A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS AND Q&A SESSION (05:09 PM)

SOILS OF INDIA (05:23 PM)

• Some common characteristics of Indian soils
• Nitrogen- All Indian soils are poor in Nitrogen. 
• Laterite soil and Red soil are rich in Iron.
• Humus content is rich in Black soil, Mountain & forest soil, Peaty soil
• Salts- In Arid soil 
• Black soil is black because the titaniferous magnetite compound 
• RED SOIL 
• Weather conditions- Moderate precipitation and Moderate to high temperature
• Parent rock- Granite and Gneiss
• It is rich in Iron, magnesium, and Aluminum and Poor in nitrogen, phosphorous, and Humus content. 
• Regions- North-east, Southern Karnataka, Southern Andhra Pradesh, Eastern Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Parts of Tamilnadu. 
• LATERITE SOIL 
• Weather conditions- High temperature and high precipitation. 
• Heavy leaching causes Laterization
• It is rich in Iron, Aluminium, and Potash but deficient in Silica, Bases, humus, etc
• It is slightly acidic in nature. 
• It is well suitable for plantation crops of coffee, tea, rubber, spices, etc
• Regions- The western side of western Ghat, parts of Orissa, Meghalaya, Southern Part of Aravallis. 
• BLACK SOIL
• It is black in colour due to the presence of the titaniferous magnetite compound 
• Parent rock material- Basaltic magma of Deccan trap. 
• It is rich in humus, but deficient in nitrogen and Phosphorous.
• It is also called self-ploughing soil because It is sticky when wet and form cracks when dry. 
• Regions- Southern Gujarat, western Madhyapradesh, the whole of Maharashtra, Northern Karnataka, and parts of Telangana.
• 
• ALLUVIAL SOIL
• It is due to the deposition of sediments by the rivers 
• They are characterized by the absence of Nitrogen and Humus. 
• There are no marked differences in layers 
• Regions- The northern plains and coastal plains
• ARID & DESERT SOIL 
• They are majorly saline and alkaline in nature due to high evaporation and low moisture content 
• It is deficient in nitrogen and humus. 
• Majorly found in Western Rajasthan and Northern Gujarat. 
• MOUNTAIN & FOREST SOIL
• Mountain soils are thin-layered. Forest soils are rich in Organic content. 
• They are acidic in nature due to slow decomposition. 
• Region- Himalayas, Parts of Vindhyas, Satpuras, and part of Western Ghats 
• PEATY SOIL 
• They are found in regions of Submerged or Waterlogged conditions. 
• It contains higher organic matter
• Regions- Deltas and Estuaries along the coasts. 

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY (06:08 PM)

• Framework
• Resources
• Natural vegetation
• Agriculture 
• Mineral and energy resources
• Industries and transportation 
• Human geography 

WATER RESOURCES (06:17 PM)

• Oceanic resources 
• Resource- Which has economic value or utility. 
• Types of oceanic resources
• 1) Mineral resources-
• 1.1) Dissolved form- It is dissolved in water. Example- Salts (Sodium salt, chlorine salt, Bromine salt, Potassium salt, etc)
• 1.2) Deposited form- It was earlier mixed in water but gradually it settled down a continental shelf or at the coast or in deep oceans.
• 1.2.1) @Continental shelf- Sand is a minor mineral, gravels, silt, Magnetite (Iron ore), corals, pearls, Gold placers, and Monazite sand (Kearala coast and the entire eastern coast. It is rich in Thorium and rare earth elements) [* Rare earth elements- These are used in high-end technology]
• 1.2.2) @Deep ocean- Polymetallic nodules or Manganeese nodules. They are deposited at the oceanic floor. This is made up of multiple metals and is rich in Manganese. Along with Manganese, Iron, cobalt, etc are found. Polymettalic sulfites are found near the hydrothermal vents (i.e. from where the magma comes out).
• 2) Energy resource
• 2.1) Petroleum and Natural Gas. 
• 
• North Sea- Wherever the continental shelf is larger and shallow the quality of petroleum is the best. In the North Sea, the best quality is found called Brent crude. Also, the regions with the best petroleum reserves are found in the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. 
• 2.2) Coal
• 2.3) Tidal energy- Gujarat coast has the highest potential
• 2.4) Wave energy- Wave motion is Up and down, and this linear motion can be utilized.
• 
• 2.5) Ocean thermal energy conversion- 
• 
• 2.6) Wind energy- 
• 
• 2.7) Solar energy- By using floating solar panel 
• 2.8) Thorium- Can be used in Nuclear energy
• 2.9) Heavy water- Moderator and cooling
• 2.10) Green Hydrogen
• 3) Food resource
• 3.1) Fish, and other sea foods such as prawns, lobsters, etc 
• 3.2) Seaweeds- With the increase in global warming we may lose agricultural area then seaweeds can be a major alternative
• 4) Water resource
• We can extract fresh water from the ocean through desalinization methods such as Reverse osmosis, Electrodialysis.
• [Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through its autonomous Institute National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has developed Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology for the conversion of seawater to potable water which has been successfully demonstrated in Lakshadweep islands.]

