Introductory lecture

1. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENT
& NATURAL RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Iffat Ara
Lecturer
Dept. of Geomatics
LMA, PSTU

2. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?
Environment encompasses all
living and non-living things
occurring naturally on Earth or
some region thereof.

3. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?
• The term environment has been derived from a French word “Environia”
means to surround.
• It refers to both abiotic (physical or non-living) and biotic (living)
environment. It is comprised of the interacting systems of physical,
biological and cultural elements which are interlinked both individually
and collectively.
• Environment is the representative of physical components of the earth
wherein man is an important factor affecting the environment (A.
Goudie, 1984).
• Environment is the sum total of conditions that surrounds us at a given
point of time and space (C.C Park, 1980).

4. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?
Douglas and Holland: ‘The term environment is used to
describe, in the aggregate, all the external forces, influences
and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behavior and the
growth, development and maturity of living organisms.’

5. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?
Environment is defined as
(1)The circumstances and conditions (physical conditions)
that surround (and affect) an organism or group of
organisms, or
(2) The social and cultural conditions that affect an individual
or community

6. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?
“As a holistic view of the world as it functions
at any point of time, with a multitude of spatial
elemental and socio-economic systems
distinguished by quality and attributes of space
and mode of behavior and abiotic and biotic
forms. (K.R Dikshit, 1984)”

7. STRUCTURE AND COMPONENTS
OF ENVIRONMENT

8. CONSTITUENTS
Environment is made of 3 constituents –
• Physical
• Biological
• Cultural & social

9. ELEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT & THEIR INTERACTION

10. CLASSIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENT

11. COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
The two major Components of environment
are :
Abiotic components : Air, Water, and
Land etc.
Biotic components: All living
organisms around us viz. plants, animals and
microorganisms

12. COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
Earth’s environment can be further
subdivided into the following four
segments:
(1) Atmosphere
(2) Lithosphere
(3) Hydrosphere
(4) Biosphere

13. ATMOSPHERE

14. ATMOSPHERE
5

15. ATMOSPHERE
Constituent Volume %
Nitrogen 78.1
Oxygen 20.9
Water vapour 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.

16. Layers of the Atmosphere
Troposphere : lowest layer – extends up to 10km; contains 99% of the water vapor and
75% of the atmospheric gases
• The troposphere is the first layer above the surface and contains most clouds and half of the
Earth's atmosphere.
• Weather occurs in this layer
Stratosphere – directly above troposphere, extending from 10 km to about 50 km above
Earth’s surface
• Portion of the upper layer contains high levels of a gas called ozone
• Many jet aircrafts fly in the stratosphere because it is very stable. Also, the ozone layer
absorbs
harmful rays from the Sun
Mesosphere – extends from the top of the stratosphere to about 85 km above Earth
• Coldest layer with little ozone
• Meteors or rock fragments burn up in the mesosphere.
• Ionosphere here – layer of charged particles

17. ATMOSPHERE

18. Thermosphere – thickest atmospheric layer found between 85
km and 500 km above Earth’s surface
• The thermosphere is a layer with auroras, known for its high
temperatures.
• Warms as it filters out X-rays and gamma rays from the Sun
Ionosphere here, too – help carry radio waves
Exosphere - The atmosphere merges into space in the extremely
thin exosphere. This is the upper limit of our atmosphere.
• Outer layer where space shuttle orbits.
Layers of the Atmosphere

19. LITHOSPHERE

20.  The earth’s crust consisting of the soil
and rocks is the lithosphere. 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
Lithosphere

21. Q & A
THANK YOU!
July 22, 2012Footer text here
21