Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – February 29, 2020

Taking Carbon out of the Atmosphere:

▪ Nature is constantly taking carbon out of the atmosphere. These processes are sometimes called carbon sinks. Photosynthesis – Plants use photosynthesis to make energy and grow. They take carbon dioxide (CO2), sunlight, and water and turn it into oxygen and sugar. Large areas of plants like the rainforest help to remove lots of carbon from the atmosphere. The Ocean – Ocean water does a lot to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide in the air reacts with the sea water to make carbonic acid in the ocean. If there is too much carbonic acid, it may lead to acid rain. However, some carbonic acid is good as it is used by sea organisms to make their shells. These shells will eventually become sedimentary rock like limestone.

Moving Carbon into the Atmosphere: ▪ at the same time that some processes of nature are removing carbon from the air, other processes are adding more carbon to the air. These processes are called sources.  ▪ Decay – When plants and animals die they decay. When this happens, the carbon in their body will either be released into the atmosphere or stored in ground as fossil fuels.  ▪ Respiration (breathing) – Every time you breathe you turn oxygen into carbon dioxide. This is true of every animal on Earth.  ▪ Combustion (burning) – When plants, trees, or fossil fuels are burned, carbon is released into the atmosphere.

Coral Reefs are submarine morphological creatures with organic calcium’s structure. These are very beautiful, natural, wonder and among world’s oldest, most diverse and most productive ecosystem. In terms of biodiversity, they are the marine equivalents of tropical rainforest.

Ideal Conditions for their Growth:

▪ Temperature: 25°C to 30°C limited to tropical belt, less than 18°C or 33°C – Corals tend to die

▪ Salinity: Corals need saline water. Average salinity 27 – 40 PPM (parts per million)

▪ Need shallow water, less than 60-65 metres

▪ need submarine platforms

▪ Need Sediment free, clear water.

▪ Water which is disturbed by currents and waves is beneficial and it ensures supply of oxygen.

Mangroves are various large extensive types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes 25 N and 25 S. Mangroves are salt tolerant trees (halophytes) adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions. They contain a complex salt filtration system and complex root system to cope with salt water immersion and wave action. They are adapted to the low oxygen (anoxic) conditions of waterlogged mud.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States. WWF aims to “stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.” The Living Planet Report is published every two years by WWF since 1998; it is based on a Living Planet Index and ecological footprint calculation. In addition, WWF has launched several notable worldwide campaigns including Earth Hour and Debt-for-Nature Swap, and its current work is organized around these six areas: food, climate, freshwater, wildlife, forests, and oceans.

In June 1992 representatives from 172 nations convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), commonly called the Earth Summit. Earth Summit 1992 produced the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the Statement of Forest Principles, and Agenda 21. The Earth Summit also led to the establishment of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention on Biological Diversity is a binding treaty requiring nations to take inventories of their plants and wild animals and protect their endangered species. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or Global Warming Convention, is a binding treaty that requires nations to reduce their emission of carbon dioxide, methane, and other “greenhouse” gases thought to be responsible for global warming