सिद्ज़ नोटबुक: 2010

20 November 2010

Present Status of CO2 Capture from Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant Stack Gases

Here are some websites that I found so far that may help you with this assignment:

ABOUT CO2 CAPTURE

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_storage
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/ef900740p
http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/mechanical/articles/64165.aspx
http://www.co2mustang.eu/WhatIsCcs.aspx
http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/index.php
http://www.carboncapturejournal.com/displaynews.php?NewsID=655&PHPSESSID=1vsg7tu9tppbrgjq4jnpp3oaf7
http://www.portofentry.com/site/root/resources/analysis/8011.html
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/co2-capture-storage/l-3/8-cost-capture-storage.htm

ABOUT COAL POWER PLANTS & STACK GASES

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Conventional_coal-fired_power_plant
http://aie.org.au/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Past_Technical_Meetings&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=810&ContentID=2660&DirectListComboInd=D
http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/coal-stack-gas-treatment.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_power_station

ABOUT STATUS IN INDIA

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2S-4W6N2PS-1&_user=2508949&_coverDate=08/31/2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000057646&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2508949&md5=da9dcbfd6d5d21c206e1fb574c92ad86&searchtype=a

16 November 2010

Odum's 24 Attributes of Succession

Here is the table of Odum's 24 Attributes of ecological succession. It is from Science, New Series, Vol. 164, No. 3877. (Apr. 18, 1969), pp. 262-270. For the full article you can click this link.

To see a larger image click on the picture.

27 October 2010

Hydrosere and Xerosere – Ecological Succession

Hydrosere
Hydrosere or Hydrarch succession occurs in a pond and its community are converted into a land community.

Characteristics of Hydrosere:

In the initial stage, phytoplankton(cyanobacteria), green algae (Spirogyra,Oedogonium) are the pioneer colonizers.
They are consumed by zooplankton (protozoans asAmoeba, Euglena, Paramecium etc), fish such as sun fish, blue gill fish etc.
Gradually these organisms die and increase the content of dead organic matter in the pond.
This is then utilized by bacteria and fungi, and minerals are released after decomposition.
Nutrient rich mud supports rooted hydrophytes growth as Elodea, Hydrilla, Ceratophyllum etc in the shallow water zone.
This submerged stage is also inhabited by animals such as may flies. Dragon flies etc and Crustaceans asDaphnia, Cypris, Cyclops etc.
The hydrophytes die and decomposed by micro organisms and thus release nutrients.
Due to silting, water depth is reduced and at the margin of pond grow rooted floating vegetation.
Example- Nelumbo nucifera, Monochoria, Trapa etc.
In floating stage faunal living space is increased and diversified. Example- frogs, salamander, hydra, diving beetles etc inhabit such conditions. Some turtles and snake also invade the pond.
Gradually, the water depth decreases due to water evaporation and organic matter decomposition.
Free floating plants as Lemna, Azolla, Pistia, Spirodella, Wolffia etc increase in number as availability of high nutrient is there.
When these die, they build up the pond ecosystem, resulting in further build up of the substratum.
Pond becomes a Swampy ecosystem.
The reed swamp species, such as Scirpus, Typha or Phragmites and sedges as Juncus, Carex, Cyperus etc invade the pond and gradually replaced by mesic communities.
Gradually, land plants as shrubs (Salix and Cornus) and trees (Almus, Populus) invade ending in the climax community as deciduous forest.
The aquatic fauna also changes and ultimately gets replaced by land animals.

Xerosere
Xerosere or Xerarch succession begins on exposed parent rocks (lithosere) or dry sand (psammosere).
A lithosere involves following stages-

crustose lichen stage (pioneers) – foliose lichen stage – moss stage – herbs stage – shrub stage – forest stage (climax stage).

Characteristics of Xerosere:

Thus, pioneer plants are lichens, mosses and Selaginella that help in soil formation.
In due course of time, annuals and herbaceous vegetation grow on the soils deposited on rocks.
Lithosere also involves successive changes in animal life.
Pioneer stages in animals are few species of mites, spiders and ants which are exposed to harsh temperatures.
During moss stage, many new species of mites, spiders, springtails invade the community.
Herb stage is invaded by nematodes, mites and various insect larvae.
Great modifications occur in the fauna of shrub and forest stage. Numerous kinds of animals as snails, wire worm, millipede, mites, ants and amphibians such as frogs, salamander occur. Reptiles which occur there are skinks, turtles and other lizards. Birds such as grouse and flycatcher and mammals as shrews, mouse, mole, squirrels, fox and chipmunk occur.

Websites:

http://apbiology.ygoy.com/236/hydrosere-and-xerosere-ecological-succession/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerosere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrosere

22 October 2010

Great Website for Solar Energy Information

I found a great website to learn more about solar energy for our Energy class.
Click on the photo.

21 October 2010

Earthquake Practical

I found this website about Seismic Zones in India. It is pretty good. Click on photo.

Another website is also Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_hazard_zoning_of_India

Floods Practical

I found this good website which explains floods in India. Click on the picture.

10 October 2010

Forest Assignment

Here are some websites for the forest assignment...

http://www.indianetzone.com/2/indian_forests.htm
http://www.onestopias.com/ias-articles/indian-forest-services/details/types-of-forests-in-india-98.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_Rainforest_of_India

Click on the photo to see it bigger.
More more photos click here.

02 October 2010

Aquatic Plants

Here are photos of the aquatic plants that we had in lab.

