ponds: a carbon sequestrator

PONDS: A CARBON SEQUESTRATOR ?

DR. THRIVIKRAMJI.K.P.EMERITUS FELLOW, DEPT OF GEOLOGY

KARIAVATTOM [email protected]

Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for Carbon sequestration


CHARACHIRA POND, TRIVANDRUM CITY

COMMUNITY POND, VEERAVANALLUR, TN


“STORAGE POND”, NANJINADU, NAGERKOVIL


TEMPLE POND, MYLAPORE, CHENNAI


TEMPLE POND, TIRUANNAMALAI


POND TURNING MARSH


SUBURBAN POND, TRIVANDRUM


POND IN KUTTANAD, KERALA


GW DIRECTORATE ON FILLED POND, TRIVANDRUM CITY


ROWING POOL, OLD TIME POND, TRIVANDRUM CITY


RECLAIMED POND, TRIVANDRUM CITY


PONDS: MODERN EQUIVALENTS OF COAL FORMING SWAMPS OF GEOLOGIC

PASTGENERIC TYPES:

NATURAL & CONSTRUCTED SECOND ONLY TO SPRINGS IN

ABUNDANCE. Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for

Carbon sequestration

CONTROLLING FACTORS: NATURE OF LANDSCAPE, LITHOLOGICAL COVER,PREVAILING CLIMATE.

CLOSED ENVIRONEMNT ENABLES DEVELOPING OF SELF CONTAINED

ECOSYSTEMS. .


DISTRIBUTION: 304 MILLION PONDS & NATURAL

LAKES IN THE WORLD. AREA = 4.2 million KM2

TWICE THE EARLIER ESTIMATENEARLY 90% ARE UNDER 1 HA OR

LESS IN SIZE.


“A WATERBODY WHERE LIGHT REACHES THE BOTTOM;

SHALLOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW GROWTH OF ROOTED WATER

PLANTS; LACKS WAVE ACTION ALONG THE

SHORELINE.” (LIMNOLOGIST’S VERSION) Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for


PONDS:AREAL COVERAGE= ~30% OF

STANDING WATER ON EARHTS SURFACE;

EXCEPTIONAL SOURCES OF WATER;RENDER EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH

ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS & SERVICES.

PondsA Bioengineering solution for Carbon sequestration

PONDS OF THE WORLD COULD ABSORB AS MUCH CARBON AS

THE WORLD’S OCEANS.(John Downing, limnologist,

Iowa State U)


CONSTRUCTED PONDS & FARMLANDLAKES OF THE US BURY

CARBON AT A FAR HIGHER RATE THAN IMAGINED.

AS MUCH AS 2050 X THE RATE OF TREES TRAPING CARBON.

OR ANNUALLY AS MUCH CARBON AS THE WORLD’S OCEANS


DOWNING TEAM ESTIMATES 304 MILLION NATURAL LAKES AND PONDS

IN THE WORLD (AREA= 4.2 MILLION km2) OR TWICE THE AREA

PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. 90% UNDER ONE ha OR LESS IN AREA.


IF CARBON UPTAKE IN EUROPEAN PONDS EQUALS THE US PONDS, IT

IS EUREKA –THE NEWEST NATURAL WAY OF

TRAPPING CARBON.


CLIMATE, TOPOGRAPHY & GEOLOGICAL MAKEUP CONTROL

LOCII OF PONDS.IN KERALA, PONDS OCCUR IN ALL

THREE ELEVEATION ZONES; HIGHLAND (>75.0). MIDLAND (7.5

75.0M) & COASTAL LAND (<7.5).

PondsA Bioengineering solution for


District Number of Ponds Total

Panchayat Private Public Quarry Irrigation Temple

Trivandrum 1633 121 00 06 34 69 1863

Kollam 581 825 503 82 17 188 2196

Pathanamthitta 390 456 654 138 0 59 1697

Alappuzha 340 11400 00 04 03 303 12050

Kottayam 226 1641 491 84 75 208 2725

Idukki 66 558 77 19 47 23 790

Ernakulam 732 3450 296 164 72 204 4918

Thrissur 984 5861 182 43 213 258 7541

Palakkad 633 3070 242 134 61 314 4143

Malappuram 555 3632 245 145 45 272 4894

Wayanad 29 1489 01 16 61 03 1599

Kozhikod 94 855 110 33 24 284 1397

Kannur 292 626 470 25 35 301 1749

Kasaragod 265 1858 86 11 145 148 2291

Total 6820 35892 3357 904 838 2634 PondsA Bioengineering solution for


PONDS: A HUGE FRESHWATER RESOURCE OF PLANET

EQUALS 30% OF GLOBAL SURFACE AREA OF STANDING WATER.

