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Daily News Simplified - DNS 12 01 2020

Notes

SL. NO. TOPICS

THE HINDU PAGE NO.

1 Will the sequencing of the Indian cobra genome help in discovering broad-based antivenoms?

14

2 Why are bushfires raging in Australia?

14

3 Species-rich forests offer stable carbon capture

15

4 New method better estimates melting of debris-covered Himalayan glaciers

15

5 Explained: How is the Iran air crash being probed? 14

6 LCA Navy variant successfully lands on INS Vikramaditya 09

7 Rajasthan to get its first biotech park soon 05

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 1. Will the sequencing of the Indian cobra genome help in discovering broad-based

antivenoms? (Page 14)

Syllabus Mains: Paper III – Science and Technology

Theme Genome Sequencing

Highlights Context

• Scientists have mapped the genome of the Indian cobra.

• The genome map of Indian cobra has 38 chromosomes that has about 12,000 genes

• This is in comparison with the human genome which has 23 chromosomes and the 20,000-25,000 genes.

About Genome Sequencing

• Genome sequencing is the procedure of decoding the genetic code of an individual. A genome of an individual is made of 4 nucleotide molecules (Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, Guanine) that occur as pairs and these base-pairs are arranged in a particular sequence similar to a book which is arranged as a sequence of alphabets. Genome sequencing is a process of reading this sequence of base-pairs and thus decoding the ‘genetic code’ of an individual.

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision

Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 2. Why are bushfires raging in Australia? (The Hindu Page 14)

Syllabus Mains: Paper III: Environment Theme Bushfirs

Highlights Context

• Large bushfires have been ravaging Australia affecting more than 10.3 million hectares of land since September.

• Although the fire season began late July, it has extended beyond September as result of positive Indian Dipole experienced this year.

Background • Every year there is a fire season in Australia during the summer due to hot, dry weather

with 40 degree Celsius, lightening and strong winds which help in spreading of fire. • However this year Australia has witnessed a prolonged dry weather conditions due to a

natural weather phenomenon known as the Indian Ocean Dipole.

Indian Ocean Dipole • Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is basically similar to the El Nino weather system that

develops in the Pacific Ocean. • IOD measures differences in sea surface temperatures between the western and

eastern parts of the Indian Ocean. • During the positive phase of Indian Ocean dipole the water over western Indian Ocean is

warmer than normal leading to formation of troughs (low pressure regions) and thus enhanced rainfall

• On the other hand cooler waters develop off Indonesia resulting in less rainfall and high temperatures in Australia.

• 2019 witnessed the record level of positive phase of Indian Ocean Dipole • It has been found that in 2019 the IOD event peaked in mid-October when the waters

around east Africa were about 2 degrees Celsius warmer than those near Australia. • This resulted in development of Super Cyclones in western Indian Ocean (Super Cyclone

Kyarr in mid-October) and drier conditions in Australia.


Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 3. Species-rich forests offer stable carbon capture (The Hindu Magazine Page 15)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper III – Environment and Ecology

Theme Carbon Sequestration

Highlights Context • According to researchers, the species-rich evergreen forests are most effective in

carbon sequestration as they have the highest rate of carbon capture.

Highlights of the study • The study was done in Western Ghats to identify the carbon storage capacity of 3 types

of forests namely evergreen forests, deciduous forests, teak plantations and eucalyptus plantations.

• Accordingly, carbon storage was highest in species-rich evergreen forest followed by deciduous forests and teak plantations and eucalyptus plantations which had the least carbon storage capacity.

• The species-rich evergreen forests stored carbon at approximately 300 tons per hectare. • The storage in teak and eucalyptus plantations was 43% and 55% less, respectively.

Significance • The study can help in designing policies related to compensatory afforestation in cases

of diverting forest land for non-forest use. • Currently more than half of the compensatory afforestation programmes use

plantations of five species or less. • Thus as a way forward the strategy in compensatory afforestation programmes should

be regeneration of natural rather than monoculture or species-poor plantations as a strategy for mitigating climate change.

What is Carbon Sequestration? • Carbon sequestration is a process by which the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is

either removed or stored in ‘carbon sinks’, thereby reducing the emission levels in the atmosphere. Thus carbon sequestration is a climate change mitigation process.

