UPSC Key | PREFIRE mission, solar storms, Papua New Guinea landslides and more

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Explained

How tiny satellites will track heat loss from Earth’s poles

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General Science and Geography

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, and Geography. 

What’s the ongoing story- On May 25, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched one of the two climate satellites, which would study heat emissions at Earth’s poles, sitting atop Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from Māhia, New Zealand. The second satellite will be launched in the following days.

Prerequisites: 

— What are cube satellites (CubeSats)?

— What are low Earth orbit (LEO) and other different types of orbits?

— What is Earth’s energy budget?

Key takeaways: 

— The two shoebox-sized cube satellites, or CubeSats, will measure how much heat the Arctic and Antarctica — two of the coldest regions on the Earth — radiate into space and how this influences the planet’s climate. The mission has been named PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) and was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (US).

— CubeSats are essentially miniature satellites whose basic design is a 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (which makes up for “one unit” or “1U”) cube — just a little bigger than a Rubik’s cube — and weight not more than 1.33 kg. Depending on the CubeSat’s mission, the number of units can be 1.5, 2, 3, 6, and 12U, according to NASA.

— Each of the PREFIRE satellites is a 6U CubeSat. They measure around 90 cm in height and nearly 120 cm in width when the solar panels, which will power the satellite, are deployed. The two satellites will be placed in a near-polar orbit (a type of low Earth orbit) at an altitude of about 525 kilometres.

— A large amount of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation — wavelengths of 3 μm to 1,000 μm within the infrared range of electromagnetic radiation. However, there is currently no way to measure this type of energy. 

— The PREFIRE mission will change that. Its two CubeSats can study far-infrared radiation from the Earth’s pole and the data collected by them would help scientists better understand the energy budget of the planet.

— Each of the PREFIRE CubeSat is equipped with a thermal infrared spectrometer  (TIRS)  to measure the amount of infrared and far-infrared radiation from the Arctic and Antarctica.

For Your Information:

— Earth’s energy budget is the balance between the amount of heat incoming to Earth from the Sun and the amount of heat outgoing from Earth into space. The difference between the two determines the planet’s temperature and climate.

Points to Ponder: 

—  What are the different processes that help maintain the earth’s heat balance?

( Thought Process: Read about the heat transfer through conduction, convection, and advection; Terrestrial Radiation, Terrestrial Radiation; Albedo Effect, latent heat.)

— How global warming and climate change are impacting Arctic and Antarctica?

— What is Arctic amplification?

— Why measuring heat emissions at Earth’s poles is important?

Post Read Question:

How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain (UPSC CSE 2021)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Warming up to climate change: Is Earth becoming warmer?

New finding may improve ability to forecast solar storms 

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General Science 

Mains Examination: GS-III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology,

What’s the ongoing story- The sun’s magnetic field, which causes solar storms like the one that hit Earth this month and produced beautiful auroras, may originate at shallower depths in the star’s interior than previously thought, according to researchers.

Prerequisites:

— What is the sun’s magnetic field?

— What is Earth’s magnetic field?

— What is a solar storm?

Key takeaways: 

— The sun’s outer 30% is comprised of an “ocean” of churning gases plunging more than 130,000 miles (210,000 km) below the solar surface. 

— The research, comparing new theoretical models to observations by the sun-observing SOHO spacecraft, provides strong evidence that its magnetic field is generated near the top of this ocean – less than 5% inward, or about 20,000 miles (32,000 km) – rather than near the bottom, as long hypothesized.

— In addition to providing insight into the sun’s dynamic processes, the findings may improve the ability to forecast solar storms and guard against potential damage to electricity grids, radio communications and orbiting satellites, the researchers said.

— Most stars have magnetic fields, apparently generated by the motion of super-hot gases inside them. The sun’s ever-changing magnetic field drives the formation of sunspots – shifting dark patches – on its surface and triggers solar flares that blast hot charged particles into space.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)?

— What are Sunspots, Solar flares, and Solar cycle?

— How do solar storms affect the Earth?

Post Read Question:

If a major solar storm (solar flare) reaches the Earth, which of the following are the possible effects on the Earth?( UPSC CSE 2022)

1. GPS and navigation systems could fail.

2. Tsunamis could occur at equatorial regions.

3. Power grids could be damaged.

4. Intense auroras could occur over much of the Earth.

5. Forest fires could take place over much of the planet.

6. Orbits of the satellites could be disturbed.

7.Shortwave radio communication of the aircraft flying over polar regions could be interrupted.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5 only

(b) 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 only

(c) 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Explained: Can a solar storm disrupt an internet connection?

