ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY
1. What is Environment?
Ans: Broadly, the word 'environment' relates to the surrounding of the living beings.All the natural surroundings like land, water and air together with all the living organisms including man, make the environment.
2. What are the biotic components of environment?
Ans: Humankind, plants, animals and other living organisms are the biotic components of environment.
3. What are the components of environment?
Ans: Land, water, air and all the living organisms are known as the components of environment.
4. What is ecosystem?
Ans: It can be mentioned that the meaning and scope of environment is quite wide. In the global context, the environment itself is a system and this system is being operated by the combined actions of all the biotic and abiotic components. Neither of the biotic components can live in complete isolation. They must live within the abiotic environment. Thus, the Physical or Natural Environment comprising all the living organisms within it has been known as the Ecosystem. It is a field of interaction between the biotic and the abiótic components of the environment.
5. What are the main zones of environment?
Ans: The main zones of environment are -
(1) Lithosphere
(2) Hydrosphere
(3) Biosphere and
(4) Atmosphere.
6. What is lithosphere?
Ans: The
thin layer formed of the rocks, minerals, sands and soils has been known as the
crust or the Lithosphere . All
the continents of the earth are situated on the lithosphere. It covers about 29
% of the earth's surface and all the mountains, hills, plains, plateaus etc are
situated on this lithosphere.
7. What is hydrosphere?
Ans: Hydrosphere consists of all the water bodies over the earth's surface. It includes the large oceans, comparatively small seas , the rivers and lakes. It covers about 71% of the earth's surface.
8. What is atmosphere?
Ans: The thick gaseous layer that surrounds the earth is known as the atmosphere. It consists of different gases like Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon-di-oxide, Hydrogen etc. The atmosphere is extended upto a height of about 480 km.
9. What is biosphere?
Ans: The layer of the earth that bears life is known as the Biosphere. Plants, animals and all other living beings live in the biosphere.
10. State with examples the relationship amongst lithosphere, atmosphere , hydrosphere and biosphere.
Ans: The lithosphere, atmosphere , hydrosphere and biosphere are inter - related to each other.
We know that different organisms live in different heights and depths
from the earth's surface. Human beings live on the earth's surface
itself while the birds live in the air slightly above the surface.
Although most of the plants live on the earth's surface, there are
certain plants that thrive under the sea water. The aquatic animal like
the whales lives under deep ocean waters. Therefore, the limit of the
biosphere ranges from the abyssal plain of the ocean to that part of
the atmospheric height upto which organisms live. This extensive
biosphere contains some millions species of organisms of which
only about 1.75 million species have so far been identified. The
humankind, known as the Homo sapiens, is one such species of
living organisms. Thus , there is an interaction among the four
spheres of the earth's surface.
11. When did the krakatoa volcano erupted?
Ans: In 1883 AD.
12. Identify the regions where environment of one place quite different from others.
Ans: Although the environment of different regions are closely interrelated, but the environment of a specific geographic region bears clear and distinctive characteristics of its own. For example , the environmental conditions of the equatorial region seems to be quite different from those of the polar region. Similarly , these conditions are found to vary from the arid region to the humid region. The natural features of the high mountainous regions are quite different from those of the coastal regions. We observe these regional variations amidst the global environment.
13. Name the factors through which the natural environment of a place or region is being determined?
18) What is environmental geography?
Ans: The Environmental Geography studies the nature of global environment, its spatio-temporal changes and tries to find out the probable solutions of the environmental problems.
19) Why is the environmental geography gaining popularity at present time?
Ans: Environmental Geography is gaining popularity and relevance due to ever increasing environmental problems throughout the globe.
20) What is studied in the Environmental science?
Ans: The subject Environmental science deals with environmental problems and includes the basic and Social Sciences like Physics, Chemistry, Biology. Geology, Geography and Climatology etc.
21) What is studied in environmental geography?
