Recently, few parts of Delhi were hit by a sudden and massive sandstorm, turning the sky murky.
What is a Dust Storm?
A dust storm is a meteorological phenomenon common to arid and semi-arid regions, when strong winds erode and blow loose sand from their dry surface, and in the process move soil from one place to another.
Drylands of North Africa and Arabian Peninsula are the main terrestrial sources of airborne dust.
In India, dry season runs through April to June, with sporadic storms originating from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Western India.
Causes of Dust Storm
Pre-monsoon weather: Late April and May are the peak time for pre-monsoon weather activities that include dust storms, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, rain and thundershowers — from mild to severe.
Pressure Differences: The pressure difference between the Arabian Sea and Pakistan can create wind anomalies that add to the westerly winds blowing into India and carrying the desert dust.
High temperature: Hot temperatures in this region have set the stage for dust storms. As hot air rises, it creates a vacuum. Air that rushes in to fill the void carries dust with it. These storms are especially common in the spring and summer months.
Movement of the Sun: Due to the northern movement of the sun the north India gets overly heated. The unusually high temperature zones reacted violently when they came in contact with moisture-laden air to create spells of dust storms.
Western Disturbances: A western disturbance originates in the Mediterranean Sea and brings rainfall to northwestern India. Western disturbances can also cause dust storms and thunderstorms, leading to reduced visibility and hazardous air quality.
Global Warming: Weather scientists have long been linking increased frequency of storms with a rise in temperature on account of global warming.
Impact of Dust Storms
Air Pollution: Dust accumulates toxic substances from other combustion sources including vehicles, industry, solid waste and biomass burning in urban environments. It directly aids air pollution.
Air quality: Dust storms can significantly degrade air quality by releasing large quantities of particulate matter into the atmosphere.
Soil Degradation: Sand and dust storms strip away fertile topsoil, affecting soil quality and fertility.
Ecosystem Disruption: These storms can change ecosystems by interring vegetation, unsettling normal habitats, and distressing wildlife.
Economic Losses: Sand and dust storms cause considerable financial losses by destructing infrastructure, dropping agricultural productivity, unsettling transportation.
Way forward
Soil Moisture Management: To control the damage from dust storms, there is a need to device effective water management approaches to hold soil moisture and stop desertification.
Regulatory Framework: Governments should impose stringent land-use guidelines to control activities leading to soil deprivation and dust emissions, like overgrazing or inappropriate land development.
Mitigation Strategies: Farmers can prevent and reduce dust by using new tilling methods and planting cover crops that hold the soil in place. Dust controls at construction sites etc.
G-5 Level Geomagnetic Storm
Why in news?
Recently, For the first time since October 2003, extreme (G5) solar storm conditions reached Earth.
About Geomagnetic Storm
A geomagnetic storm, also known as a magnetic storm, is a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave.
Geomagnetic storms originate from a specific type of activity taking place on the Sun.
Large “clouds” containing billions of tonnes of plasma embedded within an ejected magnetic field erupt from the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona.
These eruptions are known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These ejections sometimes travel towards Earth, where they can temporarily disturb the Earth’s magnetosphere, resulting in geomagnetic storms.
There are the 5 categories to measure geomagnetic storms ranging from G1 to G5. G5 are kind of strong geomagnetic conditions may only appear around four days per 11-year solar cycle.
About Aurora
An aurora is a natural light display that shimmers in the sky.
An aurora is caused by the streams of electrified particles (which are emitted by the sun) trapped in the magnetic field of the earth. It is produced when this magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind carrying the charged particles.
Auroras can appear in various forms like streamers, patches, arcs, scattered light, diffused light etc.
The brightest and the most distinctive of all forms of auroras are the ones which are curtain-like in the shape of an arc, extending in the east-west direction.
Auroras are visible almost every night near the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, which are about 66.5 degrees north and south of the Equator.
In the north, the display is called aurora borealis, or northern lights. In the south, it is called aurora australis, or southern lights.
DigiLocker
Why in news?
In a pioneering digital transformation initiative, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) integrated with DigiLocker platform.
About
The DigiLocker platform was launched in 2015, operates as an app to store users’ digital records.
DigiLocker is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) under the Digital India programme.
It is a secure cloud-based platform for issuance and verification of documents & certificates in digital way
DigiLocker is a paperless solution meant to ensure that a user can access the latest and updated versions of their documents online in order to prove their identity and their credentials at any given moment.
