Sunday, March 29, 2009

Environmental Pollution: Time to preserve nature

Environmental PollutionOne of the biggest problems the plaguing mother nature is the problem of pollution. Man is just one of millions of life forms existing on the earth, albeit a very intelligent one. But this does not entitle him to interfere in nature's law of ecological balance. He is as much dependent upon other living forms as they are on hire. When man (or anyone else) introduces something extraneous in the natural cycle which positively harms life and creates imbalance, it is known as pollution. Since man is the only life form who has been able to understand nature to some extent, he is the only one in position to cause pollution and unfortunately, he has been doing it at his own free will.
Pollution can be of many types. One of them is the Air Pollution. The very air we breathe in and which sustains life is being poisoned by exhausts from automobiles, smoke from chimneys, dust flam mining and construction activities and numerous other sources of dangerous gases and vapors. Air should have a certain composition which is mostly Nitrogen, Oxygen and very little of other gases but these sources emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, hydro carbons and radioactive vapors. This disturbs the composition of air and harms all the biological processes dependent upon it.
Another type of pollution is water pollution. 90% of our body is water. We need water for cooking, drinking, bathing, cleaning, industrial processes and cooling etc. Many types of life forms lie in it. All animals and plants need water for survival. In fact, presence of water is one main reason why life exists on earth. But man has not spared even this life giver. Sewage effluents, chemical discharges, dyes, agricultural wastes (fertilizers etc.), fuels of ships etc. have converted clean, sparkling water of rivers, lakes and seas into dull, rotting mass of sludge. The aquatic life is being destroyed; dirty water has become the sources of epidemics, diseases and foul smell. Fresh water bodies are being converted into chemical ponds.
Yet another type of pollution is the land pollution. Agricultural chemicals, sewage effluents, chemical discharges from industry, mining and construction activities have denuded the surface of earth. Once lush green land has been converted into a desert. Land subsidence, floods, ground water pollution, dust and fumes are all the results of land pollution. Wild life is being deprived of its habitat and the very trees man used to worship once, are today becoming victims of his greed and carelessness.While on one hand, atomic power is being used in innumerable ways for mankind's benefit, on the other hand, the same is becoming a major and highly hazardous source of pollution called Radiation Pollution. In this case it is not the atomic power plants but atomic explosions that are the real culprits. Harmful rays and particles, emitted can create abnormalities in body, deformities, mutations, skin cancer, blood cancer and a number of other diseases.
A brief survey of pollution done above shows very clearly that it is man himself who is responsible for his doom. His insatiable greed and use of a poor model of development are responsible for bringing things to such a pass today. It is not that this is the only way that development can be pursued. There are better and more sustainable ways existing. Such a development which bases itself on man's harmony with nature is aptly called 'sustainable development'. It defines development as betterment of human life without jeopardizing the ability of the future generations to live a healthy life. It has many aspects and if implemented can help us live a better life, materially, aesthetically and spiritually.
Implementation of such a model calls for mass participation. This in turns means that awareness and understanding needs to be generated among common people regarding environment and its protection. For example, the scheme of 'Paryavaran Vahini', which includes establishing a committed cadre of environmentally conscious and citizen who will help in protecting environment and bringing pollutants to book, is one step in this direction. Voluntary agencies, citizens, government and industry should join hands in such an endeavor. For example, use of organic fertilizers, environment friendly chemicals, bio-fertilizers, bio- pesticides, optimum use of water etc. by agriculturists can be done if they are informed, trained and helped by government, voluntary agencies etc. Use of ESPs in chimneys, treatment plants, use of eco-friendly products etc. can be done by the industry.
Time is running out fast. We have only one earth to live in and if we do not do something to save it, we can only start the reverse count. Let it be a duty of each one of us to do our best to save and improve environment. We can plant trees, use eco-friendly products, bio-degradable packings, ecomarked goods, spread the awareness and prevent others from polluting earth. Else the day is not far when clean water, safe air, undisturbed land may become a rarer commodity- than gold. May be then, even man will be found only in museums

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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Sea lion Caves

World’s Largest Sea Caves: Home to Steller Sea Lions: Sea Lion caves are located 11 miles north of Florence on the way to Newport along the Pacific Ocean at the Oregon Coast of USA. Reported as the worlds largest sea caves by Guinness book of records offers an awe-inspiring view of the sea lions in their natural habitat. The caves reveal an eye capturing view of natural coastal geomorphology and faunal life. These caves are the home to one of the endangered species: Steller sea lions.
The cave was first discovered in 1880 by William Cox. After thousands of years of coastal ocean water surge the caves have been carved out in the cliffs. It is reported that the cave are about 25 million years old and made up of basalt rock. The cave is now accessed by an elevator which goes 208 feet deep into the cave. The elevator was completed in 1961 and reaches the cave in 50 seconds without which the access to such a cave for public would not have been possible. Before the elevator was built, the cave was accessible by a 1500-foot trail. Steller Sea Lions: The sea lion is named after George Wilhelm Steller, an eminent German naturalist who accompanied the Danish explorer Vitus Bering in 1741 on his second Alaskan expedition. Steller was the first qualified observer to study and classify these animals. The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias Jubata) is a member of the Otariidae family, or eared seal. It is characterized by an external ear which can be closed when entering water and by hind feet or flippers that point forward, have a uniform color and are large. In contrast, Phocidae, or true seals, are smaller, have a spotted coat, have no external ears, just a hole on each side of their head and its rear flippers point backward. They are warm blooded pinniped (feather-footed) mammals. Their pelvic bone structure allows independent use of their flippers, and therefore, they can walk on their four web-like flippers which contain the same bony structure as the legs of land animals. In the water, the Steller sea lion swims by using a breast stroke and may reach a top speed of 17 M.P.H. Sea lions are carnivorous. Their skulls are similar to those of bears and their jaws contain sharp teeth much like those found in dogs, cats, and other flesh eaters.
Adult animals are lighter in color than most sea lions, ranging from pale yellow to tawny and occasionally reddish. Females tend to be slightly lighter than the males. Steller sea lion pups are born almost black, weighing around 23 kg and remain dark for several months. Females and males both grow rapidly until the fifth year, after which female growth slows down considerably, attaining on average 2.5 m in length and 300 kg. Males have wider chests, fore body and neck and weigh about 600-1100 kg. The average life span of these animals is believed to be about 20 years. Commonly live on the offshore islands and rocks of British Columbia and Alaska. Stellers also live along the California coast and about one thousand reside in Oregon Waters. They are found from the central California coast, north to the Bering Sea and back south into northern Japanese waters.

Steller sea lion and cave: Sea Lion Caves, home of wild Steller sea lions, has been called 'The treasure of the Oregon Coast'. The number of Steller sea lions in the Sea Lion Caves area varies from season to season and from year to year with the herd averaging about 200 animals. The area is called as hauling area due to the roaring sound made by the sea lions in the cave.
They move in the caves in harsh weather and rough seas. Sea lions gather in this natural amphitheater, usually during fall and winter. In spring and summer, they breed and have their young on rock ledges just outside the cave. Sea lions female and juvenile of both the sexes are found in caves year round whereas the adult males are found from May to August. Males arrive in the rockeries and defend their breeding territories. The best territory is held by the most powerful bulls. Sea lions use this cave as a habitat to protect from any external danger. They face the biggest threat from killer whale; in such a situation they climb up the rocky ledges to escape the attack of whales. The major diet of sea lions is bottom fish such as skate, small sharks, squid and various species of rock fishes especially Pollock. The sea lion in the caves are protected by Oregon law and never legally hunted either for trophy or sport.
For details visit: http://www.sealioncaves.com/
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