Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Cyclone Amphan + about WMO/ESCAP + role of RSMCs and TCWCs + Mains GS I (Important Geophysical phenomena )
What's the NEWS

• The Super Cyclonic Storm‘AMPHAN' (pronounced as UM-PUN) over West central Bay of Bengal moved north-northeastwards

• It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal - Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the Afternoon / Evening of 20th May 2020

• The Super Cyclone ‘AMPHAN' is now being continuously tracked by the Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

• When the wind speed is around 31-50 km/hr, it is called depression.
• When the wind speed is between 51-62 km/hr, it is called Deep Depression. Beyond these speeds, the depression becomes storm.

• Cyclonic Storm: 63-88 km/hr
• Severe Cyclonic Storm: 89-117 km/hr
• Very Severe Cyclonic Storm: 118-165 km/hr
• Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm: 166-220 km/hr
• Super cyclonic Storm: greater than 220 km/hr

• Tropical cyclones-also called typhoons or hurricanes-are intense water-rotating systems formed by strong winds (of speeds at least 62 kilometres/hour) around low-pressure areas.
• They have a spiral, anticlockwise movement. Additional weather conditions like high sea surface temperature, vertical changes in wind speed inside the spiral, and high relative humidity help cyclones form and intensify.
• Since sea surface temperatures and humidity both directly correlate with chances of cyclone formation, the Bay of Bengal is a more likely target because it gets higher rainfall, and because the sluggish winds around it keep temperatures relatively high: about 28 degrees around the year.
• Warm air currents enhance this surface temperature and aid the formation of cyclones.
• In addition, the Bay receives higher rainfall and constant inflow of fresh water from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
• This means that the Bay's surface water keeps getting refreshed, making it impossible for the warm water to mix with the cooler water below, making it ideal for a depression.
• On the other hand, the Arabian Sea receives stronger winds that help dissipate the heat, and the lack of constant fresh water supply helps the warm water mix with the cool water, reducing the temperature.

• Cyclone Amphan (pronounced as UM-PUN) is a tropical cyclone formed over Bay of Bengal that has intensified and likely to turn into a "super cyclonic storm (maximum wind speed is 120 knots)".
• According to the India Meteorological Department forecast, it will make landfall as a very severe cyclone between the Sagar islands of West Bengal and the Hatiya islands of Bangladesh.

• In 2000, a group of nations called WMO/ESCAP (World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific), which comprised Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand, decided to start naming cyclones in the region.
• After each country sent in suggestions, the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (PTC) finalised the list.
• The WMO/ESCAP expanded to include five more countries in 2018-Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• The list of 169 cyclone names released by IMD last month, in April, were provided by these countries - 13 suggestions from each of the 13 countries.
• The new list included the last name from the previous list (Amphan) as it remained unused at the time of release.

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently released a list of 169 names of future tropical cyclones that would emerge in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
• The new list of 169 names will begin after Cyclone Amphan.

• Cyclones that form in every ocean basin across the world are named by the regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs).
• There are six RSMCs in the world, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and five TCWCs.
• As an RSMC, the IMD names the cyclones developing over the north Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, after following a standard procedure.
• The IMD is also mandated to issue advisories to 12 other countries in the region on the development of cyclones and storms.

• The IMD has issued an ‘orange alert' for May 19 and 20 when heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to take place in coastal districts.

• IMD issues weather warnings using colour codes.
• These warnings are mainly meant for administrators to keep ready and position their resources to handle situations arising out of weather related disastrous events.
• The following colour codes are used by IMD to provide inputs to disaster management authorities for management of severe weather events:

Four colour codes are issued to indicate various categories of alerts.
Green (All is well):

• No advisory is issued

• Severely bad weather is possible over the next few days, plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays and disruption of day-to-day activities possible.
• It indicates the weather may change or worsen in the next few days.

• There is an increased likelihood of extremely bad weather, which could potentially cause travel delays, road and rail closures, and interruption of power supply.
• There could be risk to life and property.
• Amber means people need to be prepared to change plans and protect themselves, their family and community from the impacts of the severe weather based on the forecast from the Met Office.

• Extremely bad weather is expected. People need to take action to keep themselves and others safe.
• Widespread damage, travel and power disruption and risk to life are likely.
• People must avoid dangerous areas and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.

• IMD was established in 1875. It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
• It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.

Relevance IN - Prelims(about WAG12 the first 12000 HP locomotive) + Mains ( GS III indigenisation of technology and developing new technology)
What's the NEWS

• First 12000 HP made in India Locomotive, manufactured by Madhepura Electric Loco Factory situated in Bihar, was put into operation by Indian Railways from Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Jn Station

Know! more about the locomotive

• The loco is named WAG12 consisting of 118 wagons which travelled from Pt DeenDayalUpadhyayaJn to Barwadih via Dehri-on-Sone, Garhwa Road.
• Indian Railways, became 6th country in the world to join the elite club of producing high horse power locomotive indigenously.
• It is the first time, high horse power locomotive has been operationalised on broad gauge track in the world.
• The locomotive has been produced under Make in India programme.
• The Madhepura factory is the largest integrated Green Field facility built to the highest standards of quality and safety with production capacity of 120 locomotives and spread across a massive 250 acres.

Human Resource Development
National Test Abhyas

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about National Test Abhyas)
What's the NEWS

• The Human Resource Development Ministry has launched a new mobile app called the ‘National Test Abhyas'.

Know! all about NTA

• The App has been developed by NTA to enable candidates to take mock tests for upcoming exams such as JEE Main, NEET under the NTA's purview.
• The app has been launched to facilitate candidates' access to high quality mock tests in the safety and comfort of their homes since there was a demand for making up the loss to students due to closure of educational institutions and NTA's Test-Practice Centers (TPCs) due to the continuing lockdown.
• Students across the country can use the App to access high quality tests, free of cost, in a bid to be fully prepared for the upcoming JEE, NEET and other competitive exams. The tests can be easily downloaded
• The test report on the NTA Mock Test App comes with a detailed breakdown of students' performance through which they can understand their personalised path to achieving better scores in their entrance examination.

International
The Baltic Travel Bubble
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Baltic states and Baltic travel bubble)
What's the NEWS

• Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia opened their common borders at the stroke of midnight, creating the first "travel bubble" within The European Union in a bid to jump-start economies broken down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Know! about the Baltic Travel bubble

• The Baltic Travel Bubble is an opportunity for businesses to reopen, and a glimmer of hope for the people that life is getting back to normal
• The Baltic states are close partners, have a similar epidemiological situation and their economies are well integrated, so the free movement of people as well as goods is very important for the region
•  Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - the three poorest members of the euro zone - expect their economies to shrink by 7-8% this year, in line with the rest of the currency union.

Know! about Baltic States/Countries

• The Baltic countries, typically used to group the three sovereign states in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• The three countries do not form an official union, but engage in intergovernmental and parliamentary cooperation.
• The most important areas of cooperation between the three countries are foreign and security policy, defence, energy, and transportation.

Additional info ( know! about Nordic and Scandinavia Countries)

• Nordic countries include Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands (an archipelago of islands as an autonomous country within the kingdom of Denmark).
• These countries share similar flags, languages, and many cultural traits.
• They are also the least corrupt in the world and have a low crime rate.
• They have the world's most high-rated gender equality ratio and world's highest proportion of women in senior leadership position.
• The term 'Scandinavia' is commonly used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the term "Nordic countries" is vaguely used for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, including their associated territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands.
• Svalbard and Greenland are classified as separate from both Scandinavia and the Nordics.
  
  

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