Daily Prelims Notes 8 January 2024
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Daily Prelims Notes
8 January 2024
Table Of Contents
- Why are plastic rocks found across 5 continents, and what are the threats?
- Shri Sarbananda Sonowal to chair the First Inland Waterways Development Council Meeting to be held tomorrow in Kolkata
- Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change submits proposals for Wetland City Accreditation under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for the cities of Indore, Bhopal and Udaipur
- IIT Delhi team makes first hi-res landslide risk map for India
- This new nuclear fuel can guarantee India’s green energy transition
- How AI is being harnessed in treatment of cancer
- Ram Temple opening brings hope to Moradabad brass traders as orders for idols shoot up
- ISRO should help everyone enjoy the fruits of its new science missions
1. Why are plastic rocks found across 5 continents, and what are the threats?
Subject: Environment
Section: Pollution
Context:
- The emergence of plastic rocks across five continents has been catching attention of experts across the world.
More on news:
- Plastic rocks are found in various locations across the globe.
- They have surfaced on coastlines and inland areas in 11 countries spanning five continents.
- In the geological processes, the mass of plastic deposited annually by humans is estimated at 22-48 million metric tonnes.
- The direct reason behind the formation of plastic rocks is the plastic pollution humans are pouring into the environment.
- These are primarily composed of compressed rock and discarded plastic polymers.
About Plastic rocks:
- Plastiglomerate is a rock made of a mixture of sedimentary grains, and other natural debris (e.g. shells, wood) that is held together by plastic.
- There is a debate in the scientific community with regard to the nomenclature for these plastic-infused rocks.
- Various terms, including plastistone, plasticrust, plastiglomerate, plastitar, anthropoquinas, and plastisandstone have been proposed to describe the diverse ways in which these formations develop.
Discovery of Plastic Rocks:
- Geologist Patricia Corcoran discovered the first plastic rock in Hawaii, and coined the term ‘plastiglomerate.’
- Recently, Deyi Hou (an associate professor of environment at Tsinghua University, and his team) reported the first plastic rocks found inland, shedding light on the chemical bonding between plastic and rock.
- The team’s extensive review confirms the existence of plastic rocks on five continents and in 11 countries.
Formation Of Plastic Rocks:
- Hou and his team delve into the diverse methods through which plastic rocks can form.
- Burning is one of the common mechanisms through which plastic debris melts during activities, such as campfires or waste burning, solidifying within the mineral matrix as it cools.
- Ocean waves also play a vital role in the formation of plastic rocks.. Oil containing large amounts of plastic on reaching beaches after spills,firmly attaches to rocks . They then undergo partial evaporation and solidify.
- Chemical binding which is catalyzed by sunlight-induced plastic oxidation also contributes to plastistone generation.
- Plasti Stones can be made from a variety of plastic wastes. These include plastic bags, bottles, fishing gear, maritime ropes, and agricultural mulching films can undergo lithification with rocks, giving rise to the formation of plastistones
Where are they currently found?
- As per the reports, plastic rocks have been found in Brazil, Bangladesh, Hawaii, China, Japan, India, Italy, Portugal, Peru, the United Kingdom, and Spanish Curry Island.
- Their widespread occurrence shows the global nature of the plastic pollution crisis.
What are the environmental implications?
- Plastic rocks alter microbial communities within soil and nearby environments, impacting local ecosystems.
- There is lower microbial diversity in the plastistone compared to the adjacent soil.
- The phenomenon raises concerns about the potential release of microplastics into the environment.
- These rocks shed microplastics, tiny pieces of pollution which have spread across the globe and even into human and animal bodies.
- Plastic rocks will continue to increase as a part of natural geographical processes and stick around for a long time.
- They are likely to increase in places where plastic pollution is worse, like cities, mulched agricultural soils, and plastic waste dumping sites.
Subject: Geography
Section: Indian Physical geography
Context:
- Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal chaired the first Inland Waterways Development Council(IWDC) Meeting in Kolkata on 8th Jan 2024, Monday.
More on news:
- ‘Harit Nauka’ Guidelines along with the ‘River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047’ is to be launched.
- IWDC’s first meeting features a packed agenda addressing crucial issues in the development of inland waterways in India
- The day-long meeting on board the vessel MV Ganga Queen,will bring together key figures from across the waterways, states and central government.
