Current Affairs Question - 18 November 2019

Explanation :

• Geochemical Baseline Atlas of India has been developed by CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad for use by policy makers to assess environmental damage.
• This is the third map among the series of maps published by NGRI. Earlier, The Gravity map of India and Seismic map of India were released by the research institute.
• The geochemical data presented in these maps will be a part of the Global Map to be prepared by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGC).
• The atlas consisting 45 maps of metals, oxides and elements present in top and bottom soils across India will serve as a reference against which future generations of the country would be able to assess the chemical compositional changes on Earth’s surface.
• To develop the maps, the globe was divided into 5,000 cells of 160 km by 160 km each. Of it, India has 122 cells.
• The map trace elements from top soil i.e. top 25 cm depth and bottom soil at 100 cm depth from the year 2006 to 2011. Across India, over 545 samples were collected.

Significance

• It will help the country to assess the presence of toxic chemicals in soil and how it varies from place to place.
• It also helps in identifying how soil pollution is contributing to groundwater contamination.
• The map will also support in choosing the right soil that’s rich in certain micronutrient elements required for each plant growth.
• It will help to plan the land use in different parts of the country.
• It helps in finding out future contamination caused by industries or other bodies which cause pollution.

Explanation :

• The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles, growing up to 70 cm and weighing 45 kg, on average.
• It gets its name from its olive green coloured carapace, which is heart-shaped. Males and females grow to the same size; however, females have a slightly more rounded carapace.
• It inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Though mainly pelagic, yet they have been found to inhabit coastal areas, including bays and estuaries.
• The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• It use three different strategies to nest: arribadas, solitary nests and mixed strategy. (An arribada is a mass-nesting event when thousands of turtles come ashore at the same time to lay eggs on the same beach.)

Ecological Significance

• Olive Ridley turtles feed on invertebrates and may play important roles in both open ocean and coastal ecosystems.