Massive Fire in Sariska Tiger Reserve, IAF Choppers Deployed
Attempts were being made to douse the massive fire at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan's Alwar district with two Indian Air Force helicopters joining the action to control the blaze by ferrying water from nearby Siliserh Lake to spray over the forest. The wildfire had spread over 10 sq. km, is gradually reducing.
No tigers were affected in the Akbarpur forest block where the fire broke out, though it is the territory of four adult tigers and five cubs. The reserve in all has 27 tigers.
Mar 29, 2022
City in UP is World's 2nd Noisiest City, Delhi too on UN List
Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad found a place on the world map but not for the right reasons. The United Nations Environment Programme's latest report - that reveals interesting insights on noise pollution globally - has put the city on the second spot in the list of noisiest cities in the world. On top of the list is Bangladesh's Dhaka, and Islamabad in Pakistan is at the third spot - all top three cities are from South Asia. Other Indian cities where ear-splitting noises have been recorded - are Delhi, Kolkata and Asansol in Bengal, and Jaipur.
According to the WHO guidelines, the report says, the permissible noise level limits are 55 dB (decibels) LAeq (equivalent continuous sound level is the sound level in decibels) for outdoor residential areas and 70 dB LAeq for commercial areas, and where there's traffic. Moradabad, one of India's biggest export hubs, recorded 114 dB noise level, second only to Bangladesh's Dhaka.
Mar 27, 2022
Hot Poles: Antarctica, Arctic 70 and 50 Degrees above Normal
Earth's Poles are undergoing simultaneous freakish extreme heat with parts of Antarctica more than 70 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) warmer than average and areas of the Arctic more than 50 degrees (30 degrees Celsius) warmer than average.
Weather stations in Antarctica shattered records Friday as the region neared autumn. The two-mile high (3,234 meters) Concordia station was at 10 degrees (-12.2 degrees Celsius),which is about 70 degrees warmer than average, while the even higher Vostok station hit a shade above 0 degrees (-17.7 degrees Celsius), beating its all-time record by about 27 degrees (15 degrees Celsius), according to a tweet from extreme weather record tracker Maximiliano Herrera.
The coastal Terra Nova Base was far above freezing at 44.6 degrees (7 degrees Celsius).
It caught officials at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, by surprise because they were paying attention to the Arctic where it was 50 degrees warmer than average and areas around the North Pole were nearing or at the melting point, which is really unusual for mid-March, said center ice scientist Walt Meier.
Mar 26, 2022
Great Barrier Reef: Australia Confirms New Mass Bleaching Event
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is being devastated by another mass bleaching event, officials confirmed.
It is the fourth time in six years that such severe and widespread damage - caused by warm sea temperatures - has been detected.
Only two mass bleaching events had ever been recorded until 2016.
Scientists say urgent action on climate change is needed if the world's largest reef system is to survive.
There are particular concerns that this bleaching event has occurred in the same year as a La Niña weather phenomenon. Typically in Australia, a La Niña brings cooler temperatures.
Scientists are now fearful of the damage that could be caused by the next El Niño.
Mar 25, 2022
Bangladesh Most Polluted Country of the World
Bangladesh was the most polluted country in the world in 2021, says the World Air Quality Report prepared by the Swiss-based air quality technology company IQAir in its latest report released in March, 2022. In terms of particulate matter in the air, Bangladesh recorded an average PM2.5 level of 76.9 micrograms per cubic metre in 2021 against the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended maximum permissible level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre.
The data reveals that not a single country in the world managed to meet the WHO's air quality standard in 2021. All over the world, 93 cities reported PM 2.5 levels at 10 times the recommended level.