- Upcoming projects include the establishment of the Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology at IIT Kharagpur.
- The anti-erosion work on the left bank of the river Hooghly/Bhagirathi Block & P.S. Kalyani Nadia district.
- The Ministry has set a bold objective to elevate the modal share of Inland Water Transportation (IWT) from the current 2% to 5%, aligning with Maritime India Vision 2030.
- Adhering to the objectives of Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 , the ministry aims to substantially increase the existing IWT cargo volume from approximately 120 MTPA to over 500 MTPA.
Elements of IWDC meet:
- The meeting will encompass topics such as
- fairway development,
- private sector engagement and best practices,
- optimizing cargo transport efficiency in Inland Water Transport (IWT),
- fostering the promotion and development of eco-friendly vessels for passenger transportation, exploring the economic advantages of river cruise tourism, and
- emphasizing sustainable practices.
About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
- The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) came into existence on 27th October 1986 for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
- The Authority primarily undertakes projects for development and maintenance of IWT infrastructure on national waterways through grants received from the Ministry of Shipping.
- The head office of the Authority is at Noida.
About Inland Waterways in India:
- India has about 14,500 km of navigable waterways which consist of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.
- As per The National Waterways Act, 2016, there are 111 officially notified Inland National Waterways (NWs) in India identified for the purposes of inland water transport.
About MV Ganga Vilas:
- MV Ganga Vilas is the world’s longest Motor Vessel (MV) river cruise.
- It was launched by the Prime minister of India Narendra Modi on 13 January 2023.
- It will travel from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to around 3,200 km in 51 days to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, passing through 27 river systems.
- The MV Ganga Vilas cruise itinerary includes World Heritage Sites, National Parks, and River Ghats to key cities such as Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam.
About Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT):
- The Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT) at IIT Kharagpur is set-up with a total budget of Rs. 69.2 crores.
- Its aim is to provide technological support, research and development, testing and experimentation facilities to the Ministry of Shipping and its subordinate offices.
Maritime India Vision(MIV) 2030:
- Maritime India Vision 2030 is a ten-year blueprint for the development of India’s maritime sector.
- It was released in November 2020 by Prime Minister Modi at the Maritime India Summit.
- The vision aims to boost waterways, give a fillip to the shipbuilding industry, and encourage cruise tourism in India.
- MIV 2030 outlines 10 key themes which are essential for India to secure its place at the forefront of the Global Maritime Sector.
- They are as follows:
- Develop best-in-class Port infrastructure
- Drive E2E Logistics Efficiency and Cost Competitiveness
- Enhance Logistics Efficiency through Technology and Innovation
- Strengthen Policy and Institutional Framework to Support all Stakeholders
- Enhance Global Share in Ship Building, Repair and Recycling
- Enhance Cargo and Passenger Movement through Inland Waterways
- Promote Ocean, Coastal and River Cruise Sector
- Enhance India’s Global stature and Maritime Co-operation
- Enhance India’s Global stature and Maritime Co-operation
- Become Top Seafaring Nation with World Class Education, Research & Training
Subject: Environment
Section: Protected Areas
Context:
- MoEF&CC has submitted three nominations from India for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) of Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) &Udaipur (Rajasthan) under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Details:
- These are the first three Indian cities for which nominations have been submitted for WCA based on the proposals received from respective State Wetlands Authorities in collaboration with the Municipal Corporations.
- Sirpur Wetland (Ramsar site in Indore), Yashwant Sagar (Ramsar site closer to Indore), Bhoj Wetland (Ramsar Site in Bhopal), and several Wetlands (Lakes) in and around Udaipur are lifelines to these cities.
The three nominated cities include:
- Indore: Founded by Holkars, Indore is the cleanest city in India and the recipient of India’s Smart City Award 2023 for its best sanitation, water and urban environment.
- Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site in the city, has been recognised as an important site for water bird congregation and is being developed as a Bird Sanctuary.
- Bhopal: One of the cleanest cities in India that has proposed conservation zones around the wetlands in its draft City Development Plan 2031.
- Bhoj Wetland, Ramsar Site is the city’s lifeline, equipped with the world-class wetlands interpretation centre, Jal Tarang.
- Additionally, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation has a dedicated Lake Conservation Cell.
- A network of more than 300 wetland mitras is engaged in wetland management and conservation of Sarus Crane.
