Signs of water in the lakes of Mars
The most intriguing notion of humankind of being alone in the universe might just have busted as scientists once again discovered substantial signs of water present in Mars, where a rigorous research is going on to find life-supporting evidence.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/26340-signs-of-water-in-the-lakes-of-mars.html
#Signs #lakes #Mars #water #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses
The most intriguing notion of humankind of being alone in the universe might just have busted as scientists once again discovered substantial signs of water present in Mars, where a rigorous research is going on to find life-supporting evidence.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/26340-signs-of-water-in-the-lakes-of-mars.html
#Signs #lakes #Mars #water #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses
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Signs of water in the lakes of Mars | KSG India | Khan Study Group | Best IAS Coaching Preparation Institute Online
The most intriguing notion of humankind of being alone in the universe might just have busted as scientists once again discovered substantial signs of water present in Mars, where a rigorous research
Today's Headlines - 22 August 2023
Extreme heat mean for the Mediterranean Sea
GS Paper - 3 (Environment)
Frequent heat waves cause huge damage to underwater ecosystems and researchers expect more of them in the future.
What are the solutions to heat stress?
Extreme heat has plagued the Mediterranean for weeks. Wildfires raged across at least nine countries in the region from Algeria to Greece.
But the soaring temperatures are not only a danger for people and ecosystems on land; they’re also harming marine life.
Without a doubt global climate change is the main reason for the heat waves in the sea. It’s causing the ocean to warm.
Why are high sea temperatures a problem?
In a warming world, marine creatures are in danger of suffocating. Gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve better at colder temperatures, so that means the warmer the water; the less oxygen is available to breathe.
Conversely, higher temperatures also cause an increase in metabolism, which in turn means animals have to breathe even more than usual). That combination also heightens the risk of death by starvation for marine life.
The rise in temperature accelerates metabolism, and the organisms need more food to maintain this metabolic rate.
Algal blooms are more common in hotter waters too. Such blooms can further deplete oxygen levels and produce toxins harmful for fish, marine mammals and birds, for instance.
What species and ecosystems are worst hit by marine heat waves?
High water temperatures are most harmful for animals living at the bottom of oceans, lakes or rivers.
These benthic species include corals, mussels, sponges, starfish and plants like sea grasses, and are often attached to rock or solid ground. They can’t migrate when it gets too hot.
Scientists observed mass deaths of benthic species along thousands of kilometers of Mediterranean coastline between 2015 and 2019.
Many benthic species are crucial to the marine ecosystem. They filter the water and keep seas, rivers and lakes clean by eating dead organisms.
Some species are an important food source for other creatures or are harvested by humans. Benthics like soft corals, seaweed and seagrasses provide some of the main ocean habitats.
Heat is particularly harmful for Posidonia oceanica or Neptune grass. And the large, slow-growing seagrass is found only in the Mediterranean. Previous heat waves have decimated the species, which is bad news for the climate.
What does extreme heat in the Mediterranean mean for people?
Warming seas are already affecting fishing activities in the area. Fishermen are catching fewer familiar species and instead are finding more invasive fish which they have difficulty selling.
Rabbitfish and lionfish are edible, but other invasive fish aren’t. Some are even poisonous, like the puffer fish.
Habitat loss could also lead to an overall decline in fish populations, while disappearing seagrass means coasts will be more exposed to future storms.
This could also have a knock-on effect for tourism because divers will be less likely to visit an impoverished underwater landscape.
#upsc #news #headline #extreme #mediterranean #sea #enviroment #heat #ecosystem #future #undrwater #wildfires #algeria #greece #global #climate #temperature #ocean #metabolism #algalblooms #birds #marine #oxygen #levels #lakes #rivers #soildground #benthic #mediterranean #coastline #foodsource #organisms #soft #corals #seaweed #rabbitfish #stroms #populations #lionfish #activities #neptunegrass #posidoniaoceanica #toxins #breathe
Extreme heat mean for the Mediterranean Sea
GS Paper - 3 (Environment)
Frequent heat waves cause huge damage to underwater ecosystems and researchers expect more of them in the future.
What are the solutions to heat stress?
Extreme heat has plagued the Mediterranean for weeks. Wildfires raged across at least nine countries in the region from Algeria to Greece.
But the soaring temperatures are not only a danger for people and ecosystems on land; they’re also harming marine life.
Without a doubt global climate change is the main reason for the heat waves in the sea. It’s causing the ocean to warm.
Why are high sea temperatures a problem?
In a warming world, marine creatures are in danger of suffocating. Gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolve better at colder temperatures, so that means the warmer the water; the less oxygen is available to breathe.
Conversely, higher temperatures also cause an increase in metabolism, which in turn means animals have to breathe even more than usual). That combination also heightens the risk of death by starvation for marine life.
The rise in temperature accelerates metabolism, and the organisms need more food to maintain this metabolic rate.
Algal blooms are more common in hotter waters too. Such blooms can further deplete oxygen levels and produce toxins harmful for fish, marine mammals and birds, for instance.
What species and ecosystems are worst hit by marine heat waves?
High water temperatures are most harmful for animals living at the bottom of oceans, lakes or rivers.
These benthic species include corals, mussels, sponges, starfish and plants like sea grasses, and are often attached to rock or solid ground. They can’t migrate when it gets too hot.
Scientists observed mass deaths of benthic species along thousands of kilometers of Mediterranean coastline between 2015 and 2019.
Many benthic species are crucial to the marine ecosystem. They filter the water and keep seas, rivers and lakes clean by eating dead organisms.
Some species are an important food source for other creatures or are harvested by humans. Benthics like soft corals, seaweed and seagrasses provide some of the main ocean habitats.
