SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS AUGUST 2015
- Climate Talks: India will not announce its peaking year; INDC will focus on all key elements
India will not announce its peaking (peak emission) year, unlike China, in its 'climate action plan' which is to be submitted by the country to the UN body on climate change in September.
Instead of specifying any timeline to cap its emission of greenhouse gases, the country will, rather, focus more comprehensively on all five key elements which are identified as vital components of global efforts to fight adverse impacts of climate change.
The five elements which will be reflected in India's `climate action plan' - officially called Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) -are mitigation (emission cut), adaptation, finance, technology transfer and capacity building.
India's stand on `peaking year' was clearly spelt out by the country's environment minister Prakash Javadekar on 24th August when he said no country had ever asked us for announcing `peaking year' as world knew that India's per capita emission was quite low (much below than all the big emitters).
China had, however, announced its 'peaking year' in its INCD. It submitted that the country would try to peak its emission level by 2030. It means China's carbon emission will first stabilize (reach its plateau) and then start falling after reaching the peak by 2030.
Articulating the broad contours of India's 'climate action plan', Javadekar said, that India’s INDC will be quite comprehensive. Many countries who have submitted their INDCs have talked about mitigation. But, as you know the world has now accepted that both mitigation and adaptation are equally important. They have now made two separate templates for it.
India INDC will have all five key elements. That is the mandate of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and our INDC will reflect the mandate of the UNFCCC".
INDC is the country's voluntary pledge of emission cut (mitigation) and other proposed measures which it will eventually take up as its post-2020 contribution to fight climate change.
The focus of India's `climate action plan' is expected to be on seeking a global commitment on 'finance' and `technology transfer' to support its `adaptation' measures to the growing impact of climate change. All countries are expected to submit their respective INDCs by October 1. These INDCs will form the basis of final negotiations for arriving at a global climate deal in Paris in December. - Metal pollution behind world's largest extinction events: Study
Heavy metal pollution might have contributed to some of the world's largest extinction events, according to the study of 415-million-year old malformed fossil plankton.
Several Palaeozoic mass extinction events during the Ordovician and Silurian periods (485 to 420 million years ago) shaped the evolution of life on our planet.
Although some of these short-lived, periodic events were responsible for eradication of up to 85 per cent of marine species, the exact kill-mechanism responsible for these crises remains poorly understood.
An international team led by Thijs Vandenbroucke, researcher at the French CNRS and invited professor at Ghent University (UGent) in Belgium and Poul Emsbo from the US Geological Survey investigated a little known association between 'teratological' or 'malformed' fossil plankton assemblages coincident with the initial stages of these extinction events.
They present evidence that malformed fossil remains of marine plankton from the late Silurian (415 million years ago) contain highly elevated concentrations of heavy metals, such as iron, lead, and arsenic.
These are well-known toxins that cause morphologic abnormalities in modern aquatic organisms; which led the authors to conclude that metal poisoning caused the malformation observed in these ancient organisms and may have contributed to their extinction and that of many other species.
Documented chemical behaviour of these metals, which correlates with previously observed disturbances in oceanic carbon, oxygen and sulphur signatures, strongly suggests that these metal increases resulted from reductions of ocean oxygenation.
Thus, metal toxicity, and its expressions in fossilised malformations, could provide the 'missing link' that relates organism extinctions to widespread ocean anoxia.
As part of a series of complex systemic interactions accompanying oceanic geochemical variation, the mobilisation of metals in spreading anoxic waters may identify the early phase of the kill-mechanism that culminated in these catastrophic events.
The recurring correlation between fossil malformations and Ordovician-Silurian extinction events raises the provocative prospect that toxic metal contamination may be a previously unrecognised contributing agent to many, if not all, extinction events in the ancient oceans. - Global sea levels climbed 3 inches since 1992, NASA research shows
Sea levels worldwide rose an average of nearly 3 inches (8 cm) since 1992, the result of warming waters and melting ice, a panel of NASA scientists said on 26th August.
