The Competition World

Enhanced greenhouse effect results in ' Global warming' . Greenhouses gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) trap the long-wave radiation from the Earth causing the atmosphere to excessive heat up.   Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas. (1)   With time the rate of increasing atmospheric temperature is accelerating. Natural Vs Human Enhanced Greenhouse Effect Factors Behind Global Warming Physical Factors  and Global Warming Changing Output of Solar Energy: Peaks of sunspot (Sunspots are areas where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than Earth's, much higher than anywhere else on the Sun ) activity seem to raise global mean temperatures. Volcanic Eruptions: After very violent eruptions, enormous quantities of volcanic dust particles are ejected high into the atmosphere. Global winds distribute the particles, therefore reducing temperatures by shielding the Earth...

Wetlands are complex ecosystems and encompass a wide range of inland, coastal and marine habitats. They share the characteristics of both wet and dry environments and show immense diversity based on their genesis, geographical location, hydrological regimes and substrate factors. They include flood plains, swamps, marshes, fishponds, tidal marshes natural and man-made wetlands. Among the most productive life support, wetlands have immense socio-economic and ecological importance for mankind. They are crucial to the survival of natural biodiversity. They provide suitable habitats for endangered and rare species of birds and animals, endemic plants, insects besides sustaining migratory birds. India has a wealth of wetland ecosystems distributed in different geographical regions. Most of the wetlands in India are directly or indirectly linked with major river systems such as the Ganges, Cauvery, Krishna, Godavari and Tapti. India has totally 27, 403 wetlands, of which 23,444 are inl...

An ecosystem has a broad, vast and complex dynamic system function. It can be studied under the following three heads - 1. Energy Flow 2. Nutrient Cycling / Biogeochemical Cycling (Bio-geo-chemical Cycles) 3. Ecological Succession and Ecosystem Development 1. Energy Flow Energy is the basic force responsible for all metabolic activities. The flow of energy from producer to consumer is called energy flow which is unidirectional. Here  trophic (originated from trophe, means nourishment) level interaction  gives an idea about the flow of energy through the ecosystem. Trophic level interaction deals with how the members of an ecosystem are connected based on nutritional needs.  This energy always flows from lower (producer) to higher (herbivore, carnivore etc.) trophic level. lt never flows in the reverse direction. I'm working on it >>

With growth in the world economy the demand for energy and transportation has been increasing.  The BRICS nations have been growing and China and India today are consuming higher levels of fuel to sustain their growing economies.  The overall energy requirement in India is likely to increase from 549 Million tonne oil equivalent (mtoe) in 2011-12 to 1433 mtoe by 2031-32, a 2.6 fold increase.  The transport sector which currently consumes 86 mtoe which is about 16% of the energy consumption is likely to increase to 360 mtoe by 2031-32 and would be 25% of the total energy consumption.   The transport sector would grow by 4.2 times.  The transport sector consumed 57% of the oil in 2011-12 and this would go up-to 73% by 2031-32 in the business as usual scenario. About  97% of the fuel basket for transportation is based on petroleum and the balance 3% is equally shared by CNG, bio-fuels and electricity.  As per the current trends this mix would con...

Biological diversity, encompasses all life forms on earth. Biodiversity maintains the ecological balance and continues evolutionary processes. The very survival of humankind depends on these core ecological functions. The indirect ecosystem services provided through biodiversity include: photosynthesis, pollination, transpiration, maintaining the balance of atmospheric gases, maintaining hydrological cycles, chemical cycling, nutrient cycling, pest control, etc. Biodiversity also has aesthetic and recreational value. Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is therefore fundamental to ecologically sustainable development. In fact the very survival of humankind depends upon biological diversity. Biodiversity manifests itself at three levels: species diversity which refers to the numbers and kinds of living organisms, genetic diversity which refers to the genetic variation within a population of species, and ecosystem diversity which is the variety of habitats, biologic...

Image Source: Tribune Biodiversity as we see today is the outcome of over 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history, shaped by natural processes and increasingly, by the influence of human beings. Biodiversity forms the web of life of which man is an integral part and upon which he fully depends. Biodiversity is not distributed uniformly across the globe. Certain countries, lying wholly or partly within the tropics, are characterized by high species richness and more number of endemic species. These countries are known as Mega diverse countries. India is one of the identified mega diverse countries of the World. With only 2.4% of the land area, and accounts for 7-8% of the recorded species of the world. Over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals have been recorded so far. It is remarkable to note that India maintains this biodiversity while supporting 20% of the world’s human and cattle population. The wide diversity in physical features and climatic situatio...

Coringa Mangrove -  It lies in the east Godavari district near Kakinada port along the Bay of Bengal.The habitat is suitable for salt water crocodile. The area is cut up with a number of creeks of river Godavari. It was declared as a sanctuary in July 1978 to conserve the mangrove vegetation of the estuary. Mangroves in India account for about three per cent of the world's mangrove vegetation. The report says mangrove cover in India is 4,662 sq. km, which is 0.14 per cent of the country's total geographical area. Sundarbans in West Bengal accounts for almost half of the total area under mangroves in the country. The very dense mangrove comprises 1,403 sq. km (30.10 per cent of the total mangrove cover), moderately dense mangrove is 1,658.12 sq. km (35.57 per cent) while open mangroves cover an area of 1,600.44 sq. km (33 per cent). Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive wetlands in the world on account of the large quantities of organic and inorganic n...