• Carbon sinks can be both natural and man-made. • Natural carbon pools include forest biomass, oceans, soils, and atmosphere (carbon

cycle). • Man-made carbon sinks are characterized with Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

technology. • The CCS technology includes capture of carbon dioxides from their source like coal-

fired power plants, transport the captured carbon dioxide through pipelines and storage of carbon dioxide in depleted oil and gas fields, deep saline formations.

Important carbon sinks Forests Trees are natural sequesters of carbon as they take carbon from atmosphere,, utilize it in photosynthesis as well as store it in the form of biomass or wood. Wetlands Wetland soil is an important natural carbon sink as they store 14.5 % of the soil carbon. Oceans Oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere because the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is greater than that in the oceans. This difference in partial pressure of CO2 results in the gas being absorbed into the worlds oceans.


Geological sequestration Carbon dioxide can be injected into depleted oil and gas reservoirs and other geological features like coal seams. Carbon dioxide can react with the minerals, fluids, and organic matter in a geologic formation to form stable compounds/minerals; largely calcium, iron, and magnesium carbonates.

Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 4. New method better estimates melting of debris-covered Himalayan glaciers

(The Hindu Page 15) Syllabus Mains: Paper III: Environment

Theme Climate Change

Highlights Context • Scientists have built a new model to predict the melting of debris-covered Himalayan

glaciers.

Background • Recent studies have shown that Himalayan glaciers are receding at an increasingly

faster pace in response to global warming. • Accordingly to a report by ISRO in 10 years between 2001 and 2011 the Himalayas

lost 0.2 per cent of its glaciers. • Another study estimates that in the last 40 years the Himalayas has lost about 13% of

its glaciers. • Further an increase in 1.5 degree Celsius about 1/3rd of the number of glaciers in

Himalayan Hindu Kush region will disappear by 2100 and the region will lose 2/3rd of glaciers by volumes.

• Thus there has been growing efforts to study the relation between climate change and glacial retreat in the recent times.

Importance of Glacial Studies • Himalayan region is called the ‘Water Tower of Asia’ as it has the largest

concentration of glaciers outside the polar caps. • Further Himalayan glaciers are the source of the 10 major river systems in India,

Pakistan and Bangladesh and an important source of irrigation, power and drinking water for over 700 million people

• As a result it is important to understand the response of these glaciers to climate change.

• Accordingly India has established a high altitude research station in Himalaya called HIMANSH at Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.

Highlights of current study • Scientists have developed a model to study the melting of debris-covered glaciers. • About 20% of Himalayan glaciers are debris-covered and their dynamics are very

different from the ones without debris cover. • Under normal glaciers without a debris cover, the rate of melting increases as the

elevation decreases. • However, in glaciers covered with debris, the thick cover partially insulates the glacier

from the warm exterior thereby slowing down the melting. • Besides, as the glacier flows down the thickness of the debris cover increases due to

accumulation.


Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 5. Explained: How is the Iran air crash being probed? (The Hindu Page 14)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper II – International Organisations

Theme International Civil Aviation Organisation

Highlights Context

• Recently a Ukrainian passenger aircraft was shot down by an Iranian missile killing all the passengers and the crew.

• Iran has admitted that the missiles fired due to human error caused the crash. • In this article we will analyse

The protocol to be followed for investigations of air accidents What is black box? What happens if a country admits there has been a mistake?

Investigation Protocol in case of Aircraft Accidents • Annex 13 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention)

provides for investigation protocol to be followed during aircraft accidents. • Besides, the purpose of an investigation is not to proportion liability of anyone but to find

out the cause that led to the crash and prevent it from happening in the future.

Standards to be followed • According to Article 26 of the Chicago Convention the investigation is led by the state

where the accident has taken place. • Annex 13 requires that the state, which is leading the investigation, should use the black

box for the purpose of investigation. • Besides, the country in whose jurisdiction the crash has occurred (in this case Iran)

should Institute an inquiry into the cause. Convey the news of the accident to state of operator (Ukraine), state of

manufacturer/design (U.S.), state of registration and International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN organisation.

• However the investigating state has the right to disallow any state from taking part in the investigation and carry out investigation independently.