Ans:
a) Environmental Geography studies the nature of environment and areal differentiation of the changes of environmental conditions on the basis of man and his works.
b) Deforestation, flood, erosion, landslide, pollution and their probable causes are some of the important aspects incorporated under the study of Environmental Geography.
c) It also studies the environment friendly use of mineral resources and the topic like sustainable development.
The development of any region must be directed in respect of environment, society and its economy.
d) The temporal development of environmental characteristics, population growth and its relation to environment, natural disaster and its management, society-its economy and culture are a few pertinent aspects that are undertaken within the study of Environmental Geography.
22) What are the main elements of environment?
Ans: The main elements of environment are :
a) Biotic element and
b) Abiotic element.
23) What are biotic element?
Ans: The Biotic elements are within the Biosphere.It covers from the tiny microbes to the vast animals and all the plants.
24) What are abiotic element?
Ans: All the non living elements of Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere can be grouped under Abiotic elements.
25) Are the characteristics of all elements similar? Explain why with examples?
Ans: The characteristics of these elements are not similar in all the environments. A few examples will clarify the above statement.
(i) The Equatorial Region experiences high temperature and high rainfall almost all throughout the year and, therefore, we see the luxuriant growth of plants in the region .The natural vegetation of the equatorial region has been known as Equatorial Evergreen Forest. Three different layers of trees are seen in these forests. The height of the first layer of trees is found to be within 10 metres. Other two layers of trees have more heights.
In the Evergreen Forests, the number of species
is sometimes found to be as high as 3000 per km².
As compared to this, it is quite low in case of the natural vegetation of the
Tundra Region. So also, in the case of the Xerophytic plants that grow in the
Arid or semi-arid Regions. Similarly, the type of natural vegetation is found
to vary with the increasing altitude of the mountains and the highly elevated
parts of the mountains are almost devoid of any vegetation.
Like plants, animals are also found to be different under different environmental
conditions. The Equatorial Forests cover only 6% of the total land surface of
the earth but about 75% of the living organisms (plants and animals) identified
so far, has been living within these forests. These rainforests are the ideal
abode for different animal species like elephant, monkeys, birds, reptiles,
amphibians and different insects. On the other hand, in arid and semi-arid
regions, we see only those animals like camel and some other species that can
thrive in the very dry areas White reindeer, polar bear and penguins are the
common animals living in the polar regions. So, it can be said that there are
different types of plants and animals under different environments that prevail
over different parts of the global surface.
Like the biotic elements, the abiotic elements also tend to differ from region
to region. The soil, water and even the air have been found to differ in
different regions.For example, The formation and
characteristics of soil normally depend on the geological structure, slope of
land, amount of precipitation, plant cover etc of a certain area. The soil of a
river valley is normally alluvial. This type of soil has been formed from the
materials carried down by a river
during its course from mountains to plains. On the other hand, the soil of the
temperate grassland
region is primarily chemozem. The colour of this soil is slightly blackish due
to high organic contents and is mostly found in the semi-desert region. The
soil of the high latitude areas having coniferous type of vegetation is
normally podzol. This soil is highly acidie. This type of soil requires
application of the chemical fertilisers like nitrogen and phosphate in order to
make it suitable for agriculture.
Similarly, regional variation has been observed in case of air and water also. The climate of a particular region depends on the various climatic elements like temperature. atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind, precipitation etc. In fact, this is the difference in climate that makes the places different. So is also with the case of water. Almost threefourth of the total surface area of the earth has been covered by water. We see that waters of seas and oceans are saline due to salt contents in it while the running water is found to be fresh. There is underground water and this is formed below the earth's surface due to percolation of rainwater through the porous rockbeds. The water found in the polar areas is in the form of ice and snow due to very low temperature over those regions.
26. What is known as environmental determinism?
33) Name two popular movements for aforestation in India.
Ans: Chipko movement and Silent valley movements in India for afforestation.
34) Write about Ice Age.
