My Science School

A rock that is shaped like a mushroom! What’s interesting is how the rock gets that shape. The strong winds blowing across desert landscapes erode the base of massive boulders more than the top. Over many years, this results in a thin stem supporting a broad cap - a mushroom rock.

Mushroom rock is a naturally occurring rock with the shape of a mushroom. The rocks are deformed in a variety of ways due erosion and weathering, glacial action, and sudden disturbances. Mushroom rocks are generally formed due to such deformations. We will learn about mushroom rocks associated with wind Erosional Landforms/ Aeolian Landforms.

• Mushroom Rock, also known as a perched rock or pedestal rock, is a boulder balanced on a pinnacle rock or over another boulder or in some other position.
• Rainwash generally removes the fine debris from around the boulder, causing some elevated rocks to develop.
• Mushroom rocks are usually found with a strong capping and crumbling or exudation along their edges.
• these types of rocks are generally found in deserts.

Formation of Mushroom Rocks

• In mushroom rocks, the wind-carried sand rarely rises more than three or four feet above the ground, although the concentration of the sand is highest at eighteen inches closest to the ground.
• As a result, the sandblast or abrasion effect will be greatest at or near the ground level.
• The upstanding rocks at their bottoms are undercut by continued abrasive action, resulting in Rock pedestal or Mushroom rocks.

Picture credit: Google

When strong winds storm across sandy deserts, they lift huge amounts of sand into the air and blow it about forcefully in what is called a sandstorm. The force and speed of the wind can carry the sand for thousands of kilometres before depositing it again. The coarseness of the particles can make a sandstorm really devastating. Smaller grains can remain suspended in the air for a long time.

A sandstorm is described as a natural phenomenon that occurs when a strong wind, such as a gust front, blows fine sand particles and dust from a dry surface. These particles become suspended in the air, causing erosion where they initially were. The wind drops these particles in another place where silt is formed.

Also known as a dust storm, a sandstorm is common in arid and semi-arid regions. The primary terrestrial sources of airborne dust include the drylands around the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. The Takla Makan and Gobi desert of China, and the Sahara desert also experience sandstorms.

A sandstorm is usually confined to the lowest ten feet. It rarely rises to more than fifty feet above the ground. The sand particles which are picked up by the sandstorm are larger than dust particles. They usually fall out of the storm more rapidly, causing it to launch not far from where the sand was initially at.

It is thought that the particles also fall to the ocean, significantly affecting the marine ecosystem. It is worth noting that the frequency of sandstorms has been increasing, albeit a well-known meteorological phenomenon since the ancient times. It has raised several health and environmental concerns due to the gravity of its surge.

Credit: Earth Eclipse

Picture Credit: Google

1000 trees are presently walking down the streets of the city of Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Or rather, the indigenous trees planted in big wooden containers are being lugged around by volunteers. The idea is to let people experience a greener and cleaner alternative.

The unique initiative has been launched as part of the art project 'Bosk, envisaged by architect Bruno Doedens and his collaborator, the late Joop Mulder.

The trees will keep moving around the city till August 14, after which they will be planted across the city. The idea emerged from Doedens 2021 essay Planet Paradise. The essay questions the relationship of humans with the natural world.

Bosk means forest in the local Frisian language. The move is an attempt to raise awareness about climate change. The trees are being moved by thousands of volunteers and roads are closed when the trees are walking. The trees rest on the weekend.

It all started in the month of May, when volunteers started moving the trees in huge wooden containers. After starting their journey, the trees first stopped at Stationsplein. outside Leeuwarden's train station.

Whilst the trees aren't moving, seating areas are provided between the trees to let the people experience life when there is more green cover. Around 60-70 varieties of native trees such as maple, oak, elm, willow, alder, and ash are planted in the wooden containers.

QR codes have been given which lets one know the details such as the species name, its lifespan, soil type, and so on. The city gardening team gets an alert whenever water is required by the tree. A soil sensor alert has been provided for this.

 The trees will get their permanent home in the city after 100 days. The trees will trundle down these roads until August 14 and will later be planted across the city where the greenery is limited.

Picture Credit : Google 

When we speak about increasing forest cover, the main reason for doing so is perhaps that it takes in carbon, and so will help in tackling climate change. But, that's not the only thing forests do. Their benefits are interconnected in a way it can help humankind as a whole live well. Let's take a closer look at some of the ways in which they help us

Cooling effect

Keeping tropical forests standing provides a 50% greater impact on lowering global temperatures than can be accounted for simply through their carbon-absorbing abilities, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI), a think tank.

Stands of trees, for instance, provide "evapotranspiration" - the process by which water is released from the soil into the atmosphere to fall as rain. Such additional cooling impacts must be integrated into governments climate policies to fully reflect what forests do for the planet, the report said.