The app can be used when applying for a passport, reviewing marksheets, or proving one’s identity during travel.
Measles
Why in news?
Recently, researchers from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi investigated previously overlooked critical aspects of measles vaccination.
About
Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family.
Measles virus is an enveloped, ribonucleic acid virus of the genus Morbillivirus.
It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.
The first sign of measles is usually high fever, beginning about 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus and lasting four to seven days.
It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death. Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.
Measles can be entirely prevented through a two-dose vaccine and has been officially eliminated in many countries with advanced healthcare systems.
Sea Anemone
Why in news?
Recently, scientists working on sea anemones of the Lakshadweep group of islands have found mass anemone bleaching off the Agatti island.
More about the news
Scientists at the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) working on sea anemones of the Lakshadweep group said, coral bleaching is not a new phenomenon in the Lakshadweep but sea anemone bleaching has been observed for the first time in the group of islands.
It is a cause for concern for the health of the local ecological system.
The consequences of sea anemone bleaching extend beyond aesthetic changes.
Bleaching is making sea anemone more susceptible to diseases and increases mortality.
The loss of symbiotic algae deprives sea anemones of their primary energy source, compromising their long-term survival
About Sea Anemone
Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Hexacorallia.
Sea anemone is an aquatic animal marked by soft bodies and an ability to sting.
A close relative of coral and jellyfish, anemones are stinging polyps that spend most of their time attached to rocks on the sea bottom or on coral reefs waiting for fish to pass close enough to get ensnared in their venom-filled tentacles.
Sea anemones have no eyes or ears and rely on their tentacles to sense and capture their meals.
Sea anemones can clone themselves. They do this through asexual reproduction, where the anemone’s body breaks into two.
Rising sea surface temperatures disrupt the delicate balance between sea anemones and their symbiotic algae. This disruption triggers the expulsion of algae, leading to the whitening of the animals.
Kaziranga National Park
Why in news?
Recently, the Kaziranga National Park has collected the highest revenue in its 50-year history.
About
Kaziranga National Park is located in the state of Assam, India.
It was formed in 1908 on the recommendation of Mary Curzon.
It was declared as a National Park in 1974. In 1985, the park was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Due to the difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, here one can see mainly four types of vegetation like alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests.
It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by the Bombay Natural History Society and BirdLife International.
Kaziranga focuses on the conservation and protection of its major wetlands, like Kaziranga-Hukuma Beel and Joysagar Doloni.
The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.
Kaziranga is also home to 9 of the 14 species of primates found in the Indian subcontinent.
Kaziranga National Park is celebrated for its diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats, housing the renowned “Big Five” mammals: rhino, tiger, elephant, Asiatic water buffalo, and eastern swamp deer.
Important wildlife found are One-horned rhinoceros, Leopard, Fishing Cat, other Lesser cats, royal Bengal tiger, Large Indian Civet, Small Indian Civet, Sambar, Barking deer, Hog deer, Gaur, Hog Badger, Capped Langur, etc.
The Civil Services Exam is conducted every year by the UPSC to select suitable candidates for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IRS (Indian Revenue Service) and other Central Services like the Audits and Accounts, Railway Technical Services etc.
These services are vital for the administration of the Nation as they form the underlying basis of the policy formulation, implementation and execution in almost all the domains of the Governance. Sardar Patel had called the Civil Service the “Steel Frame of India“, the backbone of India’s Administration.
Being part of the Services is associated with prestige, power and a sense of responsibility toward the Society and the Nation. No doubt, the Services attract the best among the vast talent pool of the country.
And it is no surprise that the competition for the CSE is becoming fiercer every year. Over the last 3-4 years the number of applicants has hovered around 1,000,000 out of which approximately 500,000 appear for the Preliminary Exam. On an average 10,000 candidates qualify for the Mains Examination and less than 2,500 are called for the interview. Finally, only about 1,000 or fewer candidates qualify to be part of the Services. Thus the conversion ratio from appearing in the Preliminary Examination to the final selection in the Services is less than 0.2% (considering only the
Thus only sincere hard work may not be enough to be part of the Services. The aspirants need suitable guidance and study material to get selected and fulfil their dream of serving the Nation. Unacademy strives to provide quality content to the learners in order to supplement the guidance they receive from top Educators on the Unacademy Platform and aid their preparation.
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