Daily Quiz 16 September 2024

Answer: C
Explanation:
● Statement 1 is correct: Rossby waves, also known as planetary waves, are a type of inertial wave naturally occurring in rotating fluids. They were first identified by Sweden-born American meteorologist Carl-Gustaf Arvid Rossby in the Earth’s atmosphere in 1939. Within the Earth’s ocean and atmosphere, these waves form as a result of the rotation of the planet.
● Statement 2 is incorrect: Rossby wave movement is complex. The horizontal wave speed of a Rossby (the amount of time it takes the wave to travel across an ocean basin) is dependent upon the latitude of the wave. In the Pacific, for instance, waves at lower latitudes (closer to the equator) may take months to a year to cross the ocean. Waves that form farther away from the equator (at mid-latitudes) of the Pacific may take closer to 10 to 20 years to make the journey. The vertical motion of Rossby waves is small along the ocean’s surface and large along the deeper thermocline.
● Statement 3 is correct: Rossby waves help transfer heat from the tropics toward the poles and cold air toward the tropics in an attempt to return atmosphere to balance. They also help locate the jet stream and mark out the track of surface low pressure systems. The slow motion of these waves often results in fairly long, persistent weather patterns.
● Addititonal Information: Recently a report was published by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and South Korea’s Korea Polar Research Institute which revealed how seasonal variations in Arctic sea ice impact the Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR). Reduced sea ice in the central Arctic leads to less rainfall over western and peninsular India but increases rainfall in central and northern regions. Low sea ice in the Barents-Kara Sea region delays the monsoon’s onset and makes it more unpredictable, impacting rainfall patterns.

Answer: D

Explanation: 

• Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct: ASW vessels are designed to detect, track, and destroy enemy submarines and for search and rescue. They are equipped with a variety of weaponry and tactics and can be used for low-intensity maritime operations and mine-laying. Recently Two anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft vessels of the Indian Navy’s Mahe class were launched at the Cochin Shipyard. INS MALPE and INS MULKI are 4th and 5th in a series of Eight ASW Vessels deal signed between the Ministry of Defence and Cochin Shipyard Ltd.(CSL) in 2019. Mahe, Malvan, and Mangrol, were earlier Mahe-class vessels built by CSL. INS MALPE and MULKI are designed to accommodate indigenously developed sonar for underwater surveillance. They have been equipped with light-weight torpedoes, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) rockets and mines.

Answer: D

Explanation: Recently an Elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) was spotted in Haryana’s Damdama area during a research survey in the Aravallis. It is also known as Sal Forest Tortoise

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. Over 90% of the habitat of the elongated tortoise falls outside the protected area network in the Indian subcontinent.

It is Native to Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent.

• Statement 1 is correct: Turtles spend most of its life in the water. Turtles tend to have webbed feet for swimming. Sea turtles are especially adapted for an aquatic life, with long feet that form flippers and a streamlined body shape. They rarely leave the ocean. Other turtles live in fresh water, like ponds and lakes. They swim, but they also climb out onto banks, logs, or rocks to bask in the sun. Tortoise is a land-dweller that eats low-growing shrubs, grasses, and even cactus. Tortoises do not have webbed feet; their feet are round and stumpy for walking on land. Tortoises that live in hot, dry habitats use their strong forelimbs to dig burrows. Then, when it’s too hot in the sun, they slip underground.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: All turtles and tortoises lay eggs, which they bury in soil, sand, or vegetation. Some lay only a few oblong-shaped eggs, while others lay dozens to 100 or more round eggs. Once the eggs are laid, any babies that hatch are on their own; the mother does not incubate or care for her eggs or for the hatchlings when they emerge

Statement 3 is correct: Turtles have thinner, more streamlined shells that help them swim, while tortoises have more rounded, domed shells. Turtle shells are thinner and more streamlined for swimming, while tortoise shells are rounder and more domed for protection and fighting

Answer: B

Explanation: Recently Many space missions have encountered problems due to faulty propulsion systems & other problems related to Helium leaks.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Helium is inert, meaning it does not react or combustwhen exposed to other substances. This makes it ideal for pressurization and cooling systems in rockets and spacecraft.
• Statement 2 is correct: Helium also has a very low boiling point (-268.9° C), allowing it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments, an important feature because many rocket fuels are stored in that temperature range. Helium is used to pressurize fuel tanks, ensuring fuel flows to the rocket’s engines without interruption; and for cooling systems. As fuel and oxidiser are burned in the rocket’s engines, helium fills the resulting empty space in the tanks, maintaining the overall pressure inside.

Statement 3 is correct:  Helium’s small atomic size and low molecular weight mean its atoms can escape through small gaps or seals in storage tanks and fuel systems.But because there is very little helium in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaks can be easily detected – making the gas important for spotting potential faults in a rocket or spacecraft’s fuel systems.

Answer: D

Explanation:

• Row 1 is incorrectly matched: Recently SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission. It is a multi-day orbital expedition carrying a four-member civilian crew for the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts. It is a privately-funded space mission led by Billionaire Jared Isaacman, in collaboration with SpaceX. It is the first non-government mission to conduct a spacewalk at an altitude of approximately 700 kilometres (435 miles) above Earth.
• Row 2 is incorrectly matched: VIPER, which stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, is a robot the size of a golf cart that NASA will use to explore the Moon’s south polein late 2024. This robotic mission is designed to search for volatiles, which are molecules that easily vaporize, like water and carbon dioxide, at lunar temperatures.

Row 3 is incorrectly matched: Hera is a mission by the European Space Agency to return to the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system that NASA’s DART mission visited in 2022. Hera will launch in October 2024, making its way in late 2026 to Didymos and Dimorphos, where it will study physical properties of the asteroids.