

 

Addition of certain substances to the water such as organic, inorganic,

biological, radiological, heat, which degrades the quality of water so that it

becomes unfit for use.

Putrescibility is the process of decomposition of organic matter present in water by microorganisms using oxygen.

Water having DO (dissolved oxygen)  content below 8.0 mg/L may be

considered as contaminated.  Water having DO content below. 4.0 mg/L is

considered to be highly polluted.

Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand-(BOD). BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic wastes present in water.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a slightly better mode used to measure pollution load in water. It is the measure of oxygen equivalent of the requirement of oxidation of total organic matter (i.e. biodegradable and non- biodegradable) present in water.

A cripling deformity called Minamata disease due to consumption of fish captured from mercury contaminated Minamata Bay.

Water contaminated with cadmium can cause itai itai disease also called ouch-ouch disease (a painful disease of bones and joints) and cancer of lungs and liver.

The compounds of lead cause anaemia, headache, loss of muscle power and bluish line around the gum

Excess nitrate in drinking water reacts with hemoglobin to form non -functional met haemoglobin, and impairs oxygen transport.  This condition  is  called methaemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome.

Over exploitation of ground water may lead to leaching of arsenic from soil and rock sources and contaminate ground water.  Chronic exposure to arsenic causes black foot disease. It also causes diarrhoea,-peripheral neuritis, hyperkerotosis and also   lung and skin cancer.

• Alternative Energy sources
  • Renewable energy
  • Nuclear Power
  • Reduce the carbon intensity of fossil fuels
• Energy efficiency and conservation
  • Transport and urban planning
  • Building design
  • Reforestation and avoid deforestation
  • Eliminating waste methane
• Geoengineering
  • Greenhouse gas remediation
    • Biomass
    • Carbon air capture
    • Carbon capture and storage
  • Societal control
    • Population
    • Sustainable life-style

 

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

1. Carbon monoxide (CO)

• It is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of carbon – based fuels including petrol, diesel, and wood.
• It is also produced from the combustion of natural and synthetic products such as cigarettes.
• It lowers the amount of oxygen that enters our blood. It can slow our reflexes and make us confused and sleepy.

2. Carbon dioxide (CO2)

principle greenhouse gas

3. Chloroflorocarbons (CFC)

• gases that are released mainly fromair-conditioning systems and refrigeration.
• When released into the air, CFCs rise to the stratosphere, where they come in contact with few other gases, which lead to a reduction of the ozone layer that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

 

4. Lead

present in petrol, diesel, lead batteries, paints, hair dye products, etc.

affects children in particular. cause nervous system damage and digestive problems and, in some cases, cause cancer.

 

5. Ozone

• occurs naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
• at-the ground level, it is a pollutant with highly toxic effects.
• Vehicles and industries are the major source of ground-level ozone emissions.
• Ozone makes our eyes itch, burn, and water. It lowers our resistance to cold and pneumonia.

 

6. Nitrogen oxide (Nox)

• causes smog and acid rain. It is produced from burning fuels including petrol, diesel, and coal.
• Nitrogen oxide can make children susceptible to respiratory diseases in winters.

 

7. Suspended particulate matter (SPM)

• consists of solids in the air in the form of smoke, dust, and vapour that can remain suspended for extended periods
• The finer of these particles when breathed in can lodge in our lungs and cause lung damage and respiratory problems.

 

8. Sulphur dioxide (S02)

• a gas produced from burning coal, mainly in thermal power plants.
• Some industrial processes, such as production of paper and smelting of metals, produce sulphur dioxide.
• a major contributor to smog and acid rain.
• Sulphur dioxide can lead to lung diseases

 

9. Smog

• a combination of the words fog and smoke. Smog is a condition of fog that had soot or smoke in it.
• interaction of sunlight with certain chemicals in the atmosphere.
• primary components of photochemical smog is ozone.
• Ozone is formed through a complex reaction involving hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and sunlight. It is formed when pollutants released from gasoline, diesel- powered vehicles and oil-based solvents react with heat and sunlight from biofuels, the four most serious pollutants are particulates, carbon monoxide, polycyclic organic matter, and formaldehyde

 

Pollutants

1. i) Volatile organic compounds

The main indoor sources are perfumes, hair sprays, furniture polish, glues, air

fresheners, moth repellents, wood preservatives, and other products.