Plant Photos

Here are some links:

Azolla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azolla, Photos
Eichhornia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hyacinth, Photos
Hydrilla
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrilla, Photos
Pistia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistia, Photos
Salvinia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvinia, Photos

Deep Sea Video

Here's a video from National Geographic about deep sea creatures that Prof. Pandey was talking about in Aquatic class last week.

23 September 2010

Rock Hand Specimens

Here are the photos for the rocks from geology lab. Click on the photo and you will go to the photo album. You can download the photos from there.

Rock Hand Specimens

22 September 2010

Geology: Rock Lab

Rocks for Geology Lab. I've looked on the internet and the best and easiest way to find the properties of rocks is on www.wikipedia.org. Just type in the name of the rock in the search box of Wikipedia. You will not find a couple of the specific rocks, like different types of sandstone and limestone, but if you read the main article you will get some idea.

Can anyone guess what rock is this one on the left side?

11 September 2010

Freshers Party 2010 Photos

If you want photos from the Freshers Party, then send me an email with your name. Then I will send you the website ID to find the photo album of our Freshers Party. (Note: Do not click on the photos above, you will not be able to see all the photos if you do. You need the special website ID from me.)

Table 10-1 Primary Production for the World

Here is the table the Ghoshal Madam wanted us to see. Click on the photo to make it bigger.

Fellows Friday with Mohan Kandaswamy

I just read this nice blog about how one Indian company removes ammonia from waste water without using chemicals. Read more below...

Fellows Friday with Mohan Kandaswamy

Mohan Kandaswamy commercializes a first-of-its-kind device that cleans aquaculture systems without the use of chemicals. Based in India, Mohan is expanding this technology beyond shrimp and prawn production to conserve endangered species and cleanup wastewater from mining and other industries worldwide.
Read more...

06 September 2010

चींटियों से डरते हैं हाथी

चींटियों से हाथी को ख़तरा महसूस होता है

I found this news on the BBC website.

विशालकाय हाथी चींटियों से डरते हैं, ये बात हम बचपन से सुनते आए हैं लेकिन शोध ने भी इस बात की पुष्टि की है. पूर्वी अफ़्रीका में जहाँ पेड़ों की संख्या घट रही है वहीं हाथियों की संख्या बढ़ रही है. वहाँ हाथी अपने भोजन के लिए पेड़ों को नुकसान पहुँचाते हैं.
और...

02 September 2010

Economic Minerals

Here are the photos of the Economic Minerals. Click on the picture for more photos.

Economic Minerals

Man with Gun at Discovery Channel Station

This news is still going on right now. There is a man who has a gun and has captured at least one person at the "Discovery Channel" station in USA. He believes that humans are destroying the world. He wants Discovery Channel to do a better job at saving the environment.

See more news updates at the CNN website: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/01/police-reports-of-armed-man-at-discovery-channel-headquarters/?hpt=T1

And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/01/AR2010090104795.html

27 August 2010

Monsoon Floods 2010 in Pakistan

News this week: This is the effect of monsoon floods on people this year in the sub-continent.

Links to more news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11105661

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/26/pakistan.floods/index.html?hpt=T1#fbid=NRX7Y__tsAF&wom=false

r- and K- Strategies Table

Singh Sir had told us to to create a table about r- and K- strategies. Here is one I found from http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/papers/r-KselectionQOL.pdf. It is taken from Pianka and Wilson.

Table 1 summarizes the typical differences between organisms that follow either type of strategies [cf. Pianka, 1970; Wilson, 1975].

r-organisms	K-organisms
short-lived	long-lived
small	large
weak, vulnerable	robust, well-protected
fast maturation	slow maturation
prone to take risks	risk averse
opportunistic exploiters	consistent exploiters
less intelligent, experienced...	more intelligent, experienced...
strong sex drive	weak sex drive
reproduce at an early age	reproduce at a late age
large number of offspring	small number of offspring
small relative size at birth	large relative size at birth
little care for offspring	much care for offspring
variable population size	stable population size

Table 1: typical differences between organisms that follow r-strategies (e.g. rabbits, sparrows), respectively K-strategies (e.g. elephants, parrots)

Singh, Singh, Gupta: Ecology, Environment & Resource Conservation

Are you having trouble following our Ecology class? This book was recommended by our seniors. They said it was very helpful.

It is available in our department library. Also available to buy in photocopy form in Lanka. It is not available at Student Friends bookstore nor University bookstore in Lanka.

This book has some good topics in it, for example:

Defining Ecology
Characteristics of Population
Life History Strategies, r- and k- selection
Niche
Ecological Succession
Ecosystem Structure, Function and Processes
Food Chain and Food Webs
Ecosystems Nutrient Cycling

Description of the book:

Ecology,Environment & Resource Conservation
Singh, J.S., Singh, S.P. & Gupta, S.R.

This is the first comprehensive textbook of its kind on ecology and environment published in India by three leading ecologists. Every post-graduate student of ecology must have a personal copy.

Over the year, the scope of our scientific understanding and technical skills in ecology and environmental science have widened significantly, with increasingly greater emphasis on societal issues. In this book an attempt has been made to give basic concepts of ecology, environmental science and various aspects of natural resources.

ISBN: 8188342556
List Price: INR 595.00
ISBN-13: 9788188342556 Sale Price: INR 595.00
Publisher: Anamaya Publishers Pages: 688
Language: English