Unit I

STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERE: Environment definition, scope and importance of environmental study - composition of
atmosphere. ECOSYSTEM: Concept, Structure and Function, Energy flow.
Biodiversity
Book
Benny Joseph, Environmental Science and Engineering, Tata McGraw-Hill,
New Delhi, 2010.
(7)

Neon

Ne

0.0018

Helium

He

0.0005

Hydrogen

0.00006

Xenon

Xe

Gas (and Particles)

Symbo
l

Percent (by
Volume)

Water vapor

H2O

0 to 4

Carbon dioxide

CO2

0.038

Methane

CH4

0.00017

Nitrous oxide

N2O

0.00003

Ozone

O3

0.000004

DEFINITION: Surrounding and everything that

affect an organism during its lifetime
SCOPE
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 nations security.
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

0.000009

ii) Variable Gases

ENVIRONMENT

Brings in us the awareness of environmental

issues like
Global warming, depletion of ozone layer,
dwindling forest, energy resources, loss of
global biodiversity etc.

Helps us for establishing standard for safe,

clean and healthy natural ecosystem
Deals with important issues like
Safe and clean drinking water, hygienic
living conditions and clean and fresh air,
fertility of land, healthy food and
development

This layer is referred to as the Homosphere

(implies gases are relatively homogeneous)

i) Permanent Gases

Nitrogen

78.08

Oxygen

Argon

Ar

2
2

0.00000002

Relative percentages of the permanent gases

remain constant up to 80-100km high (~ 60
miles!)

Composition of the Atmosphere

Percent (by
Volume) Dry Air

Chlorofluorocarbon
s (CFCs)

Permanent Gases
78% Nitrogen (N2)
21% Oxygen (O2)
<1% Argon (Ar)

Symbol

0.000001

For CO2, 380 parts per million means that out of

every million air molecules, 380 are CO2
molecules
+Stratospheric values at altitudes between 11
km and 50 km are about 5 to 12 ppm.

Deals with the analysis of the processes in

Water, air, land, soil and organisms which
leads to pollute or degrade environment

Gas

Particles (dust, soot,

etc.)

20.95
0.93

Temperature is constant upward to about 20

km, then increases to 0 C near its outer limit
This is due to absorption of UV radiation by
ozone
Mean altitude is about 50 km

Mesosphere
Tempearature decreases slowly but then
sharply to a minimum of about -75C at 80
km
Most meteorites burn and disintegrate due
to increasing friction in this layer
Thermosphere
The temperaterue again rises to very high
values at times it approaches 2,000C and
even more at about 500 km depending on
solar activity
However as the gas molecules are too sparse
to transfer the energy and hence the heat is
not realized

Homosphere:
Turbulent
mixing
causes
atmospheric
composition
to
be
fairly
homogenous from surface to ~80-100 km (i.e.,
78% N2, 21% O2)

Hydrosphere
Describes the combined mass of water found
on, under, and over the surface of a planet
This includes water in liquid and frozen forms
in groundwaters, glaciers, oceans, lakes and
streams

Heterosphere: Above ~80-100km, much lower

density, molecular collisions much less, heavier
molecules (e.g., N2, O2) settle lower, lighter
molecules (e.g., H2, He) float to top

Saline water account for 97.5% of this

amount.
Fresh water accounts for only 2.5%.
o Of this fresh water 68.7% is in the "form of
ice and permanent snow cover in the Arctic,
the Antarctic, and in the mountainous
regions.
o Next, 29.9% exists as fresh groundwaters.
o Only 0.26% of the total amount of fresh
waters on the Earth is concentrated in
lakes, reservoirs and river systems

Structure of the Atmosphere

Biosphere

Atmosphere is divided
layers
Troposphere,
Stratosphere,
Mesosphere and
Thermosphere

into

four

major

Global ecological system integrating all living

beings and their relationships, including their
interaction with the elements of the
lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere

The life sustaining resources (air, water, food)

are withdrawn from the biosphere and cycled
through the biosphere only

ECOSYSTEM
The ecological unit consisting of biotic factors
(living) and abiotic factors (non-living) in a
specific area. For example forest, grassland,
desert, aquatic etc.

Troposphere
Extents up to 8 km at the poles and 16 km at
the equator
3/4th of the atmospheric mass
Clouds, Storms and convective motions
Greater height of troposphere in summer than
in winter
Plays major role in pollution control
Fairly uniform decrease in temperature (6
C/min) to a minimum of about 60 C
Stratosphere
2

(2) Consumer/ heterotrophs

(3) Decomposers
Producers: They are chlorophyll bearing, self
nourishing organisms, which prepare organic
compounds from inorganic raw materials,
through the processes of photosynthesis e.g. all
green plants.
Consumers: They depend on the energy,
produced by the producer. Different categories of
consumer are herbivores, carnivores and
omnivores.
Decomposers: They attack on dead animals,
producers etc. and convert the complex organic
compounds, locked in to them in to, simpler
compounds (by the process of decomposition and
disintegration) and then recycle all the nutrients
back. For example bacteria and fungi.

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF AN

ECOSYSTEM
An ecosystem has the following two components

1. Abiotic
2. Biotic
3. Decomposer

Atmosphere
Thick blanket of mixture of permanent and
variable gases and suspended liquids and
solids that entirely envelops the earth.
Density of air 1.225 kg/m3 at 15C at sea level
Density of water 1 g /cc
Atmospheric pressure 1 cm2 of a column
from sea level to the top of the atmosphere,
has a mass of about 1.03 kg and weight of
about 10.1 N.
Mass 500000 tonnes (one millionth of earth
mass)
50% lies below 5.5 km
49% lies between 5.5 km to 30 km altitude
Atmosphere is bound to earth by gravity.
Acts as a great Canopy to protect the earths
suface from the full range of solar effects
Under water
for every 1 cm a pressure of 1
gram/cm2 would be increased.

1. Abiotic component includes

(A) Physical
(1) Sunlight (for photosynthesis)
(2) Water (essential for living beings)
(3) Temperature (necessary to get survive)
(4) Soil (provide base and nutrients)
(B) Chemical
(1) Proteins
(2) Carbohydrates
(3) Fats
(4) Minerals etc.
2. Biotic component
(1) Producers /Autotrophs