A national-level state of emergency has been declared by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in the regions of Norilsk and Taimyr, northern Siberia. The declared state of emergency in these Arctic regions is to bring in the ‘federal resources’ to assist the arduous clean-up efforts following a spill of more than 20,000 tonnes of diesel […]
Continue Reading
Gharana, a dying wetland, is located merely 500 m from the international border between India and Pakistan, the 200 acres of the Wetland situated in Jammu province (boundaries yet to be demarcated) harbours around 50 species of wintering waterbirds. Gharana is partially covered with various water plants — water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes, Hydrilla spp. and […]
Continue Reading
Climate Change indicators are observations that can be used to track the current state of climate and its trends. Climate is defined as the average weather conditions prevailing at a place or a region over a long period. At a broader scale climate systems include land, atmosphere, ocean and the cryosphere. The World Meteorological Organisation […]
Continue Reading
The Global Biodiversity Outlook is the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993, 90 days after the 30th ratification, as stated […]
Continue Reading
Glaciers are formed when snow, compressed into large thickness of crystalline ice mass, develops an ability to move due to sheer mass. These glaciers together with snow and ice constitute the cryosphere which covers nearly 10 per cent of the surface of the earth (NSIDC, undated). The major part of ice and glaciers is found […]
Continue Reading
Antarctic is known for being earth’s largest single mass of ice. It covers almost 14 million sq km and holds around 61 per cent of earth’s freshwater. However, wide networks of canyons, waterways and lakes that have been discovered buried under the ice sheet have captured the interest of people and are now the focus […]
Continue Reading
Stratospheric ozone Arctic Ozone Depletion and Impact on Climate Change A study which examined the Arctic ozone depletion at eight stations in the Arctic stipulates that the Arctic stratospheric ozone recovery, predicted for the mid 2030s, might be significantly delayed (Pommereau, 2018). The study observed that the 2015-2016 ozone depletion is the third largest reported […]
Continue Reading
The discovery of ozone (O3) in the troposphere was first made in the 1840’s. Consequently, an intensive study about its distribution was made in the latter part of the nineteenth century due to its supposed health-giving properties as a germicide (Schönbein, 1840). The first classical explanation of ozone in the troposphere was that it was […]
Continue Reading
Cooling is associated with economic growth, health, wellbeing and productivity of people in hot climates. The growing economy of India is characterised by rising per capita income, rapid urbanisation and increasing heat waves. Yet, the country is marked by low penetration of air-conditioning. Given the situation, addressing the rising cooling requirement is both a challenge […]
Continue Reading
The Aravalli mountain range stretches from Gujarat in the southwest to Delhi in the northeast for about 700 km and sculpts the topography of eastern Rajasthan and adjoining parts of Haryana and Delhi, creating a picturesque backdrop for flourishing settlements, with its highest point at Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu in Rajasthan. At this point, […]
Continue Reading