What is a twister? Why are the majority of twisters observed in areas around the Gulf of Mexico? [250 Words] [15 Marks] [2024]
twister, commonly known as a tornado, is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm
What are aurora australia and aurora borealis? How are these triggered? [250 Words] [15 Marks] [2024]
Intro – Definition: Formation Mechanism: Conditions for Visibility: Significance: Conclusion:
The groundwater potential of the gangetic valley is on a serious decline. How may it affect the food security of India? [250 Words] [15 Marks] [2024]
Groundwater Decline in Gangetic Valley and Its Impact on Food Security – GS1 Micro Notes Format Intro –
What is the concept of a ‘demographic winter’? Is the world moving towards such a situation? Elaborate. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2024]
Demographic Winter – UPSC GS1 Micro Notes Format Definition: Global Trends Indicating a Shift: Consequences: Contrasting Trends: Conclusion:
What is the phenomenon of ‘cloudbursts’? Explain. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2024]
Definition: Mechanism: Favorable Conditions: Impacts: Conclusion:
What is sea surface temperature rise? How does it affect the formation of tropical cyclones? [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2024]
Sea Surface Temperature Rise & Tropical Cyclones – UPSC GS1 Micro Notes Format: Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Rise:
Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Result: Urban areas are significantly warmer than surrounding rural regions.
It is said the India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of country for quarter century. However, tapping of the resources doesn’t appear to be high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved. [200 Words] [10 Marks] [2013]
Shale Oil and Gas in India – Availability and Issues (Micro Notes Format, UPSC GS1 Mains): Availability of
With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the atomic energy is gaining more and more significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of atomic energy in India and in the world. [200 Words] [10 Marks] [2013]
Atomic Energy and Raw Material Availability in India and the World – Micro Notes Format (UPSC GS1 Mains):
Analyse the factors for highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India. [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Factors for Decentralized Cotton Textile Industry in India: Result: Cotton textile industry evolved as a geographically dispersed sector
Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern states of India?Discuss with justification. [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Yes, there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in Southern states. Justifications: Conclusion:Southern states offer
There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghat. Why? [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Reasons for no delta formation by rivers of the Western Ghats: Conclusion:Topography and geomorphological conditions restrict delta formation
Bringout the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats. [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than Western Ghats: Conclusion:Dynamic geomorphology and anthropogenic pressures make the
Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north and on the western side of the continents. Why? [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Reasons for location of major hot deserts (20°–30° N, western margins): Western Margins Specific: Conclusion:Climatic and oceanic conditions
The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical cyclones named across the world? Elaborate. [100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Tropical Cyclone Naming System – Micro Notes (UPSC GS1 Mains Format)
What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent evidences in its support.[100 Words] [5 Marks] [2013]
Continental Drift Theory:Proposed by Alfred Wegener (1912), it suggests that continents were once joined in a supercontinent called
Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of climate change in the Indian sub-continent. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro:Himalayan glaciers, known as the “Third Pole,” are vital for sustaining major rivers in the Indian subcontinent. Their
Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the Darjeeling area. Explain. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro: British planters introduced tea cultivation along the Himalayan foothills due to suitable climatic and soil conditions. However,
Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico. Why? [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Tropical cyclones predominantly form in the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Gulf of Mexico due to
Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.[150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):The Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos are formed by intense tectonic activity at convergent plate boundaries,
Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bringout the association between the global distribution of fold mountains and the earthquakes and volcanoes. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Fold mountains are formed by the collision of tectonic plates, mostly along continental margins, where
Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do you agree? [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):El Niño is the warming of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that disrupts global
How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa? [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Africa, rich in natural resources (oil, gas, minerals), is witnessing growing global economic interest. India
Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Oceans cover over 70% of Earth’s surface and host vast renewable and non-renewable resources. They
Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world. [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):The spatial pattern of the iron and steel industry has shifted from traditional core regions
Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil and good availability of water? [150 Words] [10 Marks] [2014]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):The Green Revolution (1960s–70s), aimed at increasing agricultural productivity through HYVs, irrigation, fertilizers, and mechanization,
How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to humanizing landscape? Discuss. [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Indian monsoon, a complex system influenced by land-ocean temperature contrasts, is now showing increased variability
The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits of ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate. [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Himalayan states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand face rising ecological stress due to unregulated
India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from water scarcity.[200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):India receives ~4,000 BCM of annual freshwater (rainfall + snowmelt), yet faces ‘economic water scarcity’
Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three Mega cities of the country but the air pollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so? [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata are India’s mega cities, but Delhi faces the most severe air
What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible environmental consequences?[200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):The Arctic Sea is estimated to hold ~13% of undiscovered oil and ~30% of natural
Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the backdrop of rural urban integration.[200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Rural-urban integration is crucial for balanced development. Smart cities and smart villages are interdependent –
Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation? [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2015]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Ocean currents are large-scale, continuous movements of ocean water caused by various physical factors.They significantly
In what way micro-watershed development projects help in water conservation in drought-prone and semi-arid regions of India? [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2016]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Micro-watershed development involves managing land and water resources in small hydrological units (typically <1000 ha).It
Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India. [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2016]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Inland Water Transport (IWT): Transport via rivers, canals, backwaters & creeks.India has ~14,500 km of
Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations. [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2016]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Indus Water Treaty (1960): Signed between India & Pakistan under World Bank mediation. Allocates: Ecological
Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss. [200 Words] [12.5 Marks] [2016]
Intro (Micro Notes Format):Major Indian cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi are increasingly facing urban floods, driven