- Udaipur: Located in Rajasthan, the city is surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and DoodhTalai.
- These wetlands are an integral part of the city’s culture and identity, help maintain the city’s microclimate, and provide a buffer from extreme events.
Wetland City Accreditation (WCA):
- Recognizing the importance of wetlands in urban and peri-urban environments and taking appropriate measures to conserve and protect these wetlands, the Ramsar Convention during COP12 held in the year 2015 approved a voluntary Wetland City Accreditation system under Resolution XII.10 which recognizes cities which have taken exceptional steps to safeguard their urban wetlands.
- The Wetland City Accreditation schemeaims to further promote the conservation and wise use of urban and peri-urban wetlands, as well as sustainable socio-economic benefits for local populations.
- To be formally accredited, a candidate for the Wetland City Accreditation should satisfy the standards used to implement each of the six international criteria mentioned in Operational Guidance for WCA of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Accredited Wetland Cities:
- Currently, there are 42 wetland cities spread across 17 countries worldwide, with China having a maximum of 13 such cities.
Source: PIB
4. IIT Delhi team makes first hi-res landslide risk map for India
Subject: Geography
Section: Geomorphology
In the news:
- North India faced severe floods and landslides in 2023, prompting the recognition of a national landslide susceptibility map.
- IIT Delhi’s Manabendra Saharia, an assistant professor in the civil engineering department and head of the HydroSense Lab at IIT Delhi, initiated its creation due to the absence of comprehensive country-wide data.
About ‘Indian Landslide Susceptibility Map’:
- The difficulty arose due to the localized nature of landslides, impacting only 1-2% of India.
- Data collection involved 150,000 known landslide events and 16 factors affecting susceptibility like soil type, tree coverage, road proximity, and slope steepness.
- The use of GeoSadak, an online system that has data on the national road network in India,aided in obtaining crucial road network data for remote areas.
- Ensemble machine learning was employed to analyze this data and estimate susceptibility.
- Finally, the ‘Indian Landslide Susceptibility Map’ with a 100m resolution, set to be published in Catena, is recognized as a significant contribution.
- The significance lies in its aid to policymakers, vulnerability assessment, and mitigation strategies.
- It identified both known and previously unknown high-risk landslide areas.
- Future plans include a ‘Landslide Early Warning System’ using map data and its usefulness for organizations like GSI and disaster management authorities.
- Map and data are made freely accessible online for public use without the need for technical expertise.
Source: The Hindu
5. This new nuclear fuel can guarantee India’s green energy transition
Subject: Science and Tech
Section: Nuclear technology
ANEEL Fuel:
- The Chicago-based company Clean Core Thorium Energy, founded by Mehul Shah, has developed (and patented) a fuel, which is a mix of Thorium and Uranium of a certain level of enrichment, called HALEU (High Assay Low Enriched Uranium). Clean Core calls this concoction ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life) — named so to honour one of India’s foremost nuclear scientists, Dr Anil Kakodkar.
- With this India can guarantee green energy security for the subcontinent by fast-tracking the use of Thorium in nuclear reactors.
Use of thorium in ANEEL fuel:
- Thorium is a fertile material and not a fissile material.
- This means it must be paired with Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239 to be used as fuel in a reactor.
- As neutrons from these fissile materials bombard Thorium, it mutates into Uranium-233, which is also a fissile material.
- So, to use the Thorium in India, you need sufficient stocks of Uranium-235 (which India has very little of), or Plutonium-239 (which is produced using Uranium-235).
- So, to use a minimum of uranium and a maximum of thorium fuel, the company has developed the ANEEL fuel.
Uses of ANEEL fuel:
- It can be used in the existing Pressurized Heavy-Water Reactors (PHWRs), an indigenous reactor system that is the workhorse of India’s nuclear fleet.
- India has 18 PHWR reactors with a total capacity of 4,460 MW and is building ten more of 700 MW each.
- India’s approach to Thorium utilisation has been to make a Thorium blanket around uranium or plutonium reactors so that as the reactor produces energy, it also converts thorium into uranium-233. However, ANEEL provides an easier and quicker alternative for the deployment of thorium leveraging imported HALEU.
Advantages:
- The use of thorium in nuclear reactors reduces nuclear waste significantly.
- ANEEL fuel lasts much longer and burns more efficiently.
