Page 253 - Environment
Giant pattern discovered in clouds of Venus
Japanese scientists have identified a giant streak structure among the clouds covering the planet Venus, based on observation from the spacecraft Akatsuki. The researchers from Kobe University in Japan also revealed the origins of this structure using large-scale climate simulations. Venus is often called Earth's twin because of their similar size and gravity, but the climate on Venus is very different. It rotates in the opposite direction to Earth, and a lot more slowly -- about one rotation for 243 Earth days. According to the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, about 60 kilometres (km) above Venus' surface a speedy east wind circles the planet in about four Earth days (at 360 km/hour), a phenomenon known as atmospheric superrotation. The sky of Venus is fully covered by thick clouds of sulphuric acid that are located at a height of 45-70 km, making it hard to observe the planet's surface from Earth-based telescopes and orbiters circling Venus. Surface ...
NASA telescopes capture birth of black hole or neutron star
An international team of astronomers, using NASA telescopes, have captured the first ever image of a star that collapsed to form a compact object, and are debating whether it is a black hole or a neutron star.
Oceans warming faster than we thought: Study
Oceans are warming even faster than previously assumed, scientists said in an alarming new study.The University of California - Berkeley research has been published in the journal Science.Heat trapped by greenhouse gases is raising ocean temperatures faster than previously thought, concluded an analysis of four recent ocean heating observations.The results provide further evidence that earlier claims of a slowdown or "hiatus" in global warming over the past 15 years were unfounded."If you want to see where global warming is happening, look in our oceans," said Zeke Hausfather, co-author of the paper. "Ocean heating is a very important indicator of climate change, and we have robust evidence that it is warming more rapidly than we thought."Ocean heating is critical marker of climate change because an estimated 93 percent of the excess solar energy trapped by greenhouse gases accumulates in the world's oceans. And, unlike surface temperatures, ocean temperatures are not affected by ...
Alappad: A tale of lost land to mineral sand mining
Abandoned homes, deserted school, heaps of sand, a lone temple and dried up mangroves. These are the remnants of a once green Ponmana village under the coastal Alappad panchayat in Kollam district in southern Kerala where locals are up in arms against beach sand mining, blaming it for sea erosion eating up their lands. They claim hamlet after hamlet was 'disappearing' from the map due to mining activities by the Indian Rare Earth (IRE), a central Public Sector Undertaking, and state government-owned Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited (KMML). Seeking to save their remaining villages, the people of Alappad and nearby hamlets under the banner of Anti-mining People's Protest Council have been on a relay-hunger strike at Vellanathuruthu near here for the past over two months demanding a complete halt to the mining activities. However, an official of the IRE, when contacted, said the company was following all mining norms. The two firms together have been engaged in mineral sand
China's lunar explorer sends first panoramic image of moon's far side
China's lunar explorer Chang'e-4 probe has sent the first panoramic image of its landing site after it became the world's first spacecraft to touch down on the moon's uncharted side never visible from Earth, an official media report said on Friday. The lunar explorer Chang'e-4 landed on the far side of the moon on January 3, becoming the world's first spacecraft to touch down on the natural satellite's uncharted side, in a major boost to China's quest to become a space superpower. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the 360-degree panoramic photos taken by a camera installed on the top of the lander, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The images were sent back through the relay satellite Queqiao, which was operating around the second Lagrangian point of the earth-moon system, about 455,000 km from the earth, where it can see both the earth and the moon's far side, the report said. The panoramic picture has helped Scientists to make a preliminary analysis on the
Smuggling gang busted, 327 turtles seized
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police busted a wildlife smuggling gang operating from Etawah district on Friday and seized 327 turtles, police said.
Prabhu pitches for developing special cycle lanes in cities
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu Friday pitched for developing special lanes for cyclists in cities, saying use of bicycles has multiple benefits for environment and health. "In city planning, there is a need to focus on cyclists. We must have special lanes for bicycles and pedestrian," he said. He was speaking at a Teri programme - Benefits of Cycling in India: An economic, environment and social assessment - here. Promoting cycle as an important means of transport has multiple benefits for environment, health and economy, the minister noted. "It will also help in reducing emission of green house gases and help controlling air pollution, which is a major problem in Delhi," he added. Prabhu also said that the ministry has set up a council for promoting manufacturing and exports of bicycles.
Vaduvoor: A tiny village luring and feeding global birds (Feature)
Chennai, Jan 11 (IANS/Mongabay) "When some visitors ask, 'How do the birds know this lake is full?', I simply tell them that I telephone the migratory birds and inform them," said Ramesh mockingly as he sits at the tip of a lake in south India.
Oceans warming much faster than previously thought: Study
Heat trapped by greenhouse gases is raising ocean temperatures faster than previously thought, according to a study which provides further evidence that earlier claims of a "hiatus" in global warming over the past 15 years were unfounded. "If you want to see where global warming is happening, look in our oceans," said Zeke Hausfather, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley in the US. "Ocean heating is a very important indicator of climate change, and we have robust evidence that it is warming more rapidly than we thought," Hausfather said. Ocean heating is critical marker of climate change because an estimated 93 per cent of the excess solar energy trapped by greenhouse gases accumulates in the world's oceans. Unlike surface temperatures, ocean temperatures are not affected by year-to-year variations caused by climate events like El Nino or volcanic eruptions. The new analysis, published in the journal Science, shows that trends in ocean heat content match those .
