India Climate Change Knowledge Portal
News: Minister of Environment,Forest and Climate Change has launched the India Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Facts:
- Climate Change Knowledge Portal: It will be a single point Information resource which provides information on the different climate initiatives taken by various Line Ministries enabling users to access updated status on these initiatives.
- Components: The eight major components included in the portal are: India’s Climate Profile; National Policy Framework; India’s NDC goals; Adaptation Actions; Mitigation Actions; Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation; International Climate Negotiations and Reports & Publications.
Explained: What is Information Management and Analysis Centre(IMAC)?
News: Defence Minister has said that the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police have prepared a three-tier security cover in the coastal areas of the country called Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) so that no suspicious activity can be escaped
Facts:
- IMAC: It was established in 2014 and is the nodal centre for maritime security information collation and dissemination.
- Where is it located? Gurgaon, Haryana
- Operated by: It is jointly operated by the Navy and Coast Guard and is the cornerstone of the National Command Control Communication and Intelligence Network for monitoring maritime traffic in India’s area of interest.
- Function: To facilitate exchange of maritime security information among various national stakeholders and generate a common operational picture.
- However, IMAC tracks only non-military or commercial ships known as white shipping.Military ships or grey hull ships are tracked by Directorate of Naval Operations as this is on a classified network.
Explained: What is climate emergency?
News: The New Zealand government may declare a climate emergency in the country.
Facts:
- Climate Emergency: It is a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.
- Countries that have declared Climate Emergency: Some of the countries that have declared a climate emergency in recent years include the UK, Portugal, Canada, France and, most recently, Japan.
Explained: What is ‘Blue Tide’ Spotted Along Mumbai Coastline?
News: Bioluminescence or light-emitting tide made an appearance on Juhu beach in Mumbai.
Facts:
- What is Bioluminescence? It is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence.
- Why did the waves appear blue here? It appears when bioluminescent marine life makes the sea appear a deep shade of blue.The spectacle occurs when phytoplankton(microscopic marine plants) produce light through chemical reactions in proteins.Waves disturb these unicellular microorganisms and make them release blue light.
- Are bioluminescent waves common in India? Bioluminescence has been an annual occurrence along the west coast since 2016.However, it is not common in India.
- Is Bioluminescence harmful? While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishing. According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.Factors such as the pattern of the wind and the temperature of the ocean also determine the occurrence of bioluminescent waves.
‘Sea sparkle’ has affected marine food chain:CMFRI
News: The bloom of Noctiluca Scintillans on Karnataka coast has displaced microscopic algae.
Facts:
- Noctiluca Scintillans commonly known as the sea sparkle is a free-living, marine-dwelling species of dinoflagellate that exhibits bioluminescence when disturbed (popularly known as mareel).
- Affect on Marine Life: The toxic bloom of Noctiluca Scintillans was linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills and has displaced microscopic algae called diatoms which form the basis of the marine food chain.
- Why is the species toxic? The species does not produce a toxin.But it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia which is then excreted into the surrounding waters possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
