Category Weather & Climate

Why is it said that Russia is home to a large number of ecosystems and various animal species?

It is not surprising that a country so big is home to a large number of ecosystems and species. Its forests, steppes, and tundras are an ideal habitat for many rare animals, like pikas and Siberian tigers.

Russia set up its first national parks in the 19th century, but years of uncontrolled pollution have caused a lot of problems in many of the country’s wild places. About one per cent of Russia’s land area is protected in reserves now and these areas are called zapovedniks.

Russia’s Siberian tiger is the largest cat in the world. Indigenous to the forests of Eastern Russia, these giants can be up to 3 metres long, not including their tail and weigh up to 300 kilogrammes. But they are now an endangered species. Other rare animals found in Russia include the arctic fox, the wild boar, the Eurasian lynx and the polar bears. Arctic foxes can be found in the Bering Sea’s Commander Islands. The wild boars were introduced into the Ural Mountains range in the 1930s by humans and it is still one of the unique places to see them.

Coniferous forests from the western borders up to Kamchatka and Sakhalin is the habitat of the Eurasian Lynx. Wrangel Island is an area where the dens of polar bears are abundantly found and is often called the polar bear maternity wing.

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WHAT IS CONSIDERED A HEATWAVE?

India was reeling under a searing heatwave recently, with the mercury soaring past the 45-degree mark in some places. But what is a heatwave? What causes it? What are the dos and don’t when a heatwave is expected? Let’s find out.

What is a heatwave?

A heatwave is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in tropical countries such as ours. It is measured relative to the usual weather in a particular region and relative to normal temperatures there for the season.

A heatwave occurs when a system of high atmospheric pressure enters an area and remains there for two days or more. In such a system, air from the upper levels of our atmosphere is pulled downwards towards the ground where it becomes compressed and increases in temperature.

When is a heatwave declared?

A heatwave is declared when an area records a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and at least 4.5 notches above normal temperature for two consecutive days. A severe heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 47 degrees Celsius, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. The IMD began keeping temperature records 122 years ago. Amid a 71% rain deficit, India saw its warmest March in 2022. As of May 1, 2022, Bikaner in Rajasthan was the hottest place with 47.1 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.

Colour-coded warnings

The IMD issues colour-coded warnings – green, yellow, orange, and red – depending on the severity of the weather condition, with red being the extremest, to alert the authorities concerned. Green means there’s no unusual change in the weather, while yellow suggests authorities should be prepared as hot weather lasting days is likely. A ‘red’ warning is issued for a severe heatwave, while an ‘orange’ warning is issued for a heatwave. A ‘red’ warning is issued to caution people not to step out between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Severe heatwaves could lead to loss of lives, power outages on account of increased use of air-conditioning, wildfires, and crop failure, among other things.

Dos and don’ts

In extreme heat conditions, there is a high likelihood of people of all age groups suffering a heat stroke or dehydration. Stay indoors at least till 6 in the evening and drink plenty of water and buttermilk to stay hydrated.

As for don’ts, do not expose yourself to direct sunlight between 11.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. as heatwaves are likely to be at their peak during this time. Do not go to open terraces to play till at least 5 in the evening and do not leave children or pets in parked vehicles. Avoid strenuous activities when outside in the afternoon.

Last but not least, do not ignore symptoms such as excessive thirst, unusual fatigue, dizziness, throbbing headache, lack of sweating despite the heat, and muscle cramps, and seek immediate medical help.

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What is the difference between weathering and Erosion?

Weathering is the result of rocks wearing down because of the actions of the forces of   nature. It is a natural process. During weathering, the rocks in their changed form remain in the same place – there is no movement of material. Erosion, on the other hand, happens when the broken-down rocks are carried away by water, ice, wind or gravity, and the remains are deposited far away from the place where the change initially happened.

Weathering and erosion are forms by which rocks are separated and moved from their unique location. They vary depending on whether a rock’s location is changed: weathering debases a rock without moving it, while erosion diverts rocks and soil from their unique locations. Weathering frequently prompts erosion by making rocks separate into little pieces, which erosive forces would then be able to move away.