 

1. ii) Biological pollutants

It includes pollen from plants, mite, and hair from pets, fungi, parasites, and some bacteria.

iii) Formaldehyde

Mainly from carpets, particle boards, and insulation foam. It causes irritation to the eyes and nose and allergies.

1. iv) Radon

It is a gas that is emitted naturally by the soil. Due to modern houses having poor ventilation, it is confined inside the house and causes lung cancers.

 

Fly Ash

Ash is produced whenever combustion of solid material takes place.

Composition

1. Aluminium silicate (in.large amounts)
2. silicon dioxide (Si02) and
3. Calcium oxide (Ca0).

Fly ash particles are oxide rich and consist of silica, alumina, oxides of iron, calcium, and magnesium and toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and coppers

 

Policy measures of MoEF:

• The Ministry of Environment and Forests vide its notification in 2009, has made it mandatory to use Fly Ash based products in all construction projects, road embankment works and low lying land filling works within 100 kms radius of Thermal Power Station.
• To use Fly Ash in mine filling activities within 50 kms radius of Thermal Power Stations.
• Arresters: These are used to separate particulate matters from contaminated air.
• Scrubbers: These are used to clean air for both dusts and gases by passing it through a dry or wet packing material.

Government Initiatives

(1) National Air Quality Monitoring Programme

In India, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been executing a nationwide programme of ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air Quality Monitoring

Programme (NAMP).

The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) is undertaken in India

(i) to determine status and trends of ambient air quality;

(ii) to ascertain the compliance of NAAQS;

(iii) to identify non-attainment cities;

(iv) to understand the natural process of cleaning in the atmosphere; and

(v) to undertake preventive and corrective measures.

Annual average concentration of SOx levels are within the prescribed National Ambient

Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were notified in the year 1982, duly revised in 1994 based on health criteria and land uses .

The NAAQS have been revisited and revised in November 2009 for 12 pollutants, which include. sulphur dioxide (S02), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter having size less than 10 micron

(PM10),particulate matter having size less than 2.5micron (PM2.5), ozone, lead, carbon monoxide (CO), arsenic, nickel, benzene, ammonia, and. Benzopyrene.

 

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

1. According to the form in which they persist after release into the environment.

• Primary pollutants: These persist in the form in which they are added to the environment e.g. DDT, plastic.
• Secondary Pollutants: These are formed by interaction among the primary pollutants. For example, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) is formed by the interaction of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons.

2. According to their existence in nature.

• Quantitative Pollutants: These occur in nature and become pollutant when their concentration reaches beyond a threshold level. E.g. carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide.
• Qualitative Pollutants: These do not occur in nature and are man-made. E.g. fungicides, herbicides, DDT etc.

3. According to their nature of disposal.

• Biodegradable Pollutants: Waste products, which are degraded by microbial action. E.g. sewage.
• Non-biodegradable Pollutants: Pollutants, which are not decomposed by microbial action. E.g. plastics, glass, DDT, salts of heavy metals, radioactive substances etc

4. According to origin

• Natural
• Anthropogenic

 

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

1. Carbon monoxide (CO)

• It is a colourless, odourless gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of carbon – based fuels including petrol, diesel, and wood.
• It is also produced from the combustion of natural and synthetic products such as cigarettes.
• It lowers the amount of oxygen that enters our blood. It can slow our reflexes and make us confused and sleepy.