ISSUES IN EXTRACTION OF OCEANIC RESOURCES (07:21 PM)

• Technological hurdles
• a) OTEC- technology is limited, no efficient technology 
• b) PMN- We lack the technology to extract at a deeper level
• c) Desalinization- The technology present is not sustainable as it releases heat which increases global warming 
• d) Thorium- we lack the technology to utilize thorium
• Cost
• Example- Polymetallic nodules, Freshwater extraction
• 
• Distribution 
• PMNs are only concentrated in very few regions such as the west coast of Mexico in the Pacific, the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), and in the Peru basin
• Petroleum is found in West Asia, South East Asia, the Persian Gulf, etc
• Concerns raised because of this limited distribution- Weak governance structure/ Governance Deficit, The Resource curse and Dutch disease (Example- Venezuela), Wars, Internal conflicts, Regional conflicts etc. 
• Physical barriers in the ocean-
• Oceans are too deep, too dark, and too cold. It has very very high pressure and we need special equipment. Along with this, we have mid-oceanic ridges and the Volcanic eruptions 
• Environmental/ ecological impact 
• It has a huge impact on the continental shelf- For example- Oil spill affects the coral ecosystem (Oil spills at the coast of Mexico), wetlands, estuaries, etc 
• Unsustainable fishing- Bottom Trawling
• 

FISHING RESOURCES (07:36 PM)

• Conditions favorable for the fishing sector 
• a) Merging of warm and cold ocean currents which supports large-scale fishing banks.
• Example- Merging of Labrador Current with Gulf Stream- New Found land
• Merging of Oyoshio and Kuroshio's current
• b) Cold water upwelling zones- Peru current/ Humboldt current. 
• c) Shallow and wide continental shelf- Abundant sunlight and abundant growth of plankton. Example- West European coast
• d) Continuous circulation of ocean current ensures the distribution of nutrients controlling the growth of plankton.
• e) Coral reefs- it harbors the fish. Example- South Asia and South East Asia 
• Conditions favorable for the fishing industry 
• Temperature
• Moderate temperature of temperate regions- It Helps in Fish preservation. [* In tropical areas, Fish will decompose faster so it needs additional infrastructure such as cold storage facilities, etc ].
• High temperatures do not support Phytoplankton growth. However, high temperatures in tropical areas result in a higher diversity of fish which is a disadvantage for the industry. Industry requires uniformity. 
• Geography
• Coast- Broken coast or submergent coast supports the development of natural harbours. 
• Land- Where the agricultural activity is not well developed, and the land is rugged. Example- Japan
• Economy
• The state of the economy is also less developed such as lesser investment, lesser infrastructure

DISTRIBUTION OF FISHING INDUSTRY (07:51 PM)

• North-western Atlantic region- Around new Found land, Eastern USA (Grand Bank, George Bank)
• North-east Atlantic Ocean- From Spain to Norway- Wide continental shelf and merging of Warm North Atlantic drift with cold waters of Arctic ocean
• North-west Pacific region- Around Japan, Korea where Kuroshio current mixes with Oyoshio current. 
• Northeast Pacific- Western coast of Canada and USA- Advantage is cold Californian current, Broken coast
• Central and eastern Pacific of the coasts of Peru ad Chile due to Humboldt's current
• 
• Indian fishing sector's potential
• Long coastline- 7500 Km coastline
• Wider continental shelf along the western coast
• Huge potential for freshwater fishing/ inland fishing
• Broken coast along the West Coast
• India is the second largest contributor to fishing after the china
• Issues in the Indian fishing sector
• Demand is lesser due to cultural reasons- Vegetarianism
• Preservation of fish requires infrastructure such as cold storage. This is less because of lesser investment in the fishing sector. 
• Fishing activity is totally unorganized and also it is a caste-based economic activity. 
• Traditional methods of extraction- manual boats, manual nets, etc
• High-value fish is not targeted which makes it less competitive in the international market
• Climatic conditions- Harsh conditions during Monsoon, cyclones
• The fish-food processing industry is not well developed. 
• International disputes and Territorial disputes- Example- Sir Creek dispute, Srilanka fisherman's dispute. 
• Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing exacerbates overfishing and undermines the sustainability of the sector.
• Rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification, and changing currents have a profound impact on marine ecosystems and fish populations.

The Topic for the next class:- Freshwater resources and problems dealing with freshwater resources.