In 2013, a United Nations panel predicted sea levels would rise from 1 to 3 feet (0.3 to 0.9 meters) by the end of the century. The new research shows that sea level rise most likely will be at the high end of that range, said University of Colorado geophysicist Steve Nerem.
Sea levels are rising faster than they did 50 years ago and “it’s very likely to get worse in the future,” Nerem said.
The changes are not uniform. Some areas showed sea levels rising more than 9 inches (25 cm) and other regions, such as along the U.S. West Coast, actually falling, according to an analysis of 23 years of satellite data.
Scientists believe ocean currents and natural cycles are temporarily offsetting a sea level rise in the Pacific and the U.S. West Coast could see a significant hike in sea levels in the next 20 years. Low-lying regions, such as Florida, are especially vulnerable, added Michael Freilich, director of NASA`s Earth Science Division. More than 150 million people, mostly in Asia, live within 3 feet (1 meter) of the sea, he added. The biggest uncertainty in forecasting sea level rise is determining how quickly the polar ice sheets will melt in response to warming temperatures.
Scientists said about one-third of the rise in sea levels is due to the expansion of warmer ocean water, one-third to ice loss from the polar ice sheets and the remaining third to melting mountain glaciers. - India successfully places its communication satellite GSAT-6 in orbit
The Indian Space Research Organization ISRO on 27th August successfully launched the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-D6 and injected the communication satellite GSAT-6 into its intended transfer orbit. The all-Indian version of the GSLV rocket had the indigenously made Cryogenic Upper Stage, marking India’s success in mastering the highly complex technology. The launch vehicle lifted off at 16:52 hours from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta, some 90 km north of Chennai on the East Coast.
It injected the satellite carrying S-Band transponders meant for strategic purposes within 17 minutes and four seconds in the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit. The mission life of the satellite GSAT-6 weighing 2117 kg is nine years.
The current version of the GSLV is capable of launching satellites weighing up to two tonnes into geostationary orbits. This is the second continuous successful GSLV mission using India’s own cryogenic engine, out of the three development flights held so far using it.
The Indian space agency (ISRO) has made a remarkable achievement with the successful flight of the GSLV-D6 using its own cryogenic upper stage, placing its communication satellite GSAT-6 in the intended oval-shaped transfer orbit with text-book precision. Through orbit raising manoeuvres, it will be put into its ultimate geostationary orbit of 36000 kilometer height later.
The success validates India’s expertise in mastering the complex cryogenic technology which has so far been in the exclusive domain of just a few countries. This success of GSLV mission takes India many steps ahead in realizing its dream of attaining self sufficiency in all kinds of satellite launches, including the heavier ones. - ISRO-NASA mission to use GSLV-D6 rocket
The successful launch of the GSAT-6 satellite by GSLV-D6, earning the launcher the “operational rocket” tag, will signal joint collaboration between India’s ISRO and NASA of the United States.
NASA ISRO SAR Mission (NISAR) is expected to be launched on board GSLV-D6 in 2020-21, ISRO Chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar said, adding NISAR would be optimised for studying hazards and global environment change.
ISRO will be launching four nano-satellites from US as a piggy back luggage for its Astrosat, which is scheduled to be launched next month through its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
On the status of testing a reusable launch vehicle Kumar said the plan is to test fly a scaled down model (1/6th size of real size model) later this year. Meanwhile, ISRO officials have said that the space agency is gearing up for atleast 10 launches every year, of which two would be using GSLV rockets. - Mechanism behind 'strange' earthquakes discovered
Scientists have discovered the mechanism that generates earthquakes which occur away from tectonic plate boundaries. While earthquakes along tectonic plate boundaries are caused by motion between the plates, earthquakes away from fault lines are primarily driven by motion beneath the plates, researchers have found.
Just beneath the Earth's crust is a layer of hot, semi-liquid rock that is continually flowing - heating up and rising, then cooling and sinking.