2. Carbon dioxide (CO2)

principle greenhouse gas

3. Chloroflorocarbons (CFC)

• gases that are released mainly fromair-conditioning systems and refrigeration.
• When released into the air, CFCs rise to the stratosphere, where they come in contact with few other gases, which lead to a reduction of the ozone layer that protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

 

4. Lead

present in petrol, diesel, lead batteries, paints, hair dye products, etc.

affects children in particular. cause nervous system damage and digestive problems and, in some cases, cause cancer.

 

5. Ozone

• occurs naturally in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
• at-the ground level, it is a pollutant with highly toxic effects.
• Vehicles and industries are the major source of ground-level ozone emissions.
• Ozone makes our eyes itch, burn, and water. It lowers our resistance to cold and pneumonia.

 

6. Nitrogen oxide (Nox)

• causes smog and acid rain. It is produced from burning fuels including petrol, diesel, and coal.
• Nitrogen oxide can make children susceptible to respiratory diseases in winters.

 

7. Suspended particulate matter (SPM)

• consists of solids in the air in the form of smoke, dust, and vapour that can remain suspended for extended periods
• The finer of these particles when breathed in can lodge in our lungs and cause lung damage and respiratory problems.

 

8. Sulphur dioxide (S02)

• a gas produced from burning coal, mainly in thermal power plants.
• Some industrial processes, such as production of paper and smelting of metals, produce sulphur dioxide.
• a major contributor to smog and acid rain.
• Sulphur dioxide can lead to lung diseases

 

9. Smog

• a combination of the words fog and smoke. Smog is a condition of fog that had soot or smoke in it.
• interaction of sunlight with certain chemicals in the atmosphere.
• primary components of photochemical smog is ozone.
• Ozone is formed through a complex reaction involving hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and sunlight. It is formed when pollutants released from gasoline, diesel- powered vehicles and oil-based solvents react with heat and sunlight from biofuels, the four most serious pollutants are particulates, carbon monoxide, polycyclic organic matter, and formaldehyde

 

Pollutants

1. i) Volatile organic compounds

The main indoor sources are perfumes, hair sprays, furniture polish, glues, air

fresheners, moth repellents, wood preservatives, and other products.

 

1. ii) Biological pollutants

It includes pollen from plants, mite, and hair from pets, fungi, parasites, and some bacteria.

iii) Formaldehyde

Mainly from carpets, particle boards, and insulation foam. It causes irritation to the eyes and nose and allergies.

1. iv) Radon

It is a gas that is emitted naturally by the soil. Due to modern houses having poor ventilation, it is confined inside the house and causes lung cancers.

 

Fly Ash

Ash is produced whenever combustion of solid material takes place.

Composition

1. Aluminium silicate (in.large amounts)
2. silicon dioxide (Si02) and
3. Calcium oxide (Ca0).

Fly ash particles are oxide rich and consist of silica, alumina, oxides of iron, calcium, and magnesium and toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and coppers

 

Policy measures of MoEF:

• The Ministry of Environment and Forests vide its notification in 2009, has made it mandatory to use Fly Ash based products in all construction projects, road embankment works and low lying land filling works within 100 kms radius of Thermal Power Station.
• To use Fly Ash in mine filling activities within 50 kms radius of Thermal Power Stations.
• Arresters: These are used to separate particulate matters from contaminated air.
• Scrubbers: These are used to clean air for both dusts and gases by passing it through a dry or wet packing material.

Government Initiatives

(1) National Air Quality Monitoring Programme

In India, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been executing a nationwide programme of ambient air quality monitoring known as National Air Quality Monitoring

Programme (NAMP).

The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) is undertaken in India

(i) to determine status and trends of ambient air quality;

(ii) to ascertain the compliance of NAAQS;

(iii) to identify non-attainment cities;

(iv) to understand the natural process of cleaning in the atmosphere; and

(v) to undertake preventive and corrective measures.

Annual average concentration of SOx levels are within the prescribed National Ambient

Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were notified in the year 1982, duly revised in 1994 based on health criteria and land uses .

