General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - December 2018

Dec 2018

Sep 09, 2020

J&K Glaciers Melting at Significant Rate

Glaciers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are melting at a significant rate, according to a first-of-its-kind study which used satellite data to find that over 1,200 glaciers in the Himalayan region saw an annual reduction in mass of 35 centimetres (cm) on average between 2000 and 2012.
The study was carried over the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh region, including areas across the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC), and in all 12,243 glaciers were studied for thickness and mass changes.
In general, it was observed that the glaciers in the Pir Panjal Range are melting at the higher rate, more than one metre per year, while as the glaciers in the Karakoram Range are melting relatively at a slower rate, around 10 cm per year.
Some glaciers are even advancing or stable in the Karakoram Range. In other mountain ranges like the Greater Himalayan Range, Zanaskar Range, Shamabari Range, Leh Ranges, the glaciers are undoubtedly melting but the rate of melting is variable.
They employed this data to determine the glacier thickness changes over the entire Upper Indus Basin, comprising of over 12,000 glaciers.

Thwaites: 'Doomsday Glacier' Vulnerability Seen in New Maps

Scientists have identified Thwaites Glacier's Achilles heel.
This Antarctic colossus is melting at a rapid rate, dumping billions of tonnes of ice in the ocean every year and pushing up global sea-levels.
Now, a UK-US team surveyed the deep seafloor channels in front of the glacier that almost certainly provide the access for warm water to infiltrate and attack Thwaites' underside.
These channels had not been mapped before in this kind of detail, and what has been discovered is that they are actually much bigger than anyone thought - up to 600 m deep.
"And because they are so deep, and so wide - this allows a lot more water to get at, and melt, Thwaites' floating front as well as its ice that rests on the seabed.

Sep 08, 2020

Wildfires Burn Through Record Area in California

Wildfires have burned through a record number of acres in California this year as firefighters continue to battle several large blazes across the state.
The state's department of forestry and fire protection, Cal Fire, said that more than two million acres have burned, more than the size of Delaware.
One fire, El Dorado, which has spread over 7,000 acres, was started by a gender reveal party.
California is currently experiencing a record heatwave.
Los Angeles County reported its highest ever temperature of 49.4C (121F). Although temperatures are expected to drop, which may bring strong winds which could fan the flames, the National Weather Service warns.

Sep 07, 2020

Researchers Discover Two New Species of Wasp Cockroach

Researchers at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode have discovered two new species of cockroach wasps in the Western Ghats.
These wasp species were discovered from Coonoor in Tamil Nadu and Peppara Wild Life Sanctuary in Kerala. They belonged to the family Ampulicidae and hunted cockroaches to feed their larvae, thereby helping to control the natural population of cockroaches.
The new finds have been named 'Dolichurus sahyadriensis' after Sahyadri or Western Ghat mountain ranges and 'Dolichurus chareshi' after C. Charesh, laboratory assistant attached to the ZSI, Kozhikode, who has contributed immensely for the collection of the species.
Another wasp of the same genus, 'Dolichurus aridulus' known only from Sri Lanka was also recorded for the first time from Tamil Nadu and Kerala during their present study. With this seven Dolichurus species are presently listed from India.

Sep 03, 2020

Maharashtra Govt. Designates Entire Aarey Land as a Reserve Forest

In a significant development, the Maharashtra government decided to apply section 4 of the India Forest Act (IFA) to the Aarey land in Goregaon. The move would mean that the entire Aarey land would be designated as a reserve forest.
After a meeting held by Honorable Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ji with Aarey, Forest and Environment departments has decided to apply section 4 of the IFA to approximately 600 acres in Aarey land near SGNP. This implies that it would be declared a reserve forest after a hearing for suggestions and objections.

Sep 01, 2020

Remains of Christian Chalice Found

Pieces of a 1,400-year-old Christian chalice have been found at a Roman fort - the oldest artefact of its kind ever found in Britain.
Fragments of the lead cup were found in the rubble of a 6th Century church at Vindolanda Roman Fort near Hexham.
Vindolanda's Director of Excavations Dr. Andrew Birtley said that it was the "wow factor" of rare finds.
The chalice pieces will be on display at the fort near Hadrian's Wall.
The pieces are inscribed with Christian symbols including angels and crosses, and extensive research would need to be carried out over the next few years to unlock their meaning.

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