That convective process, interacting with the ever-changing motion of the plates at the surface, is driving intraplate seismicity and determining in large part where those earthquakes occur.
To a lesser extent, the structure of the crust above also influences the location, according to their models. The area is seismically active - the reason Yellowstone has geysers is that it sits atop a volcanic hotspot. Previously, scientists had suggested that the varying density of the plates was the main cause.
Instead, the team found that the small-scale convective currents beneath the plate correlated with seismic events above in a predictable way. - GSLV Mk3, India’s biggest rocket, coming
ISRO is ramping up efforts for the mock trial of GSLV Mark 3 by mid-2016, prior to the first developmental flight scheduled for December 2016. The biggest rocket made in India, the Mk3 will be capable of launching 4-tonne satellites into geosynchronous orbit.
Designed and developed by the LPSC, the high-thrust cryogenic rocket engine (C25) for the Mk3 was successfully ground-tested for duration of 800 seconds on July 16 at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri.
The next phase involves integration of the engine and stage. A series of ground and high altitude simulation tests will be carried out over the next eight to 10 months. With GSLV Mk3, ISRO hopes to have a triad of launch vehicles, enabling it to capture a major share of the market for commercial satellite launches. - US scientists grow replica of human brain
Scientists in the United States have successfully grown a replica of a human brain in a laboratory dish. The brain, organoid, was created from reprogrammed skin cells and is about the size of a pencil eraser. They hope it will prove to be an essential tool in the testing of new drugs and research into brain disorders, such as Alzheimer. - NASA spacecraft finds neon gas in Moon's atmosphere
A NASA spacecraft has confirmed for the first time that the Moon's thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow.
The presence of neon in the exosphere of the Moon has been a subject of speculation since the Apollo missions, but no credible detections were made," said Mehdi Benna of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. - World's oldest flowering plant may be 130-million-year-old
Scientists have identified a 125 million- to 130 million-year-old freshwater plant, a contemporary of dinosaurs, as one of earliest flowering plants on Earth.
The finding represents a major change in the presumed form of one of the planet's earliest flowers, known as angiosperms, researchers said.
This discovery raises significant questions about the early evolutionary history of flowering plants, as well as the role of these plants in the evolution of other plant and animal life
The aquatic plant, Montsechia vidalii, once grew abundantly in freshwater lakes in what are now mountainous regions in Spain.
Fossils of the plant were first discovered more than 100 years ago in the limestone deposits of the Iberian Range in central Spain and in the Montsec Range of the Pyrenees, near the country's border with France. - NASA spacecraft finds neon gas in Moon's atmosphere
A NASA spacecraft has confirmed for the first time that the Moon's thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow
The presence of neon in the exosphere of the Moon has been a subject of speculation since the Apollo missions, but no credible detections were made. - New monkey species found in Peru
For nearly a century the carcass of a small, reddish-brown monkey from South America gathered dust in a windowless backroom of the American Natural History Museum in New York City. Like a morgue corpse in a drawer with the wrong toe tag, it was a victim of mistaken identity.
No one realised during all those years that it was, in fact, a specimen of an unknown species. That taxonomical injustice will be rectified at the end of this month when the newly-minted Latin name of the overlooked monkey -- rediscovered in 2013 during a jungle expedition through central Peru mounted by a Dutch primatologist -- is officially published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
To wit, Primate Conservation, a reference in the field. Then and only then, according to the rules of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, will Callicebus urubambensis, named for the river along which it lives, finally exist in the annals of biology. The discovery of new primates, especially monkeys, is a pretty big deal.
Excluding prosimians (those tiny tree huggers with freakily human-like fingers and saucers for eyes), only 21 new species have been identified since 2000, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose Primate Specialist Group is the ultimate authority on these questions.
Smaller than a domestic cat, titis mainly eat fruit, mate for life, and are known to adopt the infants of other couples when survival is at stake.