The NAAQS have been revisited and revised in November 2009 for 12 pollutants, which include. sulphur dioxide (S02), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter having size less than 10 micron

(PM10),particulate matter having size less than 2.5micron (PM2.5), ozone, lead, carbon monoxide (CO), arsenic, nickel, benzene, ammonia, and. Benzopyrene.

WATER POLLUTION

Addition of certain substances to the water such as organic, inorganic,

biological, radiological, heat, which degrades the quality of water so that it

becomes unfit for use.

Putrescibility is the process of decomposition of organic matter present in water by microorganisms using oxygen.

Water having DO (dissolved oxygen)  content below 8.0 mg/L may be

considered as contaminated.  Water having DO content below. 4.0 mg/L is

considered to be highly polluted.

Water pollution by organic wastes is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand-(BOD). BOD is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by bacteria in decomposing the organic wastes present in water.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a slightly better mode used to measure pollution load in water. It is the measure of oxygen equivalent of the requirement of oxidation of total organic matter (i.e. biodegradable and non- biodegradable) present in water.

A cripling deformity called Minamata disease due to consumption of fish captured from mercury contaminated Minamata Bay.

Water contaminated with cadmium can cause itai itai disease also called ouch-ouch disease (a painful disease of bones and joints) and cancer of lungs and liver.

The compounds of lead cause anaemia, headache, loss of muscle power and bluish line around the gum

Excess nitrate in drinking water reacts with hemoglobin to form non -functional met haemoglobin, and impairs oxygen transport.  This condition  is  called methaemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome.

Over exploitation of ground water may lead to leaching of arsenic from soil and rock sources and contaminate ground water.  Chronic exposure to arsenic causes black foot disease. It also causes diarrhoea,-peripheral neuritis, hyperkerotosis and also   lung and skin cancer.

SOIL POLLUTION

Industrial waste includes chemicals such as mercury, lead, copper, zinc, cadmium, cynides, thiocynates, chromates, acids, alkalies, organic substances etc

Four R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

NOISE POLLUTION

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). An increase of about 10 dB is approximately double the increase in loudness.

A person’s hearing can be damaged if exposed to noise levels over 75 dB over a prolonged period of time.

The World Health Organization recommends that the sound level indoors should be less than 30 dB.

Ambient Noise Level Monitoring –   Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules, 2000 define ambient noise levels for various areas as follows-

1. Industrial Area—75DB to 70Db (Day time-6am to 10pm and night time 10pm to 6am ..75 is day time and 70 is night time)
2. Commercial Area–65 to 55
3. Residential Area–55 to 45
4. Silence Zone– 50  to 40

• The Government of India on Mar 2011 launched a Real time Ambient Noise Monitoring Network.
• Under this network, in phase- I, five Remote Noise Monitoring Terminals each have been installed in different noise zones in seven metros (Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Lucknow).

In Phase II another 35 monitoring stations will be installed in the same seven cities.

Phase III will cover installing 90 stations in 18 other cities.

Phase-III cities are Kanpur, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad,  Nagpur, Jaipur,  Indore,

Bhopal, Ludhiana, Guwahati, Dehradun, Thiruvananthpuram, Bhubaneswar,

Patna, Gandhinagar, Ranchi, Amritsar and Raipur.

Silence Zone is an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions, courts, religious places or any other t area declared as such by a competent authority.

 

 

RADIO ACTIVE POLLUTION

Non-ionising radiations affect only those components which absorb them and have low penetrability.   They include short-wave radiations such as ultraviolet rays, which forms a part of solar radiation. Sunburns is due to these radiation Ionising radiations have high penetration power & cause breakage of macro molecules

They include X-rays, cosmic rays and atomic radiations -(radiations emitted by radioactive elements

Alpha particles, can be blocked by a piece of paper and human skin.

Beta particles can penetrate through skin, while can be blocked by some pieces of glass and metal.