Firmenich Joins RE100 and Reaches 100% Renewable Power Across Its European and US Manufacturing Sites
/ -- Firmenich is proud to have joined RE100, a global initiative of the world's most influential companies, all committed to 100% renewable power. Today, Firmenich manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Europe are operating with 100% renewable electricity, as the Group gets closer to meeting its ambitious goal of 100% renewable electricity across all of its production sites by 2020. Firmenich joins more than 160 major businesses in the global RE100 initiative, which is led by the international non-profit "The Climate Group" in partnership with "CDP". Other members of the RE100 include Google, Lego, Apple and Nike. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798187/Firmenich_Logo.jpg ) (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/806749/RE100_Logo.jpg ) "With all of our manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Europe currently 100% powered by renewable electricity, I am confident we will reach our goal of 100% for all our sites worldwide by 2020," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. "It is critical
Oceans warming much faster than previously thought: Study
The world's oceans were warming at an accelerated rate and were much warmer due to climate change than scientists previously thought, according to a new study.
S Africa seizes USD 1.7 mn worth of rhino horn bound for Dubai
South African customs officials said Thursday they had seized 36 rhino horns valued at about USD 1.7 million, bound for Dubai, at the international airport in Johannesburg. Sniffer dogs detected something suspicious the previous day in eight bubble-wrapped boxes labelled as containing "decorative items" in a holding warehouse for outbound cargo. On closer inspection, police found horns weighing 116 kg (256 pounds), individually wrapped. South Africa is battling a scourge of rhino poaching fuelled by insatiable demand for horn in Asia where it is believed to cure cancer and boost virility -- claims for which there is no scientific proof. Rhino horn is composed mainly of keratin, the same substance that makes up human nails, and it is normally sold in powdered form. The demand has placed Africa at the epicentre of a global poaching and trafficking crisis. In the last eight years alone, roughly a quarter of the world population of rhinos has been killed in South Africa, home to 80 ...
HFCL wins OFC orders worth Rs 502 cr from L&T, ITI
Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited (HFCL) on Thursday said it has won orders worth Rs 502.73 crore for supply of Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and a consortium led by ITI.
uarantine unit for Tiger Shrimp inaugurated at MAC
The quarantine unit for Tiger Shrimp at the Multispecies Aquaculture Complex (MAC), set up by the Marine Products Export Development Autority at Vallarpadam here, was inaugurated Thursday. An MPEDA release said the unit was inaugurated by Tarun Shridhar, Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Government of India. Speaking at the function, Shridhar said the newly opened unit wouldregain the pride of place ofthe indigenous species Black Tiger shrimpin the Indian subcontinent, which is now occupied by the exotic species, Vannamei. Patting MPEDA and its research arm, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture, for establishing the MAC, he said the facility would cater to the growing demand for fingerlings of various export-oriented species like Seabass, Cobia, Tilapia and Pompano. K S Srinivas, the MPEDA chairman, said this was the first of its kind facility in the west coast, set upwhen there is a huge demand for the healthy seeds.
6 CMs to sign Renukaji Dam project agreement tomorrow
The Chief Ministers of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan will sign an agreement for the Renukaji Multipurpose Dam Project here on Friday, which is being built to meet the drinking water needs of these states, the government said on Thursday.
Maneka seeks removal of vet over black magic tricks on elephant
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has written to Uttarakhand Minister of Animal Husbandry Rekha Arya seeking removal of senior veterinarian Aditi Sharma following reports that an elephant was subjected to black magic and severe torture.
Govt approves India-France pact on technical cooperation in renewable energy
The government Thursday approved a pact between India and France to enhance technical bilateral cooperation in new and renewable energy. The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. "The Union Cabinet has approved the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and France on technical bilateral cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy. The MoU was signed on October 3, 2018," according to an official statement. India and France aim to establish the basis for a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity, it said. The technical cooperation will cover joint research working groups, pilot projects, capacity building programmes, study tour, case studies and the sharing of experience/expertise, it added.
Government launches National Clean Air Programme to cut pollutants by 2024
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aiming to reduce toxic particulate matter by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year.
429 elephants killed since 2008, 642 poachers arrested: RTI
As many as 429 elephants were poached and killed in the country since 2008 and 642 poachers arrested, revealed a data obtained through an RTI query. In 2008, 53 elephants were killed in the country, but the number came down to only five in 2018 all five in Assam, according to the data provided by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, under the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The maximum killings of 136 elephants have been reported from Kerala, followed by West Bengal (48), Karnataka (46), Tamil Nadu (44) and Odisha (41) during the period, according to the data. Noida-based lawyer Ranjan Tomar had from the bureau through an RTI query sought state-wise data on the number of elephants killed by poachers in the last 10 years and offenders arrested. The bureau is a statutory body formed to combat organised wildlife crime in the country. Notably, there are nine states and Union Territories -- Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim, Telangan, Daman and Diu, ...
IIT-Kanpur scientists develop low-cost air pollution sensor
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology here said they have developed an air pollution sensor which they claim costs much less than similar instruments worldwide. The sensor will measure the level of harmful gases, including ozone and nitrogen oxides, said professor S N Tirpathi. The professor said usually a sensor of this calibre costs around Rs 1-2 crore in the international market, but the scientists at IIT-Kanpur have made it in just Rs 50,000. Testing of the sensor will be done in June and if it passes the test, then the sensors will be installed in 150 cities of the country, he told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. The first 25 sensors will be installed at IIT-Kanpur campus, while 15 sensors will be installed at IIT-Bombay, the professor said. After the testing of data, 50-60 sensors will be installed in Varanasi, Tripathi said. He said the success was gained in developing a reliable and cheaper monitoring sensor under a India-US project. The Union ...