🔆 National Parks in Assam

📍 List of National Parks (West to East)
1. Raimona National Park
2. Manas National Park (WHS/ TR/ ER/ BR)
3. Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve (NP/ TR)
4. Nameri National Park (TR)
5. Kaziranga National Park (mentioned later)
6. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (BR)
7. Dehing Patkai National Park (ER)

🔆 Important Lakes of Europe

📍 Lake Ladoga
✅ Country: Russia
✅ Type: Glacial

📍 Lake Onega
✅ Country: Russia
✅ Type: Glacial

📍 Lake Constance
✅ Countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
✅ Type: Glacial

📍 Lake Como
✅ Country: Italy
✅ Type: Glacial

📍 Lake Skadar
✅ Countries: Montenegro, Albania
✅ Type: Karst (in a Karst Depression)

#mapping

Drought in Amazon : decline in biomass, big losses and mortality of the largest trees.


The loss of ~ 40% of the total weight of the vegetation and the carbon stored within....

🔆 What 24 Years of Drought Simulation in the Amazon Revealed

✅ About the Project:
• The Esecaflor project (2000–present) is the world’s longest-running drought experiment in a rainforest.
• Located in Caxiuana National Forest, scientists diverted 50% of rainfall using 6,000 plastic panels to mimic long-term drought.

✅ Key Findings:
• After 8 years, the forest showed a sharp decline in biomass and 40% loss in vegetation weight.
• Large trees suffered high mortality, leading to significant carbon release into the atmosphere.
• The Amazon shifted from a carbon sink to a carbon emitter, losing its ability to absorb CO₂.

✅ Why It Matters:
• Forest trees store the equivalent of 2 years of global carbon emissions.
• Cutting or death of these trees due to drought accelerates climate change.
• In extreme dry years (El Niño + climate change), impacts were most severe.

✅ Next Steps:
• Scientists are now observing if the forest can regenerate and return to baseline post-drought.
• The project helps predict future resilience of the Amazon amid changing climate patterns.

#Amazon #ClimateCrisis #ForestDrought #CarbonSink

In snow free areas, the ground reflects 2.2% more sunlight, causing colling effect.

🔆 Key Takeaways: Subtle Vegetation Shifts Made Earth Brighter and Cooler

✅ Satellite data (2001-20) shows snow-free areas reflect 2.2% more sunlight, causing a cooling effect.
✅ Increased brightness mainly due to drying grasses and shrubs replacing darker plants.
✅ These subtle shifts caused 3.9-8.1 times more cooling than land-use changes.
✅ Shrublands and short natural vegetation are the biggest contributors.
✅ Shrinking snow cover accounts for only 14% of the cooling effect.

#ClimateScience #EarthObservation #VegetationChanges
#geography

🔆 Glacier Loss Warning: Only 24% May Survive at 2.7°C Warming

✅ Key Findings:
• At 2.7°C rise, only 24% of glaciers may remain globally
• Limiting to 1.5°C (Paris target) could save up to 54% glacier mass
• Indian glaciers & Hindu Kush: only 25% ice remains at 2°C
• Glacier retreat is faster in South Asia, steepest in Indian sub-regions

✅ Why it Matters:
• Major rivers (Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra) are glacier-fed
• Melting raises sea levels, threatens millions of lives

✅ Study Used:
• 21 scientists, 8 models, 200,000+ glaciers simulated

Mount Etna : world heritage site since 2013

🔆 Key Takeaways: Mount Etna’s Massive Eruption

✅ Eruption Details:
• Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, erupted explosively on June 1, sending ash and smoke several kilometers into the sky.
• Experts suggest the eruption was triggered by increasing pressure inside the volcano, leading to the collapse of the southeast crater.
• This was categorized as a Strombolian eruption, characterized by bursts of lava, rock, and ash.

✅ Location & Importance:
• Mount Etna, an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily, is Europe’s largest active volcano and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• The volcano has been active for over 2,700 years and is known for its frequent eruptions.

#MountEtna #Volcano #Eruption #Strombolian #Italy

🔆 Important Deserts

📍 Subtropical Hot Deserts

📍 Great Victoria Desert
✅ Largest Australian Desert
✅ Contains many sand dunes and salt lakes

📍 Great Sandy Desert
✅ Passes through the Pilbara region
✅ An ephemeral river, Rudall, flows through here

📍 Gibson Desert

📍 Simpson Desert

📍 Tanami Desert

🔆 Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica

✅ Location:
• The Ellsworth Mountains are situated in West Antarctica.

✅ Key Feature:
• These mountains include Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, standing at 4,892 meters.

#EllsworthMountains #MountVinson #Antarctica #Geography

🔆 Hydrology of the Brahmaputra: Key Insights

📍 Origin & Flow
The Brahmaputra originates as Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, enters India as Siang in Arunachal, and flows as Brahmaputra in Assam before becoming Jamuna in Bangladesh.