Gamma rays can penetrate easily to human skin and damage cells on its way through, reaching far, and can only be blocked by a very thick, strong, massive piece of concrete radium-224, uranium-238, thorium-232, potassium-40, carbon-14, etc.

The nuclear arms use uranium-235 and plutonium-239 for fission and hydrogen or lithium as fusion material

The radio nuclides with long half-time are the chief source of environmental radioactive pollution.

 

 

1. 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 1995. Investigates the effects of global change on the coastal zone
• Aims to develop, on a scientific basis, the integrated management of coastal environments

3. Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM)

• Launched in 1998
• Aims at integrated management of coastal and marine areas.
• Model plans for Chennai, Goa and Gulf of Kutch being prepared

4. Society of  Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM)

• Launched in 2010
• Major national initiative to protect coastal ecosystems
• A professional body with experts in various aspects of coastal science and management

5. Institutions for Coastal Management

• The Notification on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), 1991 (as amended from time to time) aims at protecting coastal stretches in India.
• India has created institutional mechanisms such as National Coastal Zone Management
• Authority (NCZMA) and State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) for enforcement and monitoring of the CRZ Notification.
• These authorities have been delegated powers under Section 5 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 to take various measures for protecting and improving the quality-of the coastal environment and preventing, abating  and controlling environmental pollution in coastal areas.

 

• located where river meets the sea.
• the most productive water bodies in the world
• The complete salinity range from 0-35 ppt is seen from the head (river end) to the mouth (sea end) of an estuary
• Coastal lakes which have their connection with the sea through small openings are better known as lagoons or backwaters acting as a natural water filter

 

Estuary Formation:

grouped into four geomorphic categories based on the physical processes responsible for their formation:

1) rising sea level; (2) movement of sand and sandbars; (3) glacial processes; and (4) tectonic processes.

India Estuarine Ecosystem

The Country has 14 major, 44 medium and 162 minor rivers drains into the sea through various estuaries.

Major estuaries occur in the Bay of Bengal.

Most of the India’s major estuaries occur on the east coast. In contrast, the estuaries on the west coast are smaller.

 

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. require high solar radiation and have the ability to absorb fresh water from saline/ brackish water. produces pneumatophores (blind roots) to overcome respiration problem in the anaerobic soil conditions

• Leaves are thick and contain salt secreting glands.
• exhibit viviparity mode of reproduction. i.e. SeedS germinate in the tree itself (before falling to the ground). This is an adaptative medianiSintoovercome the problem of germination in Saline water.
• crystals of salt on the back of the leaves; others block absorption of salt at their roots

The mangroves of Sundarbans are the largest single block of tidal holophytic mangroves of the world. famous for the Royal Bengal Tiger and crocodiles.

The mangroves of Bhitarkanika (Orissa), which is the second largest in the Indian sub continent, harbour high concentration of typical mangrove species and high genetic diversity have (additional) special roots such as prop roots, pneumatophores  which help to impede water flow and thereby enhance the deposition of sediment in areas (where it is already occurring), stabilize the coastal shores, provide breeding ground for fishes. protects coastal lands from tsunami, hurricanes:and floods release oxygen back to the atmosphere, along with a little methane gas

 

CORAL REEFS

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 that the algae gets lots of light.

The tissues of corals themselves are actually not the beautiful colors of the coral reef, but are instead clear (white). The corals receive their  coloration from the zooxanthellae living within their tissues.

