UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment and Geography MCQs on Santa Ana winds, right whale and more (Week 89)

Statement 1: Arctic sea ice has been shrinking by 12.6% each decade.

Statement 2: This pace of decline in sea ice is unmatched by any point in at least the last 1,500 years.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.

(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.

Explanation

— According to a new study, the Arctic Ocean may experience its first ice-free day — when its waters have less than one million square kilometres of sea ice — by 2030, which is earlier than previously thought. The scenario is unusual, but it is feasible, and it is becoming more plausible as humans continue to release heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) at unprecedented amounts, according to the analysis.

— The study, ‘The first ice-free day in the Arctic Ocean could occur before 2030’, was published in the journal Nature Communications. It was carried out by Céline Heuzé of the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and Alexandra Jahn of the University of Colorado Boulder (USA).

— For decades, the Arctic sea ice has been diminishing. According to a 2023 article in the MIT Climate Portal, sea ice extent has decreased by 12.6% each decade over the last 40 years, a rate unprecedented in at least the last 1,500 years. Hence, statements 1 and 2 are correct.

— The researchers utilised 11 distinct climate models to undertake 366 simulations of climate change and Arctic sea ice concentrations between 2023 and 2100. The majority of simulations anticipated that the first ice-free day in the Arctic would occur within seven to twenty years, even if humanity significantly reduced GHG emissions in the next few years.

Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the right whale, consider the following statements:

1. The right whale’s population has decreased and is back to the brink of extinction.

2. These whales are found in the Indian Ocean.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— One of the world’s rarest whale species has seen a tiny increase in population, prompting conservationists to urge the federal government, as well as the shipping and fishing industries, to do more to save the gigantic animals from extinction. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The North Atlantic right whale, which can weigh up to 150,000 pounds (68,039 kilograms) and resides off the East Coast, saw its population drop in the 2010s. The severely endangered whales, which are threatened by global warming and vulnerable to ship crashes and entanglement in fishing gear, were reduced to fewer than 360 individuals by the early 2020s.

— The number of researchers studying whale populations is expected to reach 372 by 2023. That’s a 4% gain over 2020, and “heartening news” after the whale population declined by 25% between 2010 and 2020, according to researchers.

— Right whales live in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

With reference to the ‘Santa Ana’ winds, consider the following statements:

1. These winds blow when high pressure builds over the Great Basin — the area between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada.

2. These winds require high pressure over California’s coast.

3. These winds usually occur from March to June.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— Firefighters are still battling a wildfire in the luxurious coastal community of Malibu, California, that started on December 9. The so-called Franklin Fire has burned over 4,000 acres and affected around 22,000 people.

— Although the exact cause of the fire is unknown, scientists believe it was caused by two factors: “Santa Ana” winds and climate change.

What are the ‘Santa Ana’ winds?

— Santa Ana winds blow when high pressure rises over the Great Basin, which is located between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in the Western United States), while low pressure exists over California’s coast. The pressure differential causes violent winds to travel from the Basin’s inland deserts, east and north of Southern California, over the mountains and into the Pacific Ocean. Hence, statement 1 is correct and statement 2 is not correct.

— As the wind descends the mountains, it compresses and heats up. The wind also reduces humidity, sometimes to less than 20% or even less than 10%. The abnormally low moisture level dries up vegetation, preparing it for burning. This process contributed to the spread of the Malibu fire.

— Santa Ana winds normally blow from October to January. “Winter weather patterns allow high pressure to build near the surface of the Great Basin, which then interacts with low-pressure air over the Pacific,” explained Rose Schoenfeld, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard, California, to Bloomberg. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following pairs with reference to the National Waterways:

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) All three pairs

(d) None of the pairs

Explanation

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: iwai.nic.in)

QUESTION 5

The report”State of Global Water Resources 2023″ is published by:

(a) WaterAid India

(b) Indian Water Works Association

(c) World Meteorological Organisation

(d) Water Quality Association

Explanation

— The State of Global Water Resources report emphasises serious stress on global water supplies, citing five years of below-average river flows and reservoir inflows.

— This scarcity is harming communities, agriculture, and ecosystems. Furthermore, glaciers recorded the greatest mass loss in the last 50 years, with 2023 marking the second year of significant ice loss worldwide.

— The research underlines that 2023 was the hottest year on record, with persistent droughts and severe floods caused by the La Niña to El Niño transition and human-induced climate change.

— The report provides a global assessment of water resources, relying on meteorological and hydrological data to assist decision-makers in water-sensitive sectors and disaster risk management. It complements the World Meteorological Organisation‘s “State of the Global Climate” series.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Source: wmo.int)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 89)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 89)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 89)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 88)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 88)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 88)

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