The Coral Reef

Coral reefs are fragile, living ecosystems increasingly being threatened and damaged by pollution, disease and habitat destruction. EPA has several activities involving the protection of coral reefs. Further education of the coral reef biological indicators is important to bring additional awareness to these very unique ecosystems.

Coral reefs are among the world's richest ecosystems, second only to tropical rain forests in plant and animal diversity. However, they are extremely sensitive environments that have special temperature, salinity, light, oxygen, and nutrient requirements. If environmental conditions fall outside the acceptable range of these requirements, the health and dynamics of a coral reef community can be severely disrupted. That's why coral communities are sensitive indicators of water quality and the ecological health of the coastal watershed.

Corals themselves are tiny animals which belong to the group cnidaria (the "c" is silent). Other cnidarians include hydras, jellyfish, and sea anemones. Corals are sessile animals, meaning they are not mobile but stay fixed in one place. They feed by reaching out with tentacles to catch prey such as small fish and planktonic animals. Coral reefs provide habitats for a large variety of organisms. These organisms rely on corals as a source of food and shelter. Besides the corals themselves and their symbiotic algae, other creatures that call coral reefs home include various sponges; molluscs such as sea slugs, nudibranchs, oysters, and clams; crustaceans like crabs and shrimp; many kinds of sea worms; echinoderms like star fish and sea urchins; other cnidarians such as jellyfish and sea anemones; various types of fungi; sea turtles; and many species of fish.

Pioneer Corps

The oldest and least glamourous of all services, yet it is omnipresent in all stages of warfare. Pioneer Corps units provide disciplined and well trained manpower, where civilian labor is either not available, or its employment is not desirable for reasons of security. Pioneer units are mostly committed in forward and operational areas. They may also be employed as guards and escorts for headquarters, installations, ammunition trains and convoys.

"Through all major wars the contribution of the Pioneer has been tremendous. He is an important element in all spheres of activities with the engineers he builds bridges, repairs railways, maintains roads; with the service corps he brings up vital supplies and stores; with the ordnance corps he keeps up the flow of guns and ammunition; he works in hospitals or acts as stretcher bearers with frontline troops ".

True to these words, the Pioneers have been there to support the operations of all arms and services, both in war and peace. Their resilience and eagerness to undertake all type of duties is aptly summed up in their motto; SHRAM SARVA VIJAYEE -meaning 'With Labour, everything can be won'. The Pioneer Soldier is always true to his tasks.

IIT student chosen for US Council on Competitiveness

Pradeep Khosla, an Indian-American globally known as an authority on robotics, has been chosen to join an esteemed council, committed to US competitiveness in the global economy.

Pradeep Khosla, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus has been elected to join the Council on Competitiveness -- a select group of corporate CEOs, university presidents and labor leaders to evaluate economic test and direct American competitiveness in this globalize world.

"An internationally recognized authority on robotics, embedded systems, technology education, innovation and cyber security, Carnegie Mellon's Pradeep Khosla is an outstanding addition to our newly formed Technology Leadership Strategy Initiative," said Deborah Wince-Smith, president of the Washington, DC-based council.

In recent times He was appointed for a second five year term as dean of the Carnegie Institute of technology, in credit of his management in research and education initiatives both inside the university and internationally.

Khosla will join academic researchers and business leaders to serve next three years on the Technology Leadership Strategy Initiative, a joint effort designed to plan the most promised frontiers of technology and competitive advantage for the United States.

Biosolids in America

Thirty years ago, many American metropolises discarded their raw sewage directly into rivers, lakes, and bays. Today, because of enhanced wastewater treatment, waterways have been cleaned up and made safer for amusement and seafood harvest. And, because of the stern Federal and state standards, the treated residuals from wastewater treatment (biosolids) can be safely recycled. Home governments make the choice whether to reprocess the biosolids as a fertilizer, incinerate it or bury it in a landfill.

Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic resources resultant from the treatment of sewage sludge (the name for the solid, semisolid or liquid untreated residue generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment facility). When treated and processed, sewage sludge becomes biosolids which can be safely recycled and applied as fertilizer to sustainably improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth.

Although cities decide how best to manage their biosolids, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is obligated and continues to provide the public with educational information, based on the best science, about the safe recycling and disposal of biosolids.

The Ozone Layer

The ozone layer is a region of the ozone molecule (O3) in the Earth's atmosphere. The layer sits at an altitude of about 10-50 kilometers, and is major in the stratosphere at an altitude of 25 kilometers. In recent years, scientists have measured a seasonal reduction of the ozone layer primarily at the South Pole. This phenomenon is being called the ozone hole.

The ozone layer naturally guards Earth's life from the harmful effects of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A rigorous decrease in the concentration of ozone in the ozone layer could lead to the following dangerous effects:
• An increase in the rate of skin cancer (ultraviolet radiation can destroy acids in DNA).
• A large increase in cataracts and Sun burning.
• Suppression of immune systems in organisms.
• Undesirable impact on crops and animals.
• Decrease in the growth of phytoplankton found in the Earth's oceans.
• Huge change in climatic effect.

Ozone is created in nature in the stratosphere by the combining of atomic oxygen (O) with molecular oxygen (O2). This process is done in the presence of sunlight. Ozone is destroyed naturally by the absorption of ultraviolet radiation,
O3 + UV >>> O2 + O
and by the collision of ozone with other atmospheric atoms and molecules.
O3 + O >>> 2O2
O3 + O3 >>> 3O2

Human Impact on living organism

Loss of habitats due to environment pollution and deforestation is responsible for shifting of many species of animals and plants in the category of threatened species while some of them have become extinct. It is estimated that about 25,000 plants species; about 1000 vertebrate species and many invertebrates’ species are threatened.

Other causes of impact on living organism are:
Poaching of wild life for food, horn, fur, ivory,etc.
According to a report, more than 60 tigers have been poached in different parts of the country during a year, while about 57 elephants have been shot dead for ivory in a single year.
Natural resources are over exploited.

Extinct species:
Dodo bird of Mauritius.
Cheetah of India.
Great Indian Bustard.
Peacock.
Tiger.
Show leopard.
Black rhinoceros.
Red panda.
Asiatic lion.
Kashmiri stag.

Solar cell

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell is a device that converts solar energy into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaics is the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells as solar energy. Sometimes the term solar cell is reserved for devices intended specifically to capture energy from sunlight, while the term photovoltaic cell is used when the source is unspecified.

Assemblies of cells are used to make solar modules, which may in turn be linked in photovoltaic arrays.