I. Peninsular India will most likely suffer from flooding, tropical cyclones and droughts.
II. The survival of animals including humans will be affected as shedding of their body heat
through perspiration becomes difficult.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) Both I and II
(d) Neither I nor II
Ans-c
Explanation
A report by the World Bank cautioned that India could become one of the first places in the world where wet-bulb temperatures could soar past the survivability threshold of 35°C
What is wet bulb temperature ?
Wet bulb temperature is a meteorological term used to describe the lowest temperature that can be reached by evaporating water into the air at constant pressure. It is measured by covering a thermometer bulb with a wet cloth and letting the water evaporate. As the water evaporates, it cools the thermometer, showing the wet bulb temperature.
This temperature helps measure humidity and understand how much water can evaporate into the air, affecting things like comfort, farming and weather patterns.
A wet-bulb temperature of 35 degrees Celsius is suggested as the maximum safe limit, according to a 2010 study. 35 degree Celsius wet-bulb is an upper limit for mammals, including humans .
High heat combined with humidity poses a greater risk to human health than high heat alone because sweat does not evaporate effectively, leading to increased body temperature, heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heatstroke.
Hence statement 2 is correct
Extended periods of heat waves lead to signicant drying of soil over large regions. Aside from the obvious agricultural implications, this can impact the monsoon onset and can negatively affect agriculture, water security, and even lead to localized flooding, where heavy rain hits dry soil that is unable to absorb it.
Owing to its Peninsular shape surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west, the tropical cyclones in India also originate in these two important locations. Though most of the cyclones originate between 10°-15° north latitudes during the monsoon season, yet in case of the Bay of Bengal, cyclones mostly develop during the months of October and November. Here, they originate between 16°-2°° N latitudes and to the west of 92° E. By July the place of origin of these storms shifts to around 18° N latitude and west of 90°E near the Sunderban Delta.
It was mentioned that the energy to the tropical cyclone comes from the latent heat released by the warm moist air. Hence, with the increase in distance from the sea, the force of the cyclone decreases. In India, the force of the cyclone decreases with increase in distance from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. So, the coastal areas are often struck by severe cyclonic storms with an average velocity of 180 km/h. Often, this results in abnormal rise in the sea level known as Storm Surge.
Hence statement 2 is correct
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