General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - May 2019

May 2019

Feb 04, 2022

Greenland Lost Enough Ice in Last 2 Decades to Cover Entire US in 1.5 Feet of Water

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet, and the toll on Greenland's massive ice sheet is becoming achingly clear.
According to new satellite data compiled by Polar Portal, a collection of four Danish government research institutions, Greenland lost more than 5,100 billion tons (4,700 billion metric tons) of ice in the past 20 years — or roughly enough to flood the entire United States in 1.6 feet (0.5 meters) of water.
This extensive ice loss has contributed to half an inch (1.2 centimeters) of global sea-level rise in just two decades.
The team's data covers the 20 years from April 2002 to August 2021 and is based on observations taken by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) fleet of satellites.

Feb 03, 2022

Two Wetlands Bag Ramsar Tag

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said that two more wetlands in India — Khijadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat and Bakhira Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh — were declared Ramsar sites.
India now has the most number of such sites in South Asia--49 wetlands covering an area of 1,093,636 hectares.
Wetlands are extremely important for a healthy biodiversity in the country, where forests act like lungs and wetlands work like kidneys to clean the environment. The government is also trying to ensure that 75 lakes across the country are declared as Ramsar sites as we celebrate 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' this year.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is an inter-governmental treaty adopted on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. It came into force in India on February 1, 1982.

Feb 02, 2022

Alien Hammerhead Flatworm Named after Pandemic

Scientists have discovered an alien hammerhead flatworm species that looks a bit like a miniature king cobra, or perhaps an itty-bitty snake with a moustache. The researchers found the tiny creatures hunting snails in France and Italy, and they've named the invaders after the COVID-19 pandemic.
These new hammerhead flatworms are among two newly described species found in countries that researchers believe are not part of their native range so they were very likely introduced there by humans.
Scientists dubbed the first soil-dwelling predator species Humbertium covidum, with covidum being a reference to COVID-19 as an "homage to the numerous casualties" of the pandemic and because much of the 55-page study was written during lockdowns.

Feb 01, 2022

India's First Geo Park to Come Up In Madhya Pradesh

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) approved the setting up of the country's first geo park at Lamheta village on the banks of the Narmada River in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
The estimated cost of this project is Rs. 35 crore and there is a provision to sanction additional funds if required, as the area around the upcoming geo park will be developed.
A geopark is a unified area that advances the protection and use of geological heritage in a sustainable way and promotes the economic well-being of the people who live there.
This site is already there in the UNESCO geo-heritage tentative list for the conservation of the natural heritage. Several dinosaur fossils had been found in the Narmada valley, particularly in the Bhedaghat-Lameta Ghat area of Jabalpur.

Jan 31, 2022

NASA Ocean Melting Greenland Mission

The ocean waters are melting the glaciers in Greenland as much as the warm air is melting them from the above. The Ocean Melting Greenland mission, generally referred to as OMG mission was launched by NASA. It was a five year mission. It ended on December 31, 2021. The mission mainly measured the ice loss in Greenland.
As per the study, if all the Greenland ice melts, then the global ocean level will increase by 7.4 metres.
The ice in Greenland is melting five times faster than they were 25 years ago.
There are more than 220 glaciers in Greenland. The ocean waters are melting them at faster rate.
The mission conducted a complete survey of the sea floor in the coasts of Greenland. It measured the ocean temperature year to year, place to place and top to bottom.
A complete map of the ocean was created. The mission measured the salinity of the water at different depths.
It also studied how the salty Atlantic water impacted the ice melting in Greenland.

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