Primarily, the difference between erosion and weathering is that weathering happens to set up though erosion includes movement to another location. Both are brought about by quite similar factors such as wind, water, ice, temperature, and even natural activity. They can likewise happen together.

                            Erosion                               Weathering 
Erosion refers to the displacement of the solids through wind, water, and ice. Weathering refers to the decomposition of the rocks, soil, and minerals through direct contact with the atmosphere.
The eroded materials are displaced in the case of erosion. The weathered materials are not displaced in the case of weathering.
The several types of erosion include water, wind, thermal, ice, and gravity erosion. The several types of weathering include physical, chemical, and biological weathering.
Wind, ice, water, and human activities are some of the major causes of erosion. Weathering is caused because of atmospheric factors like air pressure.

Credit: Vedantu

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WHAT KIND OF CONDITIONS SPEEDS UP WEATHERING?

The presence of water and changing temperature. Weathering happens less in very hot and dry areas, as well as places that are extremely cold and dry, where the temperature does not change much.

Weathering is a natural process, but human activities can speed it up.

 For example, certain kinds of air pollution increase the rate of weathering. Burning coal, natural gas, and petroleum releases chemicals such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When these chemicals combine with sunlight and moisture, they change into acids. They then fall back to Earth as acid rain.

 Acid rain rapidly weathers limestone, marble, and other kinds of stone. The effects of acid rain can often be seen on gravestones, making names and other inscriptions impossible to read.

Credit: National Geographic Society

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WHAT IS WEATHERING?

It is a process in which hard rock and minerals on the surface of Earth gradually break down and change form because they are exposed to wind, water, salt and varying temperatures. Weathering is the first step in the formation of soil. There are two types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. In the first type, rocks break up into smaller fragments, whereas in the second, the original material transforms into another substance.

Weathering, disintegration or alteration of rock in its natural or original position at or near the Earth’s surface through physical, chemical, and biological processes induced or modified by wind, water, and climate.

During the weathering process the translocation of disintegrated or altered material occurs within the immediate vicinity of the rock exposure, but the rock mass remains in situ. Weathering is distinguished from erosion by the fact that the latter usually includes the transportation of the disintegrated rock and soil away from the site of the degradation. A broader application of erosion, however, includes weathering as a component of the general denudation of all landforms along with wind action and fluvial, marine and glacial processes. The occurrence of weathering at or near the Earth’s surface also distinguishes it from the physical and chemical alteration of rock through metamorphism, which usually takes place deep in the crust at much higher temperatures.

Credit: Britannica

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WHAT ARE TORNADOES?

A tornado, also called a twister, is a violently rotating funnel of air, set off by giant thunderclouds called supercells. The vortex, known as a land spout, is a whirling mass of air hanging from the base of the cloud down to the ground, like the hose of a vacuum cleaner. Over water, a tornado forms a water spout. Tornadoes can also occur as two or more spinning vortexes spinning around each other.

Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air, extending from a thunderstorm, which are in contact with the ground. Tornadoes develop when wind variations with height support rotation in the updraft. Tornadoes come in different sizes, many as narrow rope-like swirls, others as wide funnels.

Across the Plains, tornadoes can be seen from miles away. However, in the southeast, and especially Georgia, tornadoes are often hidden in large swaths of rain and hail, making them very difficult to see and even more dangerous. Visibility is often affected by terrain constraints in Georgia as well.

As stated before, tornadoes come in different shapes and sizes. They are ranked using the Enhanced Fujita scale. The majority of tornadoes which occur are classified as a weak tornado. Usually weak tornados will last for just a few minutes and have wind speeds of 100 mph or less. Some tornadoes intensify further and become strong or violent. Strong tornadoes last for twenty minutes or more and may have winds of up to 200 mph, while violent tornadoes can last for more than an hour with winds between 200 and 300 mph! These violent tornadoes are rare in occurrence.

Credit: NOAA

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