Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Arctic plants are browning!

News

• The increasing number of extreme events is causing dieback of Arctic plants or ‘browning’ across Arctic regions, a study has found.

Findings

• Scientists studying the Arctic which is warming twice as fast as the global average – found that plant dieback following these events could significantly reduce the ability of Arctic ecosystems to help combat climate change.
• Previously, scientists had found that increasing summer warmth in the Arctic was encouraging vegetation to grow, turning areas green.
• Researchers looking at heathland in the Lofoten archipelago of Arctic Norway found the area had been affected by two extreme climatic events.
• One of the events caused death of the dominant evergreen vegetation, and the second caused an extensive ‘stress response’, visible as high levels of protective anthocyanin (red) pigments in shoots and leaves.
• Researchers found Arctic browning driven by extreme climatic events nearly halves the ability of widespread Arctic heathlands to take up carbon dioxide.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

India won’t participate in SAARC meet in Pakistan, says Sushma Swaraj

News

• External Affairs Minister said India would not participate in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Pakistan. 

Beyond News

• External Affairs Minister said that,Unless and until Pakistan stops terrorism activities in India, there will be no dialogue and we will not participate in SAARC.
• The Pathankot incident was a terrorist attack by a heavily armed group against Pathankot Air Force Station part of the Western Air Command in January 2016 when a civilian and many security personnel were killed.
• Kartarpur corridor initiative and bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan were two different things.
• India had been asking for a corridor, which will facilitate visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan for many years and she was happy that Pakistan had for the first time responded positively.
• Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be laying the foundation stone for the much-awaited corridor linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib the final resting place of Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district.
• Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the Ravi river, about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine.

The corridor is expected to be completed within six months.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Protect Pallikaranai marshland: HC

News

• The Madras High Court directed that not an inch of the existing spread of 694.8 hectares (1,716 acres approximately) of marshland at Pallikaranai should be allowed to either be encroached upon or alienated to third parties as it was essential to maintain wetlands for posterity.

Beyond News

• Justices made the remark while hearing a public interest litigation petition related to alleged encroachment of a portion of the marshland. They directed Additional Advocate General to ensure that measures were taken to preserve the characteristics of the land.
• The entire spread of 1,716 acres of marshland at Pallikaranai village of Sholinganallur taluk in Kancheepuram district had been transferred to the revenue district of Chennai with effect from August 16 and handed over to the Forest Department.
• The piece of land referred to by the petitioner was not part of the marshland handed over to the Forest Department.

An ‘alien’ eats into State’s biodiversity

News

• After posing a serious threat to the flora and fauna in the forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, including Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS),Senna spectabilis(Manjakonna in local parlance), an alien invasive plant, has started to flourish in forest and non-forest areas of the State.

Findings

• A recent survey reveals that the plant has started to invade various parts of Palakkad district, including Attappady, Anakkatti, Kottathara, and Sholayar regions.
• The spread of the exotic plant has increased more than 10% from 2015. This shows its high invasive nature.
• Earlier, it was planted as avenue trees along roadsides in Wayanad. Due to massive flowering and drying of bamboo species in the Wayanad, lots of open spaces were created which were occupied by Senna spectabilis.
• The ‘vayal’ ecosystem (marshy land) of the forest area now houses this plant in large numbers. The allelochemicals produced by this plant adversely affect the germination and growth of the native species.
• The survey shows that this plant shows invasive nature only above 500 m elevation. But in the favourable conditions, it shows invasive nature in lower altitude too. The KFRI is planning to eradicate it by uprooting seedlings and debarking trees.

Reserve Bank to inject Rs. 40,000 crore in Dec.

News

• The RBI will pump in more liquidity in December by infusing Rs. 40,000 crore into the system through open market operations (OMOs).

Beyond News

• Based on an assessment of the durable liquidity needs going forward, the RBI has decided to conduct purchase of government securities under open market operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs. 400 billion in the month of December 2018.
• The Reserve Bank will give details about the auction dates for the OMOs in due course.
• This OMO amount is indicative with the RBI retaining the flexibility to change it, depending on the evolving liquidity and market conditions.
• The RBI had announced to inject Rs. 40,000 crore into the system in November. It has already infused Rs. 30,000 crore into the system while the balance Rs. 10,000 crore will be pumped in through auction.

Fossil of plant-eating reptile found

News

• The earliest known example of a plant-eating reptile has been found in the fossil record in southern New Mexico.

Beyond News

• The museum made the announcement this week , saying the unique structure of the skull, jaws and teeth of the sail-backed reptile indicate it was an herbivore, and that such specialized plant-eating wasn’t previously known in reptiles older than about 200 million years.
• The fossil bones were discovered near Alamogordo by Ethan Schuth while on a University of Oklahoma geology class field trip in 2013. The bones were part of an exquisitely preserved but incomplete skeleton. Field crews spent about a year collecting the bones from the site and more time was spent removing the hard sandstone surrounding the fossils so research could ensue.
• Bones were about 300 million years old, meaning the reptile lived during the early part of the Permian Period, or more than 50 million years before the origin of dinosaurs.
• Skeleton as belonging to a new genus and species that they named Gordodon kraineri. Gordodon is derived from the Spanish word gordo, or fat, and the Greek word odon, or tooth, as the species had large pointed teeth at the tips of its jaws.
• The species name kraineri honors Karl Krainer, an Austrian geologist who contributed to knowledge about the Permian period in New Mexico.
• About 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and weighed an estimated 75 pounds (34 kilograms). It was believed to have been a selective feeder on high-nutrient plants due to the advanced structure of its skull, jaws and teeth.

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