Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – January 25, 2019

The enclosed seas

In the low latitudes record relatively higher temperature than the open seas; whereas the enclosed seas in the high latitudes have lower temperature than the open seas.

Latitudes

The temperature of surface water decreases from equator toward the poles because the sun’s rays become more and more slanting and thus the amount of insolation decreases pole ward accordingly

Prevailing wind

The winds blowing from the land towards the oceans and seas (i.e. offshore winds) drive warm surface water away from the coast resulting into upwelling of cold bottom water from below.  Thus, the replacement of warm water by cold water introduces longitudinal variation in temperature. Contrary to this, the onshore winds pile up warm water near the coast and thus raise the temperature.

Ocean currents

Surface temperatures of the oceans are controlled by warm and cold currents. Warm currents raise the temperature of the affected areas whereas cool currents lower down the temperature.

Its salient features are:

• A clear distinction of hot wet summer and cold dry winter with annual rainfall below the tropical monsoon climate.
• It has extreme diurnal range of temperatures with intense heat in day and well frost cold at night.

It consists of tall grass and short trees scattered between the grasses with water storing features and deciduous nature.

It is home for wild animals and known as “big game country” with a huge animal wealth.

• This type of climate has alternate wet and dry seasons similar to monsoon climate but has considerably less annual rainfall.
• Highest temperatures do not coincide with the period of the highest sun (e.g. June in the northern hemisphere) but occur just before the onset of the rainy season, i.e. April in Northern Hemisphere and October in Southern Hemisphere.
• As the rainfall diminishes towards the deserts the savanna merges into thorny scrub.
• The herbivorous includes the zebra, antelope, giraffe, deer, gazelle, elephant etc. [most of the National geographic and Animal Planet documentaries on wild animals are shot in savanna regions] and carnivorous animals include the lion, tiger, leopard, hyena, panther, jaguar, jackal etc.
• Species of reptiles and mammals including crocodiles, alligators, giant lizards live together with the larger rhinoceros and hippopotamus in rivers and marshy lakes.
• Many tribes live in savanna region. Tribes like the Masai tribes of the East African plateau are pastoralists whereas Hausa of northern Nigeria are settled cultivators.
• They do not practice shifting cultivation. Instead, they clear a piece of land and use it for several years.
• savannas have immense agricultural potential for plantation agriculture of cotton, cane sugar, coffee, oil palm, groundnuts and even tropical fruits.

The following are the various soil conservation technique used:

• Contour ploughing.
• terrace farming.
• Keyline design.
• runoff control.
• Windbreaks.
• Cover crops/crop rotation.
• Soil-conservation farming.
• Salinity management.
• Soil organisms
• Mineralization

The Secure Himalaya project, launched by the Union Environment Ministry in collaboration with United Nations Development Program (UNDP). will cover Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim

The “Secure Himalaya” plan intended to conserve the snow leopards by protecting their habitats and improve the ecology of Himalayan ranges and lives of the mountain communites — all among the worst victims of climate change

The project’s objectives note that “the snow leopard, its prey, its eco-systems face a variety of direct and indirect threats… Habitat degradation and fragmentation of area are a direct threat and increasing due to the high dependence of local communities on natural resources and unplanned infrastructure”.

It stressed that the emerging threats of illegal wildlife trade and wildlife crime need attention.

The project includes the Kangchenjunga and Teesta valley areas in Sikkim, the Gangotri-Govind and Darma Bayas valley in the Pithoragarh area of Uttarakhand, Pangi and Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh and Changhang in Jammu and Kashmir, which are home to around 67.57 million people.

The project also outlined that the remoteness and relative seclusion has made the mountain communities, that includes many tribal communities, among the last bastions of globally significant indigenous knowledge and cultural heterogeneity.

Statement A is Correct

• Snow leopard (Panthera uncial) is a large cat native to mountain ranges of Central and South Asia- including Himalayas, and Russia’s remote Altai mountains. It inhabits in alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m. In northern range countries, it is also found at lower elevations.
• It is threatened by poaching for their fur, habitat destruction by infrastructure developments and climate change. It mostly feed on wild animals, but also prey on livestock. It usually hunts at dawn and dusk and is able to kill prey up to three times their own weight.
• It is National Heritage Animal of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Statement B is Incorrect

• In September 2017, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had downgraded conservation status of snow leopard to “vulnerable” from “endangered”.

All the statements are correct:

Lakshadweep Islands

• These are coral island group
• Minicoy Island is the largest island group that is present in the Lakshadweed
• Minicoy Island is separated from the other islands by the 9 degree channel
• 8 degree channel separates Minicoy Islands from Maldives

Statement 1 is incorrect

Continental Crust

• Continental Crust is made up of Graniatic& Andesitic Rocks
• Dominant mineral present in this rock is Feldsphur
• Density of the Continental crust is 2.6 gm. / Cm3
• Thickness of the Continental crust is 40 km
• Under mountainous area thickness of Continental crust reaches up to 100km

Statement 2 and 3 are correct

Oceanic Crust

• Oceanic crust is made up of Basaltic Rocks
• Minerals composing the Oceanic crust is Ferro magnesia
• Density of the Oceanic crust is 3.0gm. / Cm3
• Thickness of the Oceanic crust is much less variable up to 5-10 km