ROLE IN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES & FUNCTIONS DUE TO HIGH

BIODIVERSITY

PondsA Bioengineering solution for


PONDS:THREATENED BY HUMAN

INTERFERENCE; NEARLY NO LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION.

EUROPEAN POND CONSERVATION NETWORK,EPCN, OF 2004

(GENEVA, 2004). CREATING AWARENESS, UNDERSTANDING &

CONSERVATION. PondsA Bioengineering solution for


EPCN POND BIODIVERSITY, HUMAN ACTION, LANDSCAPE

ECOLOGY, ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT & MONITORING, MANAGEMENT, ECOLOGICAL

RESTORATION, HYDROLOGY & CLIMATE CHANGE, INVASIVE

SPECIES & THREATENED SPECIES.PondsA Bioengineering solution for


THE RAMSAR CONVENTION SETS

UPPER LIMIT = 8.0 ha (19.768 acres).

“POND CONSERVATION”

FOR THE BRITISH CHARITY LIMITS

=1.0 m2 & 20,000 m2 (~ 2.0 ha or 5.0

acres) & HOLDS WATER FOR FOUR OR

MORE MONTHS/YR.

EUROPEAN UPPER LIMIT = 5.0 ha

AMERICAN, FLEXIBLE, UPPER LIMIT= 61.0

ACRES

(The Walden pond, Concord, Ma) Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for


ALGAE

GROW NEARLY EVERY WHERE.

VITAL PART OF AQUATIC

ECOSYSTEM.

PROVIDE FOOD & SHELTER TO

OTHER ORGANISMS.

ENABLE ABSORPTION OF

NUTRIENTS & HEAVY METALS.Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for


O2 & CO2 ARE ONLY GASES INVOLVED

IN LARGE AMOUNTS IN METABOLISM

OF GREEN PLANTS.

MICROALGAE UTILIZE CLIMATE

KILLING CO2, CREATING VALUABLE

BIOMASS, WHICH COULD BE USED TO

PRODUCE BIODIESEL, TO FUEL

BIOGAS POWER PLANTS &

NUTRITIOUS FOOD SUPPLEMENT IN

FISH FOOD.Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for


ALGAE SCRUB 10X AS MUCH CO2 AS

TERRESTRIAL PLANTS. A MIT STUDY

(2008) SAYS DIVERSION OF CO2

THROUGH AN ALAGAL BROTH COULD

REDUCE EMISSION BY ABOUT 85%.

IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS INPUTS = CO2 &

H2O

VITAL FOR ALGAL GROWTH.

O2 & H2O (V) ARE BYPRODUCTS Ponds-A Bioengineering solution for


1. SEQUESTERINGCARBON VIA ALGAL BIOFUELS (ETHANOL).

2. INJECTION OF HOT FLUE GAS OF GAS /COAL (POWER & CHEMICAL)

PLANTS INTO POOLS OF HEAT TOLERANT BLUEGREEN ALGAE

FOR CARBON CAPTURE.


PROMISE OF ALGAE TO THE FUTURE OF PLANET FULLY

UNFATHOMED. MONITORING & MEASURING

EFFICIENCIES & NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS NEED TO BE

REARCHED & DOCUMENTED.


SO MILLIONS OF PONDS & SMALL LAKES OF INDIA WARRANT

SPECIAL CARE OF THE SOCIETY AIMING FOR A SMALLER CARBON

FOOT PRINT.


� EQUAL RIGHT TO WEALTH� GREEN REVOLUTION� PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE� DRINKING WATER SUPPLY � MODERN SANITATION� CAPTIVE PUBLIC LAND� SHIFT IN LANDUSE


� PROCESS OF AGEING � HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE

NATURAL

CULTURAL

� EXCESSIVE NUTRIENTS� UPSTREAM FARMS� UNTREATED SEWAGE � DETERGENTSPonds-A Bioengineering solution for


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ponds: a carbon sequestrator

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