We watch documentaries and read a plethora of materials on the history of animal and plant species every single day. But how did humans discover the origins of these animals and plant species? It was with the help of fossils. Paleontologists have been able to harness vital information from fossils to give us clues to…
The Arctic Ocean is the shallowest and smallest ocean with a total area of approximately 13,986,000 square kilometers. It is located around the North Pole and is surrounded by some countries like Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Russia and Norway. The ocean is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Bering Strait and the Atlantic Ocean by…
Hydroelectric energy is a renewable form of energy produced by the moving water. It comes from the Greek word” hydro” which means water. During the ancient times, water had been used to turn the turbines for grinding flours and bread. Many years passed, the water mills had become a common way in producing hydroelectric energy….
The onset of the industrial revolution has demanded an increase of energy yearly. Originally, the source of energy is through the combustion of fossil fuels. However, its effect on the environment has also been increasingly questioned. Then, new energy sources are created which are renewable and safe such as hydroelectric, solar, and wind energy. Though,…
The Biomass is an organic matter that can be used as a source of energy. It is derived from the energy crops to agricultural residues and waste and from the living organisms. Examples of biomass sources are wood products, dried vegetarians, crop residues, aquatic plants, and much more. These are used to create a biofuel….
Life on Earth has been protected for thousands of years with a vital layer of poison in the atmosphere. This layer serves as a shield that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. As far as we know, it is unique to our planet. If it disappeared, ultraviolet sunlight would sterilize the…
Deforestation persists to be one of the biggest environmental challenges in the world. More and more forests are cleared to create room for farming and the extraction of timber among other raw materials. In many parts of the world, the original forest cover areas have been reduced by more than 20% and some areas have…
Overdependence on fossils fuels has led to a hail of environmental problems the universe faces today such as climate change, oil spills, air pollution, and acid rains. Burning of fossils fuels to generate electricity releases dangerous greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, methane, and fluorinated gasses that cause the greenhouse effect. For…
Succession is a series of progressive changes in the composition of an ecological community over time. Succession is directional. Different stages in a particular habitat succession can usually be accurately predicted. Ecological successions are the noticeable changes that occur in an ecological setup over time. These changes are often predictable and take place in an…
A Food chain can be defined as the feeding relationship between the different organisms that make up our ecosystem. An ecosystem is a commune of living organisms. The ecosystem also includes the non-living components like, earth, water, fire, air and ether. The living and non-living together form the environment. Within the environment, the living or…
The physical world is composed of living and non-living things. They are generally referred to as the biotic and the abiotic. The abiotic is the physical objects like rivers, mountains, volcanoes and water-bodies. The biotic is the world of flora and fauna. Flora The word “flora” is used to designate plant life. The word “flora”…
Rainwater harvesting is the storing of rainwater during the monsoon season for the purpose of using it during periods of water scarcity. Generally speaking, it is a process used for collecting and storing rainwater for human use. Rainwater harvesting is best described as the technique by which rain water is accumulated and stored with the…
That branch of science which deals with the physical and biological properties of the ocean and the various phenomena related to it is known as oceanography. It is the branch of Geography that studies the ocean and is also referred to as oceanology. Oceanography, as the name suggests, is that particular discipline of knowledge that…
The Ozone layer is a deep blanket in the stratosphere made up of comparatively high concentration of the ozone. As a result of its chemical composition, ozone is regarded as a special type of oxygen as it contains three oxygen molecules (O3) as opposed to the usual two oxygen molecules (O2). The ozone layer encircles…
Environmental degradation comes about due to erosion and decline of the quality of the natural environment. It is caused directly or indirectly by anthropogenic activities that extract various environmental resources at a faster rate than they are replaced, and thus depleting them. On this regard, degradation means damage or reduction in quality of environmental features,…