AI in legal cases: what the courts have said

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, General Science.

Mains Examination: GS-III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story- The Manipur High Court last week stated that it was compelled to do extra research through Google and ChatGPT 3.5” while deciding on a case. 

Prerequisites: 

— What is artificial intelligence (AI)? 

— What are the areas of AI application?

— What are the different categories of AI?

Key takeaways: 

— This is not the first time a High Court has used AI for research. But in India- as in the rest of the world- courts have been rather cautious about the use of AI for judicial work. 

— The Delhi High Court has also been less receptive to the use of AI in courts. In August 2023, Justice Pratibha M Singh held that ChatGPT cannot be used to decide “legal or factual issues in a court of law”, highlighting the possibility of “incorrect responses, fictional case laws, imaginative data, etc., generated by AI Chatbots”. 

— Last December, the UK Judiciary released a set of guidelines about the use of generative AI in courts. While judges were allowed to use ChatGPT for basic tasks such as summarising large bodies of text, making presentations, or composing emails, they were cautioned not to rely on AI for legal research or analysis. No such guidelines exist in India. 

Points to Ponder: 

— What is generative AI (GenAI)?

— What are the challenges associated with AI?

— What are the benefits associated with AI?

— Is there any legal framework for AI regulation globally and nationally?

— What are the legal and ethical concerns associated with the use of AI in courts?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

With the present state of development, Artificial Intelligence can effectively do which of the following? ( UPSC CSE 2020)

1. Bring down electricity consumption in industrial units

2. Create meaningful short stories and songs

3. Disease diagnosis

4. Text-to-Speech Conversion

5. Wireless transmission of electrical energy

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only 

(c) 2, 4 and 5 only 

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Mains

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” In light of this statement, analyse the risks associated with the new emerging technologies, such as AI.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

What is Generative AI, the technology behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT?

 

Economy

High RBI dividend may help lower FY25 Fiscal deficit below target 

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economy

Mains Examination: GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth; Government budgeting.

What’s the ongoing story- The larger-than-expected Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dividend of Rs 2.11 trillion to the Centre should help ensure that the 5.1% aim of fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio for FY25 is met, and could also be used to lower it further, Fitch Ratings said in a note.

Prerequisites: 

— What is fiscal deficit?

— What is fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio?

— What is the difference between fiscal policy and monetary policy?

Key takeaways: 

— The government has set a target of bringing the fiscal deficit to 4.5% as a percentage of GDP by FY26. “Sustained deficit reduction, particularly if underpinned by durable revenue-raising reforms, would be positive for India’s sovereign rating fundamentals over the medium term,” Fitch Ratings said.

— In its post-election budget, the new government has two alternatives. First, the government could opt to keep the current deficit target for FY25, and the windfall could allow the authorities to further boost spending on infrastructure, or to offset upside spending surprises or lower-than-budgeted revenue, for example from divestment, noted Fitch Ratings. 

— Alternatively, all or part of the windfall could be saved, pushing the deficit to below 5.1% of GDP, it said.

Points to Ponder: 

— What causes the fiscal deficit?

— How does fiscal deficit impact the economy?

— What is the significance of fiscal policy in India?

— What measures should be taken to ensure fiscal discipline?

— What steps have been taken by the government to manage the fiscal deficit?

(Thought Process: Read about the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, Monetary policy, and the role of RBI)

Post Read Question:

In the context of governance, consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2010)

1. Encouraging Foreign Direct Investment inflows

2. Privatization of higher educational Institutions

3. Down-sizing of bureaucracy

4. Selling/offloading the shares of Public Sector Undertakings

Which of the above can be used as measures to control the fiscal deficit in India?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 2, 3 and 4 

(c) 1, 2 and 4 

(d) 3 and 4 only

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

How to curb government’s fiscal irresponsibility

 

Express Network

Rising ‘heat stress’ in six metros as humidity up, nights warmer: Study

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination:  General issues on Environmental Ecology, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation.

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-II, GS-III: Important Geophysical Phenomena, Climate Change Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Government Policies & Interventions.

What’s the ongoing story- India’s megacities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad are experiencing worsening “heat stress” due to a trend of rising relative humidity over the past two decades, according to a study by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

Prerequisites: 

— What do you understand by the term  “heat stress”?

— What are heatwaves and IMD criteria for declaring them?

Key takeaways: 

— Besides rising relative humidity, these cities are also experiencing warmer nights as land surface temperatures are not falling at the same rate as a decade ago, said the analysis, blaming this on the “urban heat island” effect.