• There are two types of corals: hard corals and soft corals, such as sea fans and gorgonians. Only hard corals build reefs.
• The builders of coral reefs are tiny animals called polyps. As these polyps thrive, grew, then die, they leave their limestone (calcium carbonate) skeletons behind. The limestone is colonized by new polyps.
• found in tropical and sub-tropical water, there are also deep water corals in colder regions
• The United Nations Environment Programme reports that there are more cold water coral reefs worldwide than tropical reefs.
• There are only about 6 different coral species associated in building with these reefs.
• The largest cold-water coral reef is the Rost ‘Reef off Norway occur in shallow tropical areas where the sea water is clean, clear and warm.
• one of the most productive and complex coastal ecosystems with high biological diversity classified depending on their locations into fringing, patch, barrier and atoll.
• The fringing reefs are contiguous with the shore and they are the most common – by occurring reef form, found in Andamans.
• Patch reefs are isolated and discontinuous patches, lying shoreward of offshore reef structures as seen in the Palk bay, Gulf of Mannar and Gulf of Katchchh.
• Barrier reefs are linear offshore reef structures that run parallel to coastlines and arise from submerged shelf platforms. The water body between the reef and the shore is termed as lagoon. Barrier reefs are seen in Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
• Atolls are circular or semi-circular reefs that arise from subsiding sea floor platforms as coral reef building keeps ahead of subsidence. The examples are the atolls of Lakshadweep and Nicobar.
• Among the four major reef areas of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are found to be very rich in species diversity followed by the Lakshadweep Islands, the Gulf of Mannar and finally the Gulf of Kachchh.

 

 

Coral Bleaching

 

Bleaching, or the paling of coral colour occurs; when (i) the densities

of zooxanthellae decline and (ii) the concentration of photosynthetic pigments within the zooxanthellae fall.

Ecological causes of coral bleaching

• Temperature (Major Cause)
• Sub aerial Exposure-Sudden exposure of reef flat corals to the atmosphere during events such as extreme low tides, ENSO-related sea level drops or tectonic uplift can potentially induce bleaching.
• Sedimentation
• Fresh Water Dilution
• Inorganic Nutrients(e.g. ammonia and nitrate)
• Xenobiotics -Zooxanthellae loss occurs during exposure of coral to elevated concentrations of various chemical contaminants, such as Cu, herbicides and oil.
• Epizootics

 

KEY INITIATIVES TO PROTECT MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS

 

1. 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 1995. Investigates the effects of global change on the coastal zone
• Aims to develop, on a scientific basis, the integrated management of coastal environments

3. Integrated Coastal and Marine Area Management (ICMAM)

• Launched in 1998
• Aims at integrated management of coastal and marine areas.
• Model plans for Chennai, Goa and Gulf of Kutch being prepared

4. Society of  Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM)

• Launched in 2010
• Major national initiative to protect coastal ecosystems
• A professional body with experts in various aspects of coastal science and management

5. Institutions for Coastal Management

• The Notification on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), 1991 (as amended from time to time) aims at protecting coastal stretches in India.
• India has created institutional mechanisms such as National Coastal Zone Management
• Authority (NCZMA) and State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) for enforcement and monitoring of the CRZ Notification.
• These authorities have been delegated powers under Section 5 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 to take various measures for protecting and improving the quality-of the coastal environment and preventing, abating  and controlling environmental pollution in coastal areas.

 

 

 

Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic system where the water table is usually near the water surface and land is covered by shallow water.

Essential as: control floods, water treatment, recharging of water sources, reduce sediments, check soil erosion, bulwark against encroachment by the sea, winter resort for birds and important for flora and fauna. They also provide a variety of resources

Ramsar Convention: mangroves, corals, estuaries, bays, creeks, flood plains, sea grasses, lakes etc included

A programme on conservation of wetlands was initiated in 1987 with the basic objective of identification of wetlands of national importance, assessment of wetland resources, promotion of R&D activities and formulation and implementation of management action plans

A steering committee in each state headed by the Chief Secretary consists of members from all departments related to the wetland conservation in the state. Successful model.

