Introduction to Environmental Science

Dr. Sonia Tabasum Ahmed

 Environment and Environmental Science

Environment

Environment comes from old French word ‘‘Environ’ meaning to encircle or surround. It is most
commonly used describing “natural” environment and means the sum of all living and non-living
things that surround an organism, or group of organisms. Environment includes all elements
factors and conditions that have some impact on growth and development of certain organism. All
our activities are influenced by the environment in which we live.

The term Environment has been defined under section 2(a) of “Environment Protection Act (1986)
to include water, air, land and inter-relationship between water, air, land and human beings, other
living creatures, plants, microorganisms and property”.

Mason and Langenhim define environment as “The sum of all substances and forces external to
an organism which determines its existence and regulates its process”.

Types of environment:

➢ Atmosphere
➢ Hydrosphere
Physical ➢ Lithosphere
Environment

Biological ➢ Floral
Environment Environment ➢ Faunal
➢ Microbial

Cultural ➢ Society
Environment ➢ Economics
➢ Politics

Figure 1: Different Types of Environment

1. The Physical environment

• It is also known as abiotic environment which includes non living things like land, water
and climatic factors such as sunbeams, rainwater, precipitation, moisture, pressure and
wind speed.

2. Biotic environment

• It is also known as biological environment and organic environment which involves the
living part of the earth.

3. Social or cultural environment

• This type of environment involves the culture and life style of the human beings. This type
of environment is created by the man through his different social and cultural activities and
thinking. The historical, cultural, political, moral, economic aspects of human life
constitute to the social or cultural environment.

Environmental Science:

Environmental science is defined as a branch of biology focused on the study of the relationships
of the natural world and the relationships between organisms and their environments. An example
of environmental science is the study of the natural world and how it relates to recycling and
mulching.

Or

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological

and information sciences (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, zoology, mineralogy,
oceanology, limnology, soil science, geology, atmospheric science, and geodesy) to the study of
the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.

Or

The branch of science concerned with the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the
environment and their effect on organisms.

Scope of Environmental Science

Environmental science is a multidisciplinary science whose basic aspects have a direct relevance
to every section of the society. Its main aspects are:
 • Conservation of nature and natural resources.
• Conservation of biological diversity.
• Control of environmental pollution.
• Stabilization of human population and environment.
• Social issues in relation to development and environment.
• Development of non-polluting renewable energy system and providing new dimension to
nation’s security.

Importance of Environmental Studies

The environment studies enlighten us, about the importance of protection and conservation of our
indiscriminate release of pollution into the environment. At present a great number of environment
issues, have grown in size and complexity day by day, threatening the survival of mankind on
earth. Therefore Environment studies have become significant for the following reasons:

1. Environment issues being of international importance: It has been well recognized that
environment issues like global warming and ozone (O3) depletion, acid rain, marine pollution and
biodiversity are not merely national issues but are global issues and hence must be tackled with
international efforts and cooperation.

2. Problems cropped in the wake of development: Development, in its wake gave birth to
urbanization, industrial growth, transportation systems, agriculture and housing etc. However, it
has become phased out in the developed world. The North, to cleanse their own environment has
fact fully, managed to move ‘dirty’ factories of South. When the West developed, it did so perhaps
in ignorance of the environmental impact of its activities. Evidently such a path is neither
practicable nor desirable, even if developing world follows that.

3. Explosively increase in pollution: World census reflects that one in every seven persons in this
planet lives in India. Evidently with 16% of the world's population and only 2.4% of its land area,
there is a heavy pressure on the natural resources including land. Agricultural experts have
recognized soils health problems like deficiency of micronutrients and organic matter, soil salinity
and damage of soil structure.

4. Need for an alternative solution: It is especially essential for developing countries to find
alternative paths to an alternative goal. We need a goal as under: (1) A goal, which ultimately is
the true goal of development an environmentally sound and sustainable development. (2) A goal
common to all citizens of our earth. (3) A goal distant from the developing world in the manner it
is from the over-consuming wasteful societies of the “developed” world.

5. Need to save humanity from extinction: It is serving upon us to save the humanity from
extinction. Consequent to our activities constricting the environment and depleting the biosphere,
in the name of development.
6. Need for wise planning of development: Resources withdraw, processing and use of the
product have all to by synchronized with the ecological cycles in any plan of development our
actions should be planned ecologically for the nourishment of the environment and development.