Males generally take charge of raising the young, handing them off to females for nursing. Vermeer, who is also the zoological director of a wildlife park in France, long suspected that there were additional species in the jungles of south central Peru apart from C. brunneus, named for its darker brown colour, and another monkey called Toppin's Titi.
As part of his search for new species, Vermeer paid a visit to the American Natural History Museum in order to peruse the monkeys in its collection. One that was labelled as a C. brunneus caught his eye. - Japan restarts first N-power plant
Japan has restarted its first nuclear reactor under new safety rules following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. All of Japan's nuclear plants were gradually shut down after a series of meltdowns at the Fukushima plant sparked by the tsunami and earthquake.
But after passing stringent new safety tests, Kyushu Electric Power restarted the number one reactor at its Sendai plant. - Researchers design small Insect Eye for Drones
Engineers worldwide have long strived to design an effective compound eye, just like the ones small insects use to evade even the most agile fly swatter, and now it looks as though a team in Switzerland has finally done it. Mini-drones may soon be equipped with the state of art visual systems that weigh just two milligrams.
According to a recently published article in the Interface scientific journal, a laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne has developed a lightweight artificial compound eye, which may be used on miniature drones and other vehicles to help them analyze their surrounding optical flow and avoid collisions. - Young, Jupiter-like planet discovered 100 light years away
Researchers have detected a methane-shrouded planet 100 light years away that resembles a young Jupiter. The planet, called 51 Eridani b, is 20 million years old and may hold the key to understanding how large planets form.
James Larkin, a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) professor of physics and astronomy and colleagues developed and built Gemini Planet Imager's highly advanced spectrometer, which enabled the instrument to detect the presence of methane on 51 Eridani b.
It showed that the planet has the strongest concentration of methane ever detected on a planet outside the Milky Way and should yield additional clues about how the planet formed. Researchers said that the light from 51 Eridani b is very faint and its nearest star is 3 million times brighter. - World glaciers melting at record rates: Study
A worldwide study has revealed that during 2001 to 2010, glaciers lost ice at an alarming two to three times the average for the 20th century. Such is the scale of ice loss that the scientists predict that even if global warming were to stabilize, the ice loss would continue.
Melting glaciers, known to be caused by rising global temperatures, pose a global threat to fresh water systems, like rivers and lakes. Billions of people live in plains fed by glacier and snow melt fed rivers, as in India. If these rivers were to start drying up, there would be calamitous consequences as agriculture would collapse.
Data on glacier changes for the past more than 120 years was compiled by the World Glacier Monitoring Service, located at the University of Zurich. In this study, observations of the first decade of the 21st century (2001-2010) were compared to all available earlier data from in-situ, air-borne, and satellite-borne observations as well as to reconstructions from pictorial and written sources. The Service also collected data from its National Correspondents in more than 30 countries. The study is published in the Journal of Glaciology.
According to the international author team, the current rate of glacier melt is without precedence at global scale, at least for the time period observed and probably also for recorded history, as indicated also in reconstructions from written and illustrated documents.
In addition, the study shows that the long-term retreat of glacier tongues is a global phenomenon. Intermittent re-advance periods at regional and decadal scales are normally restricted to a subsample of glaciers and have not come close to achieving the Little Ice Age maximum positions reached between the 16th and 19th century.
As such, glacier tongues in Norway have retreated by some kilometres from its maximum extents in the 19th century. The intermittent re-advances of the 1990s were restricted to glaciers in the coastal area and to a few hundred metres.
In addition, the study indicates that the intense ice loss of the past two decades has resulted in a strong imbalance of glaciers in many regions of the world. - Asia’s biggest telescope MAST inaugurated at Udaipur Solar Observatory
In Rajasthan, Asia’s biggest telescope, the Multi Application Solar Telescope (MAST) was inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar Observatory on 4th August. Chairman of Physical Research Laboratory, Professor U.R Rao inaugurated the Telescope.
On the occasion Professor Rao informed that MAST will be the biggest ever telescope which can help to study the movements of stars and sun even in the day time. He said with the help of the device the researchers will be able to achieve new heights internationally in the study of the sun and the related components.