Heat is particularly harmful for Posidonia oceanica or Neptune grass. And the large, slow-growing seagrass is found only in the Mediterranean. Previous heat waves have decimated the species, which is bad news for the climate.
What does extreme heat in the Mediterranean mean for people?
Warming seas are already affecting fishing activities in the area. Fishermen are catching fewer familiar species and instead are finding more invasive fish which they have difficulty selling.
Rabbitfish and lionfish are edible, but other invasive fish aren’t. Some are even poisonous, like the puffer fish.
Habitat loss could also lead to an overall decline in fish populations, while disappearing seagrass means coasts will be more exposed to future storms.
This could also have a knock-on effect for tourism because divers will be less likely to visit an impoverished underwater landscape.
#upsc #news #headline #extreme #mediterranean #sea #enviroment #heat #ecosystem #future #undrwater #wildfires #algeria #greece #global #climate #temperature #ocean #metabolism #algalblooms #birds #marine #oxygen #levels #lakes #rivers #soildground #benthic #mediterranean #coastline #foodsource #organisms #soft #corals #seaweed #rabbitfish #stroms #populations #lionfish #activities #neptunegrass #posidoniaoceanica #toxins #breathe
Today's Headlines - 28 August 2023
Indore named best city in Smart Cities Mission
GS Paper - 2 (Infrastructure)
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry named Indore the best city and Madhya Pradesh the best state in the Smart Cities Mission in its India Smart Cities Awards 2022. Surat and Agra were named second and third best among cities and Tamil Nadu second in states, with the third prize being shared by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 66 winners in different categories were announced; the awards would be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Indore on 27 September 2023.
More about the News
The cities were selected based on their ranking in terms of progress of projects, project outcomes and presentations submitted for the awards.
Indore has topped the cleanliness rankings under the Swachh Bharat Mission, being named the cleanest city for the past six years in a row.
Madhya Pradesh, too, won the tag of the cleanest state in the Swachh Survekshan 2022. In the Smart Cities awards, Indore had shared the first place with Surat last time.
In the Smart Cities Awards 2022, Coimbatore’s project of model roads, restoration and renovation of lakes was ranked the best in the category of built environment, while Jabalpur won the award for its incubation centre in the economy category.
Chandigarh’s public bike sharing and e-governance services won in the mobility and governance categories, respectively. Chandigarh also won the overall award in the Union Territory category.
Flashback
Under the Smart Cities Mission, which was launched in 2015, the 100 selected cities have completed 76% of the proposed projects worth Rs.1.10 lakh crore, while the remaining projects worth Rs.60,095 crore “will be completed by 30 June 2024, a ministry statement said.
Earlier this year, the mission’s deadline was extended from June 30 to next year to allow all 100 cities to complete their projects.
Most notable milestone achieved in the mission has been the Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC), which is operational in all 100 Smart Cities.
These ICCCs work as the brain and nervous system for city operations, using technology for urban management.
The urban services have significantly improved in diverse fields like crime tracking, safety and security of citizens, transport management, solid waste management, water supply, disaster management etc.
#upsc #news #headline #indore #smartcities #mission #infrastructure #unionhousing #urbanaffairsministry #indore #madhyapradesh #awards2022 #surat #agra #secondandthird #tamilnadu #winners #categories #Droupadimurmu #news #swachhbharatmission #cleanlinessranking #restoration #lakes #economy #chandigarh #mobility #unionterritory #ICCC #brain #nervoussystem #urbanservices #soildmanagement #watersupply #disastermanagement #transport
Indore named best city in Smart Cities Mission
GS Paper - 2 (Infrastructure)
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry named Indore the best city and Madhya Pradesh the best state in the Smart Cities Mission in its India Smart Cities Awards 2022. Surat and Agra were named second and third best among cities and Tamil Nadu second in states, with the third prize being shared by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. A total of 66 winners in different categories were announced; the awards would be presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony in Indore on 27 September 2023.
More about the News
The cities were selected based on their ranking in terms of progress of projects, project outcomes and presentations submitted for the awards.
Indore has topped the cleanliness rankings under the Swachh Bharat Mission, being named the cleanest city for the past six years in a row.
Madhya Pradesh, too, won the tag of the cleanest state in the Swachh Survekshan 2022. In the Smart Cities awards, Indore had shared the first place with Surat last time.
In the Smart Cities Awards 2022, Coimbatore’s project of model roads, restoration and renovation of lakes was ranked the best in the category of built environment, while Jabalpur won the award for its incubation centre in the economy category.
Chandigarh’s public bike sharing and e-governance services won in the mobility and governance categories, respectively. Chandigarh also won the overall award in the Union Territory category.
Flashback
Under the Smart Cities Mission, which was launched in 2015, the 100 selected cities have completed 76% of the proposed projects worth Rs.1.10 lakh crore, while the remaining projects worth Rs.60,095 crore “will be completed by 30 June 2024, a ministry statement said.
Earlier this year, the mission’s deadline was extended from June 30 to next year to allow all 100 cities to complete their projects.
Most notable milestone achieved in the mission has been the Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC), which is operational in all 100 Smart Cities.
These ICCCs work as the brain and nervous system for city operations, using technology for urban management.
The urban services have significantly improved in diverse fields like crime tracking, safety and security of citizens, transport management, solid waste management, water supply, disaster management etc.
#upsc #news #headline #indore #smartcities #mission #infrastructure #unionhousing #urbanaffairsministry #indore #madhyapradesh #awards2022 #surat #agra #secondandthird #tamilnadu #winners #categories #Droupadimurmu #news #swachhbharatmission #cleanlinessranking #restoration #lakes #economy #chandigarh #mobility #unionterritory #ICCC #brain #nervoussystem #urbanservices #soildmanagement #watersupply #disastermanagement #transport