While black carbon has a large effect on snow darkening and resultant melting of snow, dust particles transported from as far as Saudi Arabia that gets deposited in the Western Himalayan Region has a large role to play in melting of snow, particularly at higher elevations.
Climate change
Brazilian researchers remain anonymous on research paper
Due to fear of losing their job, researchers from Brazil have preferred to remain anonymous in a paper on Amazon forest fire. The acknowledgement section of the paper published last month carries the message. There have been several instances when authors of scientific papers have tucked in their marriage proposal in the acknowledgement section. One … Continue reading Brazilian researchers remain anonymous on research paper
Climate change may reduce banana yield in India
Continued global warming may adversely affect banana yield in India by 2050. With 29% of the world's production, India is the world's biggest producer of banana. But the decline in yield can be mitigated by strong, technology-driven measures. Global warming in the last about 60 years had helped increase banana yield at annual rate of … Continue reading Climate change may reduce banana yield in India
IIT Jodhpur fabricates a highly sensitive hydrogen sensor
A research team from IIT Jodhpur and IIT Hyderabad have together fabricated a sensor that can detect hydrogen gas even when present at extremely low concentration of 1 ppm. The sensitivity is 30% at 1 ppm hydrogen concentration and 74% at 100 ppm concentration. A sensor that can detect hydrogen gas even when present at … Continue reading IIT Jodhpur fabricates a highly sensitive hydrogen sensor
Irrigation, agriculture shift rainfall to northwest India, IIT Bombay finds
IIT Bombay researchers have found the reason why the summer monsoon rainfall has shifted towards northwest India and intensification of extreme rainfall is seen over central India during the month of September. They have developed a land-surface model that takes into account the Indian conditions. For the first time, researchers from the Indian Institute of … Continue reading Irrigation, agriculture shift rainfall to northwest India, IIT Bombay finds
TIFR desalinates seawater without using electricity
TIFR researchers have produced gold nanoparticles that can absorb sunlight over the entire visible region and even the near infrared light. They used such gold nanoparticles to absorb energy from sunlight to be able to desalinate seawater to produce drinking water. The gold nanoparticles can also be used for converting carbon dioxide to methane more … Continue reading TIFR desalinates seawater without using electricity
IITM Pune develops model to predict heat waves three weeks in advance
Researchers at Pune's Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology have developed a model that can predict heat waves three weeks in advance. It can predict the date of onset, duration and demise of the forthcoming spell of heat waves, with a small spatial and temporal error. The prediction system has been successfully transferred to the Indian … Continue reading IITM Pune develops model to predict heat waves three weeks in advance
Bhubaneswar shows how urbanisation can increase local temperature
While Cuttack and Bhubaneswar have become 0.5 degree C hotter due to urbanisation during the period 2001-2010, warming in smaller cities and towns has been relatively less, researchers at IIT Bhubaneswar find. How urbanisation of cities in the last decade can sharply increase the local temperature has been well documented by a recent study undertaken by … Continue reading Bhubaneswar shows how urbanisation can increase local temperature
Recognising Anthropocene as an epoch is a caution to humanity
The overwhelming vote by the Anthropocene Working Group to recognise Anthropocene as a new epoch is a grim reminder to humanity that failure to end destructive activities will irrevocably change the face of the earth and make it uninhabitable. The pervasive and long-lasting signatures of modern human activity on earth have been so striking, that … Continue reading Recognising Anthropocene as an epoch is a caution to humanity
Scientists vote to recognise Anthropocene as a new epoch
A 34-member panel of the Anthropocene Working Group voted to designate Anthropocene as the new geologic epoch. The vote signals the end of the Holocene Epoch which began 11,700 years ago. The focus is now on identifying a definitive geologic marker or golden spike to signal the beginning of the Anthropocene Epoch. On May 21, … Continue reading Scientists vote to recognise Anthropocene as a new epoch
Science Chronicle 