Ecological impact of disaster

1. Ecological Impact of Disaster
Presented by:
Diksha R Lad
Roll No.8105

2. Outline
• Introduction
• Man-made disaster
• Ecological impacts of climate change
• Role of Human beings
• Some major disaster in INDIA

3. Ecology—the scientific study of interactions between
different organisms and between organisms
and their environment or surroundings

4. Biotic Factor—living factors that influence an
ecosystem
Abiotic Factor—non-living factors that influence
an ecosystem

5.  Ecological impact is the effect of human
activities and natural events on living
organism and their non-living environment.
 CAN YOU NAME SOME ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS?
Abiotic Biotic
Rocks Trees
Air Flowers
Temperature cats
soil dogs
sunlight You/humans

7. Bhopal Gas Leak
• The Union Carbide Pesticide
manufacturing plant leaked out thirty two
tons of methyl isocyanate in 1984.
• This happened in Bhopal, India.
• Thousands of people died.
• Thousands more were blinded, deformed,
and disabled from it.
• In one day, over two thousand bodies had
been cremated.
• The soil and water around the factory is
still toxic from the leaking plant.
• There was no attempt to clean it up

8. Gulf War Oil Spill
• This has to be the worst man-
made ecological disaster of all
time.
• In 1991, Iraq’s soldiers spilled
eight million barrels into the
Persian Gulf waters to prevent
the US Marines from entering
the war.
• Researchers found oil residue
even 10 years later in the Gulf
waters and marshes.

9. Aral Sea Destruction
• Starting from the 1960s, Soviet Union
began ecological suicide by diverting
the water from the lake to feed
irrigation projects around the entire
country.
• This caused the water level to recede
by 90 percent, in turn triggering
violent sandstorms and killing plant
life along its entire stretch.
• If this incident had not occurred, the
Aral Sea would have been listed in the
top five largest lakes in the world.

10. Exxon Valdez
• March 24, 1989 when American oil tanker
Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef in remote
Alaska.
• The impact released 11 million gallons of oil
and polluted the coastline for 500 miles in
Alaskan seawaters.
• The eco-sensitive zone saw a quarter of a
million birds and many livestock being killed
in the days to come.

11. A presentation developed by the National Academy of Sciences based on its report
Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2009): www.nas.edu/climatechange.
National Academy of Sciences
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Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

12. The Climate is Changing
• Temperatures are rising
• Sea levels are rising
• The ocean is acidifying
• Climate change is reflected in
water cycle changes and in
extreme weather
Temperature rise, indicated by color (red=higher
rate of increase). Earth’s surface temperature has
risen ~1.3˚ F since 1850.
Image courtesy of the Joint Institute for the Study of the
Atmosphere & Ocean, U. of Washington.
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
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13. Ecological Impacts
Living things are intimately connected to their physical
surroundings.
Ecosystems are affected by changes in:
– temperature
– rainfall/moisture
– pH
– salinity (saltiness)
– activities & distribution of other species
– …many other factors
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

14. Ecological Impacts
As a result of climate change, species and ecosystems
are experiencing changes in:
– ranges
– timing of biological activity
– growth rates
– relative abundance of species
– cycling of water and nutrients
– the risk of disturbance from fire,
insects, and invasive species
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

15. Ecological Impacts
• As a result of climate change, species and
ecosystems are experiencing changes in:
– ranges
– timing of biological activity
– growth rates
– relative abundance of species
– cycling of water and nutrients
– the risk of disturbance from fire,
insects, and invasive species
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

16. Range Shifts
Species are relocating to areas with
more tolerable climate
conditions.
Range shifts particularly threaten
species that:
– cannot move fast enough
– depend on conditions that are becoming
more rare (like sea ice)
Plant hardiness zone maps, 1990 and 2006.
Most zones shifted northward in this
period.
Map courtesy of the National Arbor Day Foundation.
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

17. Ecological Impacts
As a result of climate change, species and ecosystems
are experiencing changes in:
– ranges
– timing of biological activity
– growth rates
– relative abundance of species
– cycling of water and nutrients
– the risk of disturbance from fire,
insects, and invasive species
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

18. Timing of Biological Activity
Some seasonal biological activities
are happening 15-20 days
earlier than several decades
ago:
– Trees blooming earlier
– Migrating birds arriving earlier
– Butterflies emerging earlier
Changes in timing differ from
species to species, so ecological
interactions are disrupted.
European pied flycatcher
chicks are now born later
than the caterpillars they
eat.
Images used under the terms
of the GNU Free
Documentation License.
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

19. Global Changes, Local Impacts
Although climate change is global, the ecological
impacts are often local.
What’s happening in your backyard?
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20. The Role of Human Beings
Causes of Climate Change
• It is very likely that most of the climate
change in the current era is the result
of human activities.
– Human activities have increased
concentrations of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere.
– These gases trap heat and cause the
Earth to warm.
Figure adapted from Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science
Basis. Working Group 1 Contribution to the 4th Assessment Report
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Figure SPM.5.
Cambridge University Press.
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National Research Council

21. The Role of Human Beings
Compounding Factors
• Human activities have many other effects on ecosystems.
• These effects compound the effects of climate change, making it more
difficult for ecosystems to adapt.
– Pollution
– Habitat fragmentation
– Invasive species
– Overfishing
– Manipulation of water sources
– …and much more
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
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National Research Council

22. The Role of Human Beings
Improving the Outlook
• Changes in activities at the personal, community, and national levels
can affect the rate of future climate change and species’ abilities to
adapt.
• Some of the areas where changes in human activities could help
species adapt include:
– Approaches to agriculture
– Water management practices
– Energy sources and use
– Transportation
– Pollution remediation
– Biological conservation
– …and much more
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

23. The climate challenge is large and complex.
But it is very likely that many people, working from many angles,
can help address climate change and its ecological consequences.
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council

24. THANK YOU
Some disaster in INDIA