Multidisciplinary natures of environmental Science

It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach and its components include Biology, Geology,

Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Sociology, Health Sciences, Anthropology, Economics,
Statistics and Philosophy. It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach. The Table 1 below shows
a list of topics dealt commonly in air pollution and the related traditional fields of knowledge
illustrating the interdisciplinary nature of the subject.

Table 1. Interdisciplinary Nature of Environmental Science: Ex: Air Pollution:

Environmental issue/topics Major subject/ Topic knowledge required

Nature and reaction of air pollutants Chemistry and Chemical engineering
Effects of air pollutants on human Zoology and botany and various branches of life
beings, animal and plants science. Physics and Chemistry
Effect of air pollutants on materials Meteorology, Thermodynamics, Geography
Effect of climate on air pollution Mathematical modeling, etc.
Air pollution control devices Physics, chemistry and various branches of Engineering
History of air pollution and air History
pollution episodes
Economic impacts of air pollution Economics, Demography
Sociological impacts of air pollution Sociology
Alternative fuels Various branches of physical sciences
Conservation of resources and Various branches of physical and political sciences
pollution control
Ozone hole and global warming Almost all fields
 Segments of environments

Earth’s environment can be divided into the following four segments:

a) Lithosphere
b) Hydrosphere
c) Atmosphere
d) Biosphere.

Lithosphere

It means the mantle of rocks constituting the earth’s crust. The solid component of the earth is
called Lithosphere, which includes soil, earth, rocks and mountains etc. The soil is made up of
inorganic and organic matter and water. The main mineral constituents are compounds or mixtures
derived from the elements of Si, Ca, K, Al, Fe, Mn, Ti, O etc. (Oxides, Silicates, and Carbonates).
The organic constituents are mainly polysaccharides, organo compounds of N, P and S. The
organic constituents even though form only around 4% – 6% of the lithosphere, they are
responsible for the fertility of the soil and hence its productivity. The lithosphere mainly contains
three layers –

(a) Inner and Outer Core: Central fluid or vaporized sphere of diameter of about 2500 km from
the centre.

(b) Mantle: It is about 2900-3000 km above the core in molten state.

(c) Crust: Outermost solid zone about 8-40 km above mantle.

Hydrosphere

This covers more than 75% of the earth surface comprises all water resources both surface and
ground water. The world’s water is found in oceans and seas, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and
streams, glaciers and snowcaps in among these resources is as under Table 2 and figure 2.

Table 2: The distribution of water in the earth’s system

Reservoirs Amount (%)

Oceans and Seas 96-97
Glaciers and polar icecaps 2-3
Fresh water <1

The water locked up in the Oceans and Seas are too salty and cannot be used directly for human
consumption, domestic, agriculture or Industrial purposes. Only less than 1% of water resources
are available for human exploitation. Water is considered to be a common compound with
uncommon properties. These uncommon properties (e.g. anomalous expansion of water) are
mainly responsible for supporting terrestrial and aquatic life on earth.

Atmosphere

It is the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth and extends up to 500 kilometers above the earth’s
surface. The composition of the atmosphere is given in Table 3.
Table 3: Volume composition of the atmosphere

Constituents Volume (%)

Nitrogen 78.1
Oxygen 20.9
Water vapor 0.1–5
Argon 0.9
Carbon dioxide 0.03
Trace constituents* Balance
*The trace constituents include Helium, Neon, Krypton, xenon, SO2, NO2, Ammonia, Ozone, and Carbon
monoxide etc.

The atmosphere, which is a gaseous cover, protects the earth from cosmic radiations and provides
life sustaining Oxygen, the macronutrient Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis.
The atmosphere screens the dangerous UV radiations from the sun and allows only radiations in
the range of 300 nm – 2500 nm (near UV to near IR) and radio waves. The atmosphere plays a
major role in maintaining the heat balance of the earth by absorbing the re-emitted radiation from
the earth. In addition the atmosphere is the medium of carriage of water from the oceans to the
land in the hydrological cycle.

Biosphere

The biosphere is a capsule encircling the earth’s surface wherein all the living things exist. This
portion extends from 10000 m below sea level to 6000 m above sea level. Life forms do not exist
outside this zone. The biosphere covers parts of other segments of the environment viz.
Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Life sustaining resources like food, water and oxygen
present in the biosphere are being withdrawn and waste products in increasing quantities are being
dumped. The biosphere has been absorbing this and assimilating them. However the rate of waste
dumping has gone beyond the assimilating capability of the biosphere and signals of this stress is
becoming evident.