General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jul 20, 2018

Study of World's Beaches

A first-of-its-kind survey of the world's sandy shorelines with satellite data found that they have increased slightly on a global scale over the past three decades but decreased in protected marine areas, where many beaches are eroding.

Erosion in protected areas could threaten plants, animal species and cultural sites.

The view from space provided researchers of just how much of Earth's shorelines are beaches. They found that about a third (31 per cent) of all ice-free shorelines are sandy or gravelly. Africa has the highest proportion of sandy beaches (66 per cent) and Europe has the lowest (22 per cent).

Jul 19, 2018

Policy to Fix Carbon Dioxide Emission Norms for Aircrafts

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has drafted a policy to fix carbon dioxide emission norms and test procedure for aircraft. All jet aeroplanes having a maximum take-off weight above 5,700 kg and all propeller-driven aircraft having a maximum take-off weight above 8,618 kg would have to comply with emission norms.

Amphibious aircraft or those designed or modified for special operational requirements, including fire-fighting, are exempted.

Different emission standards have been set for various categories of aircraft depending on their weight, speed, payload, operating altitude, atmospheric conditions, engine power, and type of fuel used.

Emission certificate for pre-flight as well as in-flight configuration will be granted or validated by the DGCA.

New Classification of Earth's Age

Scientists have announced a new classification of earth's age calling the one we are in currently the Meghalaya age that began 4,200 years ago. The latest chapter, Meghalayan is marked by specific chemical signatures in stalagmites. The strongest such feature was found in Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya. This change happened at the onset of a mega-drought that crushed a number of civilisations worldwide.

The demarcation is significant for multiple reasons. It is the first formal geological sub-division of the Holocene epoch that began 11,600 years ago and extends to the present into three ages: Greenlandian, Northgrippian, and Meghalayan.

Jul 15, 2018

Mummification Worskshop Discovered

Archaeologists have discovered a mummification workshop dating back some 2,500 years at an ancient necropolis near Egypt's famed pyramids.

Jul 11, 2018

Fossil of First Giant Dinosaur Discovered

A new species of dinosaur, Ingentia prima (Latin for "first giant") has been uncovered in Argentina. The fossil dates back to the end of the Triassic Period, about 215 million years ago. This goliath, a member of the lessemsaurus family, is the first species of dinosaur to reach giant status, weighing in at 10 tonnes and predating other behemoths such as Apatosaurus and Diplodocus, which evolved later during the Jurassic Period.

Giant 600-kg Crocodile Captured

After an almost decade-long hunt, wildlife rangers in Australia have successfully captured a massive 600-kilogram crocodile. The male saltwater crocodile measures 4.71 metres long, almost the size of an average family car. It is estimated to be more than 60 years old.

Jul 06, 2018

Species under Extinction Threat

According to the latest red list assessment of the natural world, more than 26,000 of the world's species are now threatened, and fears the planet is entering a sixth wave of extinctions.

The threats are not limited to faraway creatures with exotic names. Scientists have warned the loss of biodiversity is more of a threat than climate change because it erodes the earth's capacity to provide clean air, fresh water, food and a stable weather system.

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