— “Urban heat island” effect refers to the trapping of heat due to an increase in built-up area, declining green cover, congestion, heat absorption by urban structures, and heat generated by human activities. This causes the heart of megacities to be much warmer, especially at night, than its outskirts and neighbouring towns.

— The combination of rising air and land surface temperatures and high relative humidity is increasing the heat index and heat stress in these cities, the study said. Heat index is a measure of discomfort felt due to high heat and humidity.

— The combination of high heat and humidity can compromise the human body’s main cooling mechanism: sweating. The evaporation of sweat from skin cools our bodies, but higher humidity levels limit this natural cooling,” the study said. 

Points to Ponder: 

— What is a warm night?

— Why is humidity an important aspect when measuring heat exposure?

— What are the causes of urban heat island effect?

— What are the impacts of heat stress?

— What measures can be taken to reduce “urban heat island” effect?

Post Read Question:

Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (UPSC CSE 2013)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Heatwaves: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

 

The World

Over 2,000 people buried in Papua New Guinea landslides: Govt seeks global help

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: World Geography

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-III: General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location; Disaster and disaster management.

What’s the ongoing story- A Papua New Guinea government official has told the United Nations that more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive by last Friday’s landslide and has formally asked for international help.

Prerequisites: 

— What is a landslide?

— What are the types of landslides?

— What causes landslides?

— Map work: Location of Papua New Guinea and its Enga province, Coastal States of the South Pacific

Key takeaways: 

— The government figure is roughly triple the U.N. estimate of 670 killed by the landslide in the South Pacific island nation’s mountainous interior. 

— In a letter to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday and seen by The Associated Press, the acting director of the country’s National Disaster Center, Luseta Laso Mana, said the landslide “buried more than 2,000 people alive” and caused “major destruction” in Yambali village in Enga province.

For Your Information: 

— Landslides are natural disasters occurring mainly in mountainous terrains where there are conducive conditions of soil, rock, geology and slope. A sudden movement of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope is termed as a landslide. 

— Natural causes that trigger it include heavy rainfall, earthquakes, snowmelting and undercutting of slopes due to flooding. Landslides can also be caused by anthropogenic activities such as excavation, cutting of hills and trees, excessive infrastructure development, and overgrazing by cattle.

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the landslide-prone areas in India?

(Thought Process: India is among the top five landslide-prone countries globally, where at least one death per 100 sq km is reported in a year due to a landslide event. See the Landslide Atlas of India and learn about the states and regions that are most vulnerable to landslides.)

— What measures has the government taken to reduce the risk of landslides?

—  The Himalayas are highly susceptible to landslides. What are the causes and what measures can be taken to mitigate them?

Post Read Question:

Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (UPSC CSE 2021) 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Everything you need to know about the landslide in Papua New Guinea

ISRO releases the Landslide Atlas of India: Which states, regions are most vulnerable

Chinese premier hails ‘restart’ in ties with US allies S Korea and Japan

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: International Relations, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story- Chinese Premier Li Qiang praised what he called a restart in relations with Japan and South Korea as he met their leaders for the first three-way talks in four years on Monday, agreeing to revive trade and security dialogues hampered by global tensions.

Prerequisites: 

— Know in brief about the historical bilateral relations among China, South Korea, and Japan.

Key takeaways: 

— The Chinese premier met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul with efforts to revitalise three-party free trade agreement negotiations, stalled since 2019, high on the agenda. 

— China and U.S.-allied South Korea and Japan are trying to manage mutual distrust amid the rivalry between Beijing and Washington, tensions over democratically ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, and North Korea’s nuclear programme.

— A joint declaration released after the meeting called for China, Japan, and South Korea to formalise regular communication at the highest levels, and collaborate on climate change, conservation, health, trade and international peace, among other areas.

— The declaration set a goal of boosting the number of people-to-people exchanges to 40 million by 2030 through exchanges in culture, tourism and education.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is the significance of the China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit?

— What is the status of US-China relations and how China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit can affect it?

— How China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit presents challenge for India?

— What is the East Asia Summit?

— What is QUAD?

Post Read Question:

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times Discuss. (UPSC CSE 2020)

The Editorial Page

Letting in Light and air

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I, GS-II: Developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies, Government policies and interventions for development.

What’s the ongoing story- Anuj Daga writes- “A safe urban space is a collective responsibility. While the law makers must ensure that spatial codes are meaningfully and correctly implemented, residents must ensure that they help set the priorities for a sound urban environment”

Prerequisites: 

— What is urbanisation? What causes rapid urbanisation?

