16 April : Daily Current Affairs Quiz

Answer: Option B - On the French-Swiss border near Geneva.

Explanation:

• The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, is located at CERN, on the French-Swiss border near Geneva.
• Operational since 2008, it accelerates and collides particles at near-light speeds to study fundamental physics, including the Higgs boson discovery in 2012.
• The LHC helps scientists explore the origins of the universe, dark matter, and the fundamental forces governing particle interactions.

Answer: Option C - It developed the World Wide Web in 1989 to facilitate scientific collaboration.

Explanation:

• CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, was established in 1954 near Geneva, Switzerland, to study particle physics.