India is a member of the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971

Steps forward

Make use of the traditional knowledge of the people living near the wetlands for its conservation along with the engineering solutions

Monitor the impact of implementation of management action plans

Wetlands of India under Ramsar Convention

Name State  Remark

1. Ashtamudi WL Kerala
2. Bhitarkanika Mangroves Orissa
3. Bhoj WL MP
4. Chilka Lake Orissa            2nd largest in India: 116500 ha
5. Deepor Beel Assam
6. East Calcutta WL WB
7. Harike Lake Punjab
8. Kanjli Punjab
9. Keoladeo National Park Rajasthan
10. Kolleru Lake AP
11. Loktak Lake Manipur
12. Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary TN
13. Pong Dam Lake HP
14. Ropar Punjab
15. Sambhar Lake Rajasthan
16. Sasthamkotta Lake Kerala
17. Tsomoriri J&K
18. Vembanad-Kol WL Kerala            Largest in India: 151250 ha
19. Wular Lake J&K
20. Chandratal HP       2nd Smallest: 49 ha
21. Renuka HP Smallest: 20 ha
22. Rudrasagar Tripura
23. Upper Ganga UP       Total area of these 26 wetlands: 677131 ha
24. Hokarsar (Hokera) J&K     Kerala has the highest area under wetlands
25. Surinsar & Mansar J&K     J&K has the largest number of wetlands (4)
26. Gharana (2010) J&K

 

 

 

 

The Montreux Record. Sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance which are considered to have undergone, to be undergoing, or to be likely to undergo change in their ecological character brought about by human action may be placed on the Montreux Record and may benefit from the application of the Ramsar Advisory Mission and other forms of technical assistance.

Keoladeo national park and Loktak lake from India are included in the list

Changwon Declaration

The primary purpose of the  “Changwon Declaration on human well-being and wetlands”,adopted by Resolution X.3 of the recent meeting of the Conference of the Parties, “is to transmit key messages concerning wetland-related issues to the many stakeholders and decision-makers beyond the Ramsar community who are relevant to the conservation and wise use of wetlands, to inform their actions and decision-making”

The elements or mineral nutrients are always in circulation moving from non-living to living and then back to the non-living components of the ecosystem in a more or less circular fashion. This circular fashion is known as biogeochemical cycling (bio for living; geo for atmosphere).

1. Nutrient Cycling:

The nutrient cycle is a concept that describes how nutrients move from the physical environment to the living organisms, and subsequently recycled back to the physical environment.

It is essential for life and it is the vital function of the ecology of any region. In any particular environment, to maintain its organism in a sustained manner, the nutrient cycle must be kept balanced and stable.

 

Types of Nutrient Cycle

Based on the replacement period a nutrient cycle is referred to as Perfect or Imperfect cycle.

A perfect nutrient cycle is one in which nutrients are replaced as fast as they are utilised.

Most gaseous cycles are generally considered as perfect cycles.

In contrast sedimentary cycles are considered relatively imperfect, as some nutrients are lost from the cycle and get locked into sediments and so become unavailable for immediate cycling.

Based on the nature of the reservoir, there are two types of cycles namely Gaseous and sedimentary cycle

Gaseous Cycle — where the reservoir is the atmosphere or the hydrosphere, and

Sedimentary Cycle — where the reservoir is the earth’s crust.

 

2. Gaseous Cycles:

Water Cycle (Hydrologic)

The hydrologic cycle is the continuous circulation of water in the Earth-atmosphere system which is driven by solar energy.

Water moves from one reservoir to another by the processes of evaporation,

transpiration, condensation, precipitation, deposition, runoff,

infiltration, and groundwater flow.

 

3. The Carbon Cycle

without carbon dioxide life could not exist, because it is vital for the production of carbohydrates through photosynthesis by plants. It is the element that anchors all organic substances from coal and oil to DNA(deoxyribonudeic acid: the compound that caries genetic information) Carbon cycle involves a continuous exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and organisms. Carbon from the atmosphere moves to green plants by the process   of photosynthesis, and then to animals. By process of respiration and decomposition of dead organic matter it returns back to atmosphere.

 

4. The Nitrogen Cycle

an essential constituent of protein and is a basic building block of all living tissue. It constitutes nearly 16% by weight of all the proteins.