Food and water security

Forests help to maintain stable rainfall patterns and local temperatures, which are vital for food and water security, according to the WRI report.

 The Brazilian Amazon, for example, the report said, helps to maintain vital rainfall in several other countries, affecting agricultural production as far as Argentina. As deforestation turns parts of the world's largest tropical rainforest into dry savannah, scientists are concerned that the Amazon is edging towards a tipping point beyond which it might never recover.

A buffer against natural disasters

Another benefit that forests provide is their ability to act as a buffer against natural disasters, which have become increasingly common due to climate change. Tree canopies can intercept rainfall and slow it down in a storm, allowing up to 30% of the water to evaporate into the atmosphere without reaching the ground, according to Britain's Woodland Trust charity. In fact, some cities are using urban forests to become more resilient to flooding, as trees provide more permeable land to absorb rainwater.

Also, across the world's equatorial regions, mangrove forests not only store significant carbon but provide a defence against coastal erosion and storm surges

Global biodiversity

Another vital contribution of forests is their impact on biodiversity, with such ecosystems home to more than half of the world's land-based animal and plant species. As well as protecting nature, forests can provide a range of benefits to people, from forest foods to medicines. Especially in tropical regions, deforestation has been linked to increased outbreaks of infectious diseases, in particularly as animals come into closer contact with people. According to a recent analysis by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world's wildlife populations have declined by more than two-thirds since 1970, with deforestation a major driver.

Sustainable living

Deforestation leads directly to increases in local temperatures, exposing people and crops to heat stress, WRI said.

These local temperature extremes are a particular threat in the tropics for small-scale farmers, agricultural workers, indigenous people, and other local communities. Indigenous communities in particular rely on forests for their way of life. Research shows that they are also the best people to conserve these areas, leading to calls to put more in the hands of frontline communities.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Forests are the largest carbon sinks on land - they remove about 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 each year from the atmosphere.

• In the Amazon, more than 10,000 species are at risk of extinction due to the clearing of rainforest for uses such as cattle ranching and soy farming.

• In the Amazon basin, a 2021 report by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed that deforestation rates are up to 50% lower in indigenous peoples' forest lands than in other areas.

Picture Credit : Google 

If you want to be a part of the solution to climate change, you need to check your carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases generated by our actions that are harmful to the planet. It is expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The average carbon footprint for a person in India is 2.7 tonnes. But this average masks the wide differences between urban and rural residents, and between rich and poor households. So if you want to be a part of the climate solution, you need to check your carbon footprint.

There are many carbon calculators on the Internet, but few are fine-tuned for the Indian consumer. Some of the local calculators are from Tata Power and ICICI Bank. The calculations cover your energy, gas, paper, and other uses whose manufacture generate carbon emissions.

Once your footprint is known, various options are available to offset your emissions. These include planting trees, helping to set up solar or bio gas installations in villages, etc.

Voluntary carbon offsets

Many airlines provide voluntary carbon offsets for domestic or international flights as part of ticketing. For example, if you fly from Mumbai to London on British Airways (BA), your round trip will generate 1.1 tCO2e in emissions. BA will charge you separately to offset the emission, which will be used to protect forests in Cambodia or Peru or supply smokeless cook stoves in Sudan.

So what is the benefit to you? There is no direct benefit, except for some satisfaction that you have done your bit for the environment, that you have been a good global citizen, and that instead of just talking about climate change, you are taking action to address the climate crisis.

Planting trees

I will give you a personal example. My carbon footprint for 2020 was 7.1 tCO2e, which is above the Indian average on account of two flights. I decided to offset this emission by contributing towards planting trees in the village of Pekhri in Himachal Pradesh. I was helping not only to create a 'global good' but also local villagers who had no work on account of the pandemic. The money will help Pekhri village to plant a thousand fruit, fodder and timber trees on degraded slopes. The trees will be selected by the local people. In a small way, the plantation will also help store carbon in the soil, a global benefit.

But critics of carbon offsets say this is a Band-Aid solution, that it enables the well-off people to continue to pollute the Earth and just write a cheque to offset their bad behaviour. What is needed, they argue, is a complete change in lifestyle, a behavioural change that recognises the damaging impact of consumerism on the planet.

Getting out of our comfort zone

This is a valid argument, but changing human behaviour is not easy. Try convincing a car owner in Mumbai or Delhi to give up his precious car, motorcycle or scooter! Or a middle class housewife in Chennai or Hyderabad not to run the home air conditioner in the summer. Comfort and convenience are the hallmarks of a modern lifestyle. To convince the urban middle class to move out of its comfort zone is very hard, but one must try through raising awareness.

Calculating one's carbon footprint is the start of this awareness. As my high schoolteacher said, "To be a part of the solution, you must recognise you are part of the problem." You can't solve the climate crisis without recognising your role in it.

Picture Credit : Google