— What are the functions of municipal corporations, and civic development authorities?

— What is the National Building Code?

Key takeaways: 

— “Urban development is controlled through the instrument of by-laws that are, in turn, framed under the National Building Code. All buildings in the city must abide by these laws that safeguard aspects of livability, safety and sustainability of its users.”

— “The distressing incidents we have been witnessing in our cities indicate India’s rapid and reckless foray into urbanisation through building edifices of consumption. At the same time, they ask us to turn our attention to improving our urban environments.”

— “The envisioning of a safe and sustainable urban environment requires all its stakeholders to demand a healthy environment over and above the prescriptive following of laws and codes. Here, urban residents must become aware of the pitfalls of the short-term benefits of quantitative advances,…”

— “Institutions of planning must then be asked to periodically assess the quality of built spaces to check for accumulated vulnerabilities within urban infrastructure, maintaining the dignity of lived space, avoiding foreclosure of access to public space and upholding the overall quality of urban space.”

— “A safe urban space is a collective responsibility. While the law makers must ensure that spatial codes are meaningfully and correctly implemented, the city users must ensure that their participation in urban processes set the priorities right for achieving a sound urban environment.”

Points to Ponder: 

— What are the issues associated with rapid urbanisation in India?

— What are the initiatives taken by the government with regard to the urban development?

— What reforms are required in urban planning?

Post Read Question:

Discuss the causes of rapid urbanization in India and suggest measures to ensure that urban space is safe.

 

The Ideas Page

A matter of backwardness

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: GS-II:  Constitution of India – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

What’s the ongoing story- Faizan Mustafa writes- “Since the High Court had gone into the details of the functioning of the BC Commission, it should have done a similar dissection of its recommendations in respect of non-Muslim castes and examined whether public hearings were held, the inadequacy of representation examined”

Prerequisites: 

— What do you understand by the term ‘Reservation’?

— What are the constitutional provisions governing reservation in India?

— Institutions/committees/ commissions to look for: National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), Mandal Commission, Sachar Committee 

Key takeaways: 

— “A closer look at the judicial response to reservation policies demonstrates two trends. First, our judiciary has not quite been quite supportive of such policies. It opposed reservation in promotions and introduced exclusion of the “creamy layer” (Indira Sawhney, 1992) brought in the 50 per cent upper limit (M R Balaji, 1963) and stuck down the “carry forward” rule (B N Tiwari, 1964). In fact, it has generally been more sympathetic to the cause of general candidates and emphasised “efficiency”.”

— “In several cases dealing with reservation for Muslim Backward Classes (BCs), the Court appears to lean towards the strict scrutiny test and undertook a microscopic evaluation of such “policies”. This even though the apex court had rejected similar procedures in other cases of affirmative action in Ashok Thakur (2008).” 

— “The Calcutta High Court has once again not only stuck down the inclusion of some Muslim BCs but it also tore apart the recommendations of the West Bengal State Backward Class Commission(BCC).  The bench struck down the above decisions primarily on four grounds: First, the inclusion of these castes was made by executive orders; second, the West Bengal Backward Class Commission was not consulted on sub-categorisation; third, the recommendations of the BC Commission were not based on the in-depth empirical survey of the entire population; Fourth, the “inadequacy of representation” in state services of these castes was not fully examined.”

— “Reservation for the entire Muslim community for no reason other than religion would certainly be unconstitutional. However, Muslim BCs are given this reservation not due to their religion but their backwardness. Let “backaward” Muslims get the same privileges as their non-Muslim counterparts.”

For Your Information: The President of India has been given power to include any caste or tribe within the SC or ST under Articles 341 and 342 in consultation with the governor.

Points to Ponder: 

— What is “creamy layer”?

— What are the issues related to the reservation?

— What are the benefits of reservations in India?

— What were the key highlights of judgment in  Indra Sawhney & Others vs Union of India case?

Post Read Question:

What are the reasons behind the increasing demand for reservations? 

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Religion as sole factor: Why Calcutta HC quashed OBC quota for Muslims

 

UPSC Essay and Ethics Snippets

‘Wordly Wise’ from The Editorial Page

“Being in the competition was victory itself; the win is a big bonus.”

 – Payal Kapadia

(Thought Process: What is more important: getting the opportunity to participate in a competition or winning the competition? Do you agree that competition is beneficial, but excessive competition can diminish the joy of the art? Does victory determine the best, or does the journey create the best? Elaborate.)

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