ENVIRONMENTAL

STUDIES
EES-110
ENVIRONMENT
 Environment is the aggregate of surrounding things
or influences.
 “Environment ”is derived from the French
word ,“Environ” which means “Total Encircle”.
 Environment can be defined as the sum of all
physical, chemical, biological, social, economical
or cultural factors which constitute the
surroundings of living organisms.
SEGMENTS OF
ENVIRONMENT
 It consists of four segments. These are as follows:
 1.Atmosphere
 2.Hydrosphere
 3.Lithosphere
 4.Biosphere
ATMOSPHERE
 The cover of air that envelops the Earth is known
as the atmosphere .

 In other words ,atmosphere is the protective thick

gaseous mantle, surrounding the earth, which
sustains life on earth and saves it from unfriendly
environment of outer space.
Vertical Structure of Atmosphere
 It consists of five layers which are separated from
one another due to vertical temperature gradient.
These are as follows-
 1.Troposphere- Lower most layer ,temperature
decreases with increase in height.
 2.Stratosphere-Temperature inversion
(temperature increases with increase in altitude or
height) ,Ozone layer is present in this layer. Also
called Ozonosphere.
Vertical Structure of Atmosphere
 3.Mesosphere –Next to stratosphere ,temperature
decreases with increase in height.
 4.Thermosphere –In this layer gases are present in
their ionic state. Temperature increases. Also called
ionosphere.
 5.Exosphere –Outer space.
HYDROSPHERE
 It is a vital component of life.

 It covers more than 75% of the earth’s surface.

 It includes oceans, sea, rivers, lake ,ponds, streams

etc.
 Water is known as universal solvent . It has unique
properties .
LITHOSPHERE
 It means the mantel of rocks constituting the earth’s
crust.
 It is composed of various layers-
A) Crust- outer most layer
B)Mantle- next to crust
C) Core- inner most layer, very high
temperature .
BIOSPHERE
 It indicates the domain of living organisms and
their interactions with environment i.e. the
atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere.
 The biosphere encompasses all zones on the earth
in which life is present, i.e. entire bio-resource of
the earth .
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
 Environmental studies is the scientific study of the
environmental system and the status of its inherent
or induced changes on organisms.
 It includes not only the study of physical and
biological characters of the environment but also
the social and cultural factors and the impact of
human on the environment.
OBJECTIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES

 1. Creating the awareness about environmental

problems among people.
 2. Imparting basic knowledge about the
environment and its allied problems.
 3.Developing an attitude of concern for the
environment.
 4.Motivating public to participate in environment
protection and environment improvement.
SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE
 It is a multidisciplinary science.
 It includes-life sciences, basic sciences, technical subjects,
economics, sociology, laws, management, mathematics,
statistics ,mass communication etc.
 It has a wide scope .
 It encompasses a large number of areas and aspects ,which
may be summarized as follows:
 Ecology and biodiversity, Natural resources , Environmental
pollution and control ,Social issues in relation to development
and environment, Human population and environment etc.