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Upsc Dca May Monthly 58.Pdf 1 2 GS PAPER-1 (HISTORY, ART & CULTURE, SOCIAL ISSUES & GEOGRAPHY) Shift in Earth’s axis due to Climate Change (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news? • Recently, a study published in Geophysical Research Letters of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) has stated that the planet’s axis of rotation has been moving more than usual due to climate change. How the Earth’s axis shifts? • The Earth’s axis of rotation is the line along which it spins around itself as it revolves around the Sun. • The points on which the axis intersects the planet’s surface are the geographical north and south poles. • The location of the poles is not fixed, however, as the axis moves due to changes in how the Earth’s mass is distributed around the planet. • Thus, the poles move when the axis moves, and the movement is called “polar motion”. • According to NASA, data from the 20th century shows that the spin axis drifted about 10 centimetres per year. • The polar motion is caused by changes in the hydrosphere, atmosphere, oceans, or solid Earth but now, climate change is adding to the degree with which the poles wander. Key Highlights • The climate change has caused billions of tonnes of glacial ice to melt into oceans which has caused the Earth’s poles to move in new directions. • As per the study, the North Pole has shifted in a new eastward direction since the 1990s, because of changes in the hydrosphere. • The average speed of drift was 17 times faster from 1995 to 2020 as compared to 1981 to 1995. • The calculations were based on satellite data from NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission as well as estimates of glacier loss and groundwater pumping. 3 • The faster ice melting under global warming was the most likely cause of the directional change of the polar drift in the 1990s. About Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission • It was selected as the second mission under the NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Program in May 1997. • It was launched in 2002. • It is a joint partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Germany. Putola Nach puppetry (Topic- GS Paper I–Art and Culture, Source- AIR) Why in the news? • Recently, in collaboration with the UNICEF-Assam, the Anamika Ray Memorial Trust (ARMT) has produced three short videos using string puppetry called ‘Putola Nach’ for creating mass awareness on COVID appropriate behaviour. About Putola Nach • It is a string puppetry of Assam which had three distinct styles based on the area and is performed in three areas with distinct characteristics. • These areas are Barpeta-Nalbari in western Assam, Kalaigaon in northern Assam and Majuli “island” in eastern Assam. Cinco de Mayo (Topic- GS Paper I–History and Art and Culture, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news ? • Recently, with parties, parades and Mexican cuisine and music, Cinco de Mayo was celebrated on 5th May in Mexico and the United States. • It is a day that celebrates Mexican national pride, marking Mexico’s military victory on its soil over French forces in 1862. 4 Why is Cinco de Mayo celebrated? • In the 1860s, Mexico had been severely weakened by lengthy wars over the previous two decades — the Mexican-American War (1846-48) and the internal Reform War (1858-61). • As a result, in 1861, President Benito Juárez announced a temporary moratorium of two years on repaying Mexico’s foreign debts. • In response, troops from Britain, Spain, and France invaded Mexico, demanding reimbursement. • By April 1862, Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and withdrew, but France, which at the time was led by Emperor Napoleon III, decided to establish an empire in Mexican territories with the support of the local landowning classes. • France also intended to curb US power in North America. The Battle of Puebla • In late 1861, a French fleet attacked the Mexican port of Veracruz on the country’s eastern coast and landed a large army that drove the Juárez government into retreat. • As they moved from Veracruz to the capital Mexico City, the French encountered stiff resistance from Mexican forces. • At Puebla, over 100 km ahead of Mexico City, a poorly equipped and outnumbered Mexican force decisively defeated the advancing French troops on May 5, 1862, killing over a thousand. • The event marked a significant political victory of Mexican republicans and President Juárez, and helped establish a sense of national unity in the country. Present-day significance in Mexico and the United States • In Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated annually with speeches, parades, and by reenacting episodes of the 1862 battle. • The city today houses a museum dedicated to the battle, and the actual battlefield is maintained as a park. Dahla Dam (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- the Hindu) Why in the news? • Recently, the Taliban has captured Afghanistan’s second-biggest dam called Dahla Dam after months of fierce fighting in its former bastion of Kandahar. About Dahla Dam 5 • It is also known as Arghandab Dam. • It is located in the Shah Wali Kot District of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan. • It is said to be the second largest dam in Afghanistan. • The Dahla Dam is built on the Arghandab River. • It provides irrigation to farmers via a network of canals as well as drinking water for the provincial capital. Mount Sinabung’s (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news ? • Recently, Mount Sinabung volcano has erupted belching a massive column of volcanic ash and smoke 3,000 metres (3 km) into the sky. • The volcano had also erupted in March. About Mount Sinabung’s • Mount Sinabung is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano of andesite and dacite in the Karo plateau of Karo Regency of North Sumatra, Indonesia. • It is located on the seismically active zone known as the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Ocean. About Ring of Fire About Pacific Ring of Fire 6 • The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. • These places are dotted with 75% of Earth’s all active volcanoes. • It traces boundaries between several tectonic plates including the Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Indian-Australian, Nazca, North American, and Philippine Plates. • The abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes along the Ring of Fire is caused by the amount of movement of tectonic plates in the area. • The countries affected by it are Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and other island nations like the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and many more in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Cyclone Tauktae (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- The Hindu) Why in the news? • Recently, at least seven people were killed as Tauktae intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and moved northwards towards Gujarat, leaving behind a trail of destruction – damaging houses, uprooting trees and snapping power lines – in the coastal districts of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. About Cyclone Tauktae • It is formed over Southeast Arabian Sea. • The word Tauktae has been suggested by Myanmar. • It means 'gecko', a distinctively vocal lizard, in the Burmese language. 7 How are Cyclones Named? • The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) maintains rotating lists of names, which are appropriate for each Tropical Cyclone basin. • If a cyclone is particularly deadly or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another. • The name list is proposed by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) of the WMO members of a specific region and approved by the respective tropical cyclone regional bodies at their annual or biennial sessions. Why name cyclones? • Tropical cyclones are named to provide ease of communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches, and warnings. • The names make it easier for the media to report on tropical cyclones and increase community preparedness. • As per WMO, the use of short, distinctive names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. Naming cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea • The World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (WMO/UNESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones agreed in principle to assign names to the tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. • It was decided to name cyclones in Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea during WMO/ESCAP’s 27th session held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, in 2000. • The naming of the tropical cyclones over the north Indian Ocean commenced from September 2004, with names provided by eight members. • The members are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. • In September 2018, it was decided to prepare a fresh list of names of tropical cyclones including representation from five new member countries, viz., Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. About Colour- Coded Weather Warning 8 • The India Meteorological Department issues colour-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather conditions that can cause disruption or damage. Different Colour Codes a. Green means No warning – • In this there is no advisory is issued in such cases. b. Yellow means Be updated - • It indicates severely bad weather panning across several days. • It also suggests that the weather could change for the worse causing disruption in day-to- day activities. c.
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