è TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT AND ITS COMPONENTS:
There are two kinds of environment –
i.
Natural
Environment
ii. Man- made Environment
Natural Environment:
All
components that come into existence naturally are included in Natural
Environment. The landforms on the Earth, the climate, soils, minerals, sunlight
etc are components of our natural environment.
§ Natural Environment is classified into
▬
Biotic or living
component
▬
Abiotic or
physical component
Components
of biotic environment:
Biotic
component of environment are further classified as
▬
Aquatic – those
living in water
▬
Terrestrial –
those living on land
›
Flora – consists
of different species of vegetations like plants, grass, bushes, forests
›
Fauna – consists
of mammals and other species like birds, reptiles, fishes, sharks, whales, etc
›
Others – consists
of microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungus, etc.
Components
of Abiotic environment:
Abiotic
or Physical environment has three components
namely Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere.
Lithosphere:
It
refers to the crest of the Earth, constituted by rigid rocks and soil.
Hydrosphere:
Consist
of oceans, seas, rivers, streams, lakes, polar ice– caps, glaciers,
groundwater, etc
Atmosphere:
Atmosphere
is a gaseous envelope extending to a height of 20,000 kilometres from Earth’s
surface. It consists of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, argan, etc
There are five layers in the atmosphere.
§ Troposphere: It
extends to about 20 km from the surface and forms about 80% of the atmosphere.
It comprises water vapor, ash, and dust particles. Thus, all climatic changes
and weather systems exist in this layer. All hot air balloons and passenger
planes exist within this layer.
§ Stratosphere: This layer extends from the end of the
troposphere up to 30 km. It contains the ozone layer that is responsible for
absorbing the harmful UV rays of the sun and preventing fatal conditions like
skin cancer.
§ Mesosphere: The
mesosphere extends 40 km beyond the stratosphere. The coldest temperature (-90 ℃)
in the atmosphere is near the top of this layer. This is the layer that
protects us against the meteors coming from space. They burn up in this layer
and create “shooting stars”.
§ Thermosphere: This layer extends to approximately 300
km beyond the point where the mesosphere ends. It records some of the highest
temperatures in the atmosphere (approximately 2000℃).
Various satellites and the International Space Station are situated in this
layer. This layer is also called the ionosphere.
§ Exosphere: The
outermost layer of the atmosphere is called the exosphere which extends beyond
700 km. Thus, it serves as a boundary between the atmosphere of the Earth and
outer space.
ª Man - Made Environment:
An environment that has been created by humans to satisfy their requirements is said to be an “Man – Made Environment”. Humans have shaped their environments by constructing things like buildings, roads, dams and bridges, nuclear, hydroelectric and thermal power stations … with the help of advancement in science and technology. This involves social, cultural and institutional components.
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