📍 Rainfall Dependency
Arunachal contributes 42.57% of India’s Brahmaputra basin rainfall; Tibet contributes <20% of water yield in India.

📍 Chinese Projects
China’s upstream dams, including the massive Medog dam and South-North Water Diversion Project, pose concerns but lie upstream of Arunachal, limiting major impact.

📍 Indian Strategy
India must prepare a long-term river strategy focusing on real-time data, resilience, and multilateral diplomacy to counter upstream threats.

🔆 Post: Jammu–Srinagar Rail Link & Chenab Bridge Highlights

📍 Project Overview
✅ 272 km rail line from Udhampur to Baramulla
✅ Divided into 4 sections with 943 bridges and 36 tunnels
✅ Includes the Chenab Bridge & Anji Khad Bridge

📍 Chenab Bridge
✅ Tallest railway bridge in the world: 359m above riverbed
✅ Length: 1.315 km, Arch span: 467m, 17 spans
✅ Cost: ₹1,486 crore, Steel used: 28,660 MT
✅ Built to withstand Zone V earthquakes & wind speeds up to 266 km/h
✅ Design life: 120 years

📍 Anji Khad Bridge
✅ India’s first cable-stayed railway bridge

📍 Operations
✅ Vande Bharat Express to run 6 days/week
✅ Expected full Delhi–Srinagar service by Sept 2024

🔆 Mineral Belts of India – Areas & Potentials

📍 The North Eastern Peninsular Belt
✅ Area/Region: Extends from the Aravalli range in Rajasthan in the west to the Chotanagpur Plateau in Jharkhand and Odisha in the east.
✅ Potentials: Rich deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, lead, and zinc.

📍 The South Western Belt
✅ Area/Region: Located in the states of Karnataka, Goa, and parts of Maharashtra.
✅ Potentials: Abundant reserves of iron ore, manganese, limestone, and bauxite.

📍 The North Western Belt
✅ Area/Region: Spread across Rajasthan and Gujarat.
✅ Potentials: Deposits of limestone, marble, gypsum, rock phosphate, lignite, and bentonite.

📍 The Central Belt
✅ Area/Region: Located in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
✅ Potentials:
• Coal: Substantial reserves, key for India’s energy needs.
• Iron Ore: Supports the iron and steel industry.
• Bauxite, Limestone, and Dolomite: Crucial for aluminium production, cement manufacturing, and construction materials.

📍 The Southern Belt
✅ Area/Region: Located in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
✅ Potentials: Rich deposits of iron ore, bauxite, and limestone.

📍 The Eastern Belt
✅ Area/Region: Extends through Odisha, West Bengal, and parts of Jharkhand.
✅ Potentials: Vast reserves of iron ore, coal, manganese, and chromite.

📍 The Western Belt
✅ Area/Region: Located in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
✅ Potentials: Deposits of manganese, bauxite, limestone, and gypsum.

🔆 Modern Methods of Water Management

✅ Rainwater Harvesting: Collecting rainwater is a very efficient way to replenish the groundwater table and save natural water.

✅ Pressure Reducing Valves: In a hydraulic system, a pressure-reducing valve essentially regulates the amount of pressure. These valves guarantee that the water level to be used is predetermined.

✅ Water metering: Installing water metres to track water usage in both residential and business buildings is another effective technique to reduce water waste. It can aid in leak detection.

✅ Greywater recycling: It is a technique for reusing used and wastewater from showers, washing machines, and kitchen sinks for things like flushing toilets and watering plants.

✅ Water-efficient Accessories: New developments are pushing the limits of water saving without compromising usage patterns, such as altered spray patterns in taps and showers and enhanced flush pressure in toilets.

✅ Fog Harvesting: Exploring fog harvesting technologies in hilly regions. Specialized mesh structures capture moisture droplets from fog, providing a valuable water source in areas with limited rainfall. That have been implemented in countries like Chile, Morocco, and Peru.

#gs1 #Geography #mains

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Chenab bridge

🔆 Pollution Dome

📍 Definition
✅ Formed when unfavorable atmospheric conditions trap pollutants in urban areas, causing smog buildup.

📍 Contributing Factors
✅ Stagnant Air: Calm winds trap pollutants.
✅ Temperature Inversions: Warm air traps cooler air, preventing vertical dispersion.
✅ Geographic Bottlenecks: Mountains/valleys restrict air movement, trapping pollutants.

📍 Additional Factors
✅ Industrial Activity: Emissions from factories, power plants, and vehicles worsen pollution in stagnant air.
✅ Unfavorable Weather Patterns: Systems like anticyclones limit atmospheric mixing, trapping pollutants closer to the ground.

#Geography
#environment