Ans: During Pleistocene age, the temperature in the atmosphere was decreased to such an extent that a major portion of the earth's surface was covered by thick layers of ice and snow. This is also known as the Ice Age. During the Ice Age, glaciers became more active on most of the areas. Even the aquatic animals were affected due to lowering of temperature in the seas and oceans.
35) Write about the Holocene Age.
Ans: with the beginnig of the Holocene Age that continues since last 10,000 years, the temperature in the atmosphere gradually started rising. Due to this temperature rise most of the areas which were icecovered became ice-free except the ice cover on the high mountains and the poles. The melting of ice leads to the rise in sea level to a considerable height. This phenomenon bears a great impact on lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere of the earth.
36) What is the temperature at the centre of the earth ?
Ans: The temperature at the centre of the earth is estimated to be 4500°c.
37) What are the major gases in the atmosphere which can absorb and retain the solar energy radiated from the earth's surface?
Ans:There are certain gases in the atmosphere which can absorb and retain the solar energy radiated from the earth's surface. Such major gases are Carbon-di-oxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₂), Nitrous oxide (N₂O), Chloro Fluoro-Carbons (CFC), water vapour etc.
38) What are Greenhouse gas?
Ans: There are certain gases in the atmosphere which can absorb and retain the solar energy radiated from the earth's surface. Such major gases are Carbon-di-oxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₂), Nitrous oxide (N₂O), Chloro Fluoro-Carbons (CFC), water vapour etc. Heating effect in the atmosphere is accelerated due to the absorption and retention of the radiated energy by these gases. These gases are known as Greenhouse gas.
39) What is greenhouse effect?
Ans: There are certain gases in the atmosphere which can absorb and retain the solar energy radiated from the earth's surface. Such major gases are Carbon-di-oxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₂), Nitrous oxide (N₂O), Chloro Fluoro-Carbons (CFC), water vapour etc. Heating effect in the atmosphere is accelerated due to the absorption and retention of the radiated energy by these gases. These gases are known as Greenhouse gas and their effect has been termed as Greenhouse effect.
40. Fill in the blank:
Ans: Greenhouse gases constitute only 0.1% of the total gas content in the atmosphere.
41) Which gas plays the most important role in the act of temperature increase in the atmosphere?
Ans: Carbon-di-Oxide plays the most important role in the act of temperature increase in the atmosphere.
42. What is global warming?
Ans: The increase of temperature over the entire earth's surface due to different factors, has been termed as the Global Warming.
43) What are the effects of global warming?
Ans: The effect of global warming would be multi dimensional as stated by the scientists. It would bring drastic changes into the very nature of the climate and the impact would, obviously, fall on man, their activities and on all the living organisms on earth.
a) The first and foremost effect would be the melting action of thick layers of ice stored for millions of years in the two poles. It is estimated that the increase of global temperature even upto 2°-3°C would result in large scale ice melting in the poles causing rise in the sea level. The rise in the sea level upto a height of even 1 metre would cause submerging of 5 million km² landmass of the coastal areas under sea water. Many oceanic islands; deltas and coral islands would be mostly affected. For example, the South Pacific coral islands of Tuvalu, Maldives in Indian ocean. Marshall islands in the Pacific, Sundarban delta along the coast of Bay of Bengal are already being affected by the rise in sea level. The height of some of these islands is not more than 1 metre from the sea surface.
b) Another significant impact of global warming would be on the agriculture sector. Drastic changes in the agricultural practices, decline in the agricultural production and famine would be the immediate outcome of this problem. If the increase of global temperature goes on with this rate, there would be a decline of 70% export of agricultural crop from USA to other countries in the coming 25-30 years. This has been stated by the scientist Martin Parry. He also stated that the conditions of semi-desert regions would be more alarming and the famine affected population would have to migrate to other places.
46) How is the air pollution categorised ?
e) The chemical substances and the disposable waste from the industrial units and other waste products of the towns and cities make the waters of the adjoining rivers, beels. ponds polluted. This is a common practice observed in the developing countries.
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