The telescope was installed under the Ministry of Science and Technology and was funded by Department of Space. - Obama unveils Clean Power Plan for climate change; faces tough oppo
United States President Barack Obama formally unveiled his administration's ramped-up plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants. He also declared climate change as the greatest threat facing the world.
The aim of the revised Clean Power Plan is to cut greenhouse gas emissions from US power stations by nearly a third within 15 years. The measures will place significant emphasis on wind and solar power and other renewable energy sources.
The revised Clean Power Plan will seek to slash carbon emissions from the power sector by 32 percent by year 2030 from 2005 levels and it shows a 9 percent increase over a previous proposal.
The regulation is aimed at ushering in a sweeping transformation of the U.S. electricity sector, encouraging an aggressive shift toward more renewable energy away from coal-fired electricity.
Industry groups and some lawmakers from states that have relied on coal-based energy have vowed to challenge the Clean Power Plan in the courts and through Congressional maneuvers, accusing the administration of a regulatory assault that will drive up energy prices. - India steps up several initiatives to address climate change
India has taken several domestic initiatives to address climate change. Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said government has been implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) to support domestic actions for adaptation and mitigation.
NAPCC has eight National Missions including inter alia, the National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency and National Mission on Sustainable Habitat which focus on containing the greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
Further, 27 States and 5 Union Territories have prepared State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) consistent with the objectives of NAPCC, focusing on the state specific issues relating to climate change and strategies to tackle them.
India, being a Non-Annex I country party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), does not have any legally binding commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
However, government has voluntarily announced to reduce emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product by 20-25 percent by 2020 from the 2005 level without reckoning the emissions from agriculture sector.
In light of the decision of Conference of Parties held in Lima in 2014, whereby all Parties have to communicate their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) well in advance of the twenty-first session of the Conference of Parties, by 1st October 2015 in a manner that facilitates clarity, transparency and understanding of the intended nationally determined contributions, Government of India has undertaken an elaborate multi-stakeholder consultation process for finalizing its INDCs for submission ahead of the expected date.
The Government has proposed revision of the target of renewable energy capacity of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to 175 GW by 2022.
The revised target of 175 GW comprises capacity addition of 100GW Solar, 60GW Wind, 10GW Biomass and 5 GW Small Hydro Power. Out of 2800 major industries, so far 920 industries have installed on-line continuous (24X7) monitoring devices.
Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change has suggested amendment to the relevant provisions of the Environment protection rules 1986 by proposing stringent norms and standards for compliance by various categories of industries such as Sugar Industry, Paint Industry, Pulp and Paper industry, Fertilizer industry, Cement plants with Co-processing, Brick-kiln industry and Textile industry etc. with the objective to Control pollution, bringing energy efficiency, better solid waste management, water conservation and zero liquid discharge. - Govt notifies sanctuary for flamingos along Thane creek
Mumbai, one of the few cities in the country to boast of a national park, will now be home to a wetland sanctuary as well. The state government has demarcated and notified 16.91 sq km for the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.
The wetland sanctuary will be spread over 896 hectares extending from Mulund, Nahur, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg and Mandala. It will cover the western area along the creek edge, between the Vashi and Airoli bridge and another 795 hectares spread over the Thane creek, an area dotted by dense mangroves.
The sanctuary had been proposed by environmentalists five years ago to safeguard the city's wetland habitat. It gained momentum when the government realized it could serve as a compensation for the future loss of habitat on account of the 22km Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL).
At present, the Sewri mudflats serve as a home for flamingos between November to May, where they come from as far as Siberia via the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
The Bombay Natural History Society had suggested that the government shift the alignment of the proposed MTHL by about 500-700 metres on the south side, to avoid affecting the flamingos.
However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is executing the Rs 10,000-crore infrastructure project has rejected the suggestion.
Instead, the sanctuary has been offered as compensation, but it remains to be seen if the Forest Clearance Authority now approves the MTHL project.
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