- The spent ANEEL fuel cannot be used for weapons.
Infrastructural challenges:
- According to the World Nuclear Association, most of the current reactors run on uranium fuel enriched up to 5 percent Uranium-235.
- HALEU is Uranium enriched to more than 5 per cent but less than 20 per cent.
- It is needed for many of the advanced nuclear reactor designs under development.
- HALEU is not yet widely available commercially. At present, only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale.
Thorium in India:
- India has the world’s largest reserves of Thorium, estimated at 1.07 million tonnes, enough to last over a century. If India uses this Thorium, it can then produce enough green energy and easily turn net-zero by its target date of 2070.
- Thorium is derived from minerals like monazite (containing 10% thoria and 0.3% urania) and thorianite.
- Monazite sands, found widely on the Kerala coast, serve as the primary source of refined thorium.
- Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals.
- The state-wise resources of in situ monazite established by AMD as of September 2014 are as follows:
Both Uranium and Thorium have got distinctive characteristics governing their utilisation in nuclear reactors. Unlike uranium, thorium alone cannot be directly used as nuclear fuel in a reactor. Utilisation of Thorium with either uranium or plutonium, without going through the second stage of Fast Breeder Reactors, to build sufficient inventory of plutonium first, will be counter-productive by limiting thorium utilisation to a very small fraction of the total available resources in the country. Utilisation of Thorium in the third stage makes it available as a sustainable energy resource for centuries. With this mode of utilisation, Thorium offers not only a sustainable energy resource, but also excellent fuel performance characteristic in a reactor, better than Uranium with respect to lower inventory of long-lived nuclear waste.
The three stage Indian nuclear programme was formulated at the inception of the DAE and has as its main stay objective of utilisation of large resources of Thorium in a sustainable manner. As explained above, Thorium cannot be used for overcoming power crisis in the short term.
6. How AI is being harnessed in treatment of cancer
Subject: Science and Tech
Section: Nuclear technology
In the news:
- Researchers at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital, India’s largest cancer hospital, have used data from 60,000 patients to establish a bio-imaging bank for cancer, laying the ground to build a targeted algorithm to help detect the disease at an early stage.
- The hospital has also started to use artificial intelligence (Al) to reduce radiation exposure for paediatric patients during computed tomography (CT) scans, showcasing the use and impact of this world-changing technology in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
What is the Tata Memorial Hospital’s Al-led cancer diagnosis initiative?
- Tata Memorial Hospital aims to build a comprehensive bio-imaging bank by collecting radiology and pathology images alongside clinical data, treatment specifics, and outcomes.
- This initiative focuses on head and neck cancers and lung cancers, gathering data from at least 1,000 patients for each type.
- The project involves testing AI algorithms to address various medical tasks like screening for metastases, predicting biomarkers, and therapy responses.
- Funded by the government’s Department of Biotechnology, the project collaborates with multiple institutions and features a live data submission portal for investigators to contribute and develop AI algorithms.
How exactly does Al use clinical and imaging data for cancer detection?
- AI in cancer detection replicates human brain processing by analyzing radiological and pathological images, learning from vast datasets to identify specific features indicative of different cancers.
- Longitudinal patient data from comprehensive imaging aids in understanding behaviour, treatment responses, disease recurrence, and overall survival.
- AI and machine learning use this data to create predictive models fortumor survival,guiding treatment decisions.
- Creating atumor image bank involves segmenting, annotating, and classifying tumors based on features, correlating biopsy, histopathology, immunohistochemistry reports, and genomic sequences to develop algorithms.
- This assessment from images helps doctors avoid unnecessary chemotherapy for predicted non-responders.
What role could Al play in the treatment of cancer in the future?
- AI holds immense potential in revolutionizing cancer treatment, especially in rural areas, by customizing treatment strategies based on diverse patient profiles, thus optimizing therapy results.
- AI is expected to swiftly detect complex cancers, potentially eliminating the need for extensive tests, even by general practitioners.
- Its continuous learning capability enhances accuracy, leading to timely diagnoses,better patient outcomes, and aiding healthcare professionals in decision-making.
- However, debates persist regarding the potential replacement of human radiologists by AI tools, leading to regulatory scrutiny and resistance from some doctors and health institutions.