• If the investigating country lacks the technological infrastructure required to decode blackbox it should take the assistance of states that are equipped to deal with it. (only U.S., the United Kingdom and France possess the proper technology to decode black boxes)

Role of ICAO • ICAO is not directly involved in any aircraft accident investigation. • It simply lays down the recommended practices, which states are expected to adhere to. • Besides, ICAO conducts annual audits of states and publishes its report. Thus, if a state

has not adhered to ICAO’s recommended practices it gets bad publicity.

Cases of missile attack • Chicago convention provides that states should refrain from exercising the use of

weapons against civilian aircraft. (many countries including India have not ratified this provision)

• However Chicago Convention does not make it illegal to shoot down an airliner if


the aircraft is being used for terror the aircraft is not responding to any other means of interception if the aircraft is headed towards a strategically important or a populated place.

• If the airliner was shot down by mistake the country that shot it down makes ex-gratia compensation to families.

• However in cases where it is found that the airliner was shot down by a state even when it knew that there was no reasonable apprehension of any terror act, the culprit state can be taken to the International Court of Justice.

Investigations of aircraft accidents in Indian scenario • In India, the air accident investigation is governed by the Aircraft (Investigation of

Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2012. • The Central government is under an obligation to investigate any accident that happens

within the territory of India, and in cases of aircraft registered in India even if the accident occurs outside India.

• While the DGCA is responsible to investigate into the incidents, in cases of serious events, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau steps in.

What is Blackbox? • Black boxes are solid-state devices that records data from the Flight Data Recorder and

Cockpit Voice Recorder. • The flight data recorder records data on aircraft performance (speed, height, rate of climb

or descent, flight path, location, fuel levels, engine temperature and exhaust as well as flap positions)

• The voice recorder logs almost every sound in the flight deck which includes air traffic control transmissions, crew conversations and even the sounds of switches and engine noise.

• These data together help in reconstruction of event and thus understand the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the event.

• A blackbox is designed in such as so as to withstand many accident scenarios including Crash lands against concrete at 750 km per hour A static load of 2.25 tonnes for at least five minutes Temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes Water pressure at a depth of about 20,000 feet.


Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 6. LCA Navy variant successfully lands on INS Vikramaditya (The Hindu Page 09)

Syllabus Mains: GS Paper III – Science and Technology,Prelims : Science and Technology

Theme Defence

Highlights Context The naval variant of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas made a successful short arrested landing on the INS Vikramadiya. LCA TEJAS

- It is an indigenous Light Combat Aircraft - It is 4.5 generation fighter aircraft with light weight - It is a multirole fighter - It has already achieved final operation clearance in February 2019. (Ready to inducted in

the forces) Naval Variant of LCA TEJAS

- Two prototypes of the NAVAL Variant of LCA TEJAS were prepared. - On September 13, 2019 – the Naval Variant of LCA TEJAS performed arrested landing,

the ability to land on an aircraft carrier. The arrested landing was performed on the Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) in Goa.

o This will pave the way for this indigenous platform to undertake aircraft carrier landing demonstration on board INS Vikramaditya.

o The SBTF replicates the flight deck of an aircraft carrier was specifically built to train naval pilots in the complex manoeuvres of landing on the short flight deck of an aircraft carrier before they move on to the actual carrier.

o This puts India on the world map as a nation with the capability to design a deck landing aircraft.

- The naval version has stronger landing gears to absorb forces exerted by the ski jump ramp during take-off, allowing it to be airborne from a much shorter runway on the carrier deck. This allows the naval variant to be airborne within 200 m and land within 100 m as against 1000 m required for normal runways.

- Special flight control law mode allows hands free take off, relieving the pilot workload, as the aircraft leaps from the ramp and automatically puts the aircraft in an ascending trajectory.

- Indian Navy is currently operating Mig-29K fighters from INS Vikramaditya. They will also fly from the first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant once it enters service.

Personal Notes

Dated: 12. Jan. 2020 DNS Notes - Revision Title 7. Rajasthan to get its first biotech park soon (The Hindu Pg: 05) Syllabus Mains: General Studies III: Science and Technology Theme Biotechnology Highlights Context:

Rajasthan is all set to get its first biotechnology park.

Personal Notes

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