There is an inexhaustible supply of nitrogen in the atmosphere but the elemental form cannot be used directly by most of the living organisms needs to be ‘fixed’, that is, converted to ammonia, nitrites or nitrates, before it can be taken up by plants. on earth it is accomplished in three different ways:

(i) By microorganisms (bacteria and blue-green algae)

 

(ii) By man using industrial processes (fertilizerfactories) and

(iii) To a limited extent by atmospheric phenomenon such as thunder and lighting

The amount of Nitrogen fixed by man through industrial process has far

exceeded the amount fixed by the Natural Cycle.

As a result Nitrogen has become a pollutant which can disrupt the balance of

nitrogen. It may lead to Acid rain, Eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms.

Certain microorganisms are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen into

ammonium ions. These include free living nitrifying bacteria (e.g. aerobic

Azotobacter and anaerobic Clostridium) and symbiotic nitrifying bacteria living in  association with leguminous plants(pulse etc) and symbiotic bacteria    living in non leguminous root nodule plants (e.g. Rhizobium) as well as blue green algae (e.g. Anabaena, Spirulina).

Ammonium ions can be directly taken up as a source of nitrogen by some plants, or are oxidized to nitrites or nitrates by two groups of specialised bacteria:

Nitrosamines bacteria promote transformation of ammonia into nitrite. Nitrite is then further transformed into nitrate by the bacteria Nitrobacter.

The nitrates synthesised by bacteria in the soil are taken up by plants and converted into amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.

These then go through higher trophic levels of the ecosystem.

During excretion and upon the death of all organisms nitrogen is returned to the soil in the form of ammonia.

Certain quantity of soil nitrates, being highly soluble in water, is lost to the system by being transported away by surface run-off or ground water. In the soil as well as oceans there are special denitrifying bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas), which convert the nitrates/nitrites to elemental nitrogen. This nitrogen escapes into the atmosphere, thus  completing the cycle.

The periodic thunderstorms convert the gaseous nitrogen in the atmosphere to ammonia and nitrates which eventually reach the earth’s surface through precipitation and then into the soil to be utilized by plants.(Better if You Check Diagram)

5. Sedimentary Cycle

Phosphorus, calcium and magnesium circulate by means of the sedimentary cycle.

(a) Phosphorus Cycle

Phosphorus plays a central role in aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

Phosphorus occurs in large amounts as a mineral in phosphate rocks and enters the cycle from erosion and minning activities.

This is the nutrient considered to be the main cause of excessive growth of rooted and free-floating microscopic plants in lakes.

The main storage for phosphorus is in the earth’s crust.

On land phosphorus is usually found in the form of phosphates.

By the process of weathering and erosion phosphates enter rivers and streams that transport them to the ocean.

In the ocean once the phosphorus accumulates on continental shelves in the form of insoluble deposits

After millions of years, the crustal plates rise from the sea floor and expose the phosphates on land.

After more time, weathering will release them from rock and the cycle’s

geochemical phase begins again.

(b) Sulphur Cycle

The sulphur reservoir is in the soil and sediments where it is locked in organic

(coal, oil and peat) and inorganic deposits (pyrite rock and sulphur rock) in the

form of sulphates, sulphides and organic sulphur.

 

It is released by weathering of rocks, erosional runoff and decomposition of organic matter and is carried to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in salt solution.

The sulphur cycle is mostly sedimentary except two of its compounds hydrogen sulphide

(H2S) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) add a gaseous component to its normal sedimentary cycle.

Atmospheric sulphur dioxide is carried back to the earth after being dissolved in rainwater as weak sulphuric acid.

sulphur in the form of sulphates is take up by plants and incorporate through a series of metabolic processes into sulphur bearing amino acid which is incorporated in the  proteins of autotroph tissues. It then passes through the grazing food chain.

Sulphur bound in living organism is carried back to the soil, to the bottom of ponds and lakes and seas through excretion and decomposition of dead organic material.