7. Ram Temple opening brings hope to Moradabad brass traders as orders for idols shoot up
Subject: History
Section: Art and culture
Context:
- There is a rise in brass idols business in Moradabad with the inauguration of Ram Temple.
More about News:
- There was a time when the annual turnover of the brassware industry in Moradabad stood at around ₹20,000 crore. Now, it is just one-fourth of that.
About Moradabad: A Brass city
- Moradabad is known as the ‘Brass City’ or Peetal Nagri.
- The designs made on the brass products here display culture, heritage, history and diversity.
- The patterns and designs used for decorating these items are inspired from a variety of sources, varying from Hindu Gods and Goddesses to paintings of the Mughal Era.
- The district has domestic units as well as large industries engaged in the manufacture of metal goods.
- The work of washing, shaping and polishing handicraft metal items is carried out in the domestic units.
- The exporters in Moradabad have now begun to work with other metals like aluminum, stainless steel, iron etc.
Moradabad Metal Craft- GI Tagged In 2013
- Moradabad metal engraving is a fine and delicate art. This craft shows the traces of Islamic culture. There are many sharp tools used in the process of tracing the design on to the brass, silver and copper.
8. ISRO should help everyone enjoy the fruits of its new science missions
Subject: Science and Tech
Section: Space technology
Context:
- On January 6 evening, a stream of commands transmitted by scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were translated by a computer onboard the Aditya-L1 spacecraft into manoeuvres that guided it into orbit around an imaginary point in space.
- Thus, Aditya-L1 reached its destination, around the L1 Lagrange point, from where it will have an unfettered view of the sun for its expected lifetime of five years.
About ISRO
- The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the space agency of the Government of India, established in 1969. With its headquarters in Bengaluru, Karnataka, ISRO has emerged as a leading player in space exploration and satellite technology.
- The organization is known for its cost-effective and innovative approach to space missions.
- ISRO has achieved numerous milestones, including the launch of its first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975.
- It gained global recognition with the successful launch of the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2013, making India the first Asian nation to reach Martian orbit and the first nation in the world to do so on its maiden attempt.
- The organization has a diverse portfolio, encompassing satellite communication, Earth observation, navigation, scientific research, and interplanetary exploration. ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) have been instrumental in deploying satellites for various purposes.
Aditya-L1
- Aditya-L1 is an observatory-class solar mission that will study the sun with seven instruments: VELC, a coronagraph to study the uppermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere; SUIT, an ultraviolet imaging telescope; SoLEXS and HEL1OS, to study solar flares and coronal mass ejections; ASPEX and PAPA, to study the solar wind and plasma; and a set of digital magnetometers to measure properties of the magnetic field around the spacecraft.
- ISRO picked the L1 Lagrange point — 1.5 million km from the earth in the earth-sun direction and one of five Lagrange points in the earth-sun system — because the gravitational influences of the two bodies interact such that a smaller body here will not experience a net tug towards either.
- So, Aditya-L1 can stay at L1 while expending little fuel. Its scientific mission will begin in a month or so, once its thrusters’ emissions drift away.
History of observing the Sun
- As such, Aditya-L1 supplements India’s storied history of observing the sun — dating back to the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, which commenced operations in 1901 — by lofting it into space.
- It also follows the XPoSat mission, launched on January 1 to become only the world’s second X-ray polarimetry satellite, and eight years after AstroSat, which reached several highs of its own.
Public perception of such achievements
- An important issue with such achievements is public perception. For example, while Aditya-L1 and AstroSat are big strides from India’s point of view, they pale in comparison to the imaging abilities of the James Webb Space Telescope, which is operated by three space agencies.
- Yet, many continue to expect the Indian spacecraft to capture hi-res photographs of the cosmos and are disillusioned when it does not. This is not fair (setting aside the fact that not all instruments are imagers).
About AstroSat:
- It is India’s first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory.
- It is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical, and UV spectral bands simultaneously.
- AstroSat, with a lift-off mass of 1515 kg, was launched by the Indian launch vehicle PSLV from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on September 28, 2015, into a 650 km orbit inclined at an angle of 6 degrees to the equator.
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
- The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. The JWST is a collaborative project involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
- Its high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments allow it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope.
- This enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
- The telescope’s primary mirror is 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter, which is much larger than the Hubble Space Telescope’s mirror. This larger mirror enables the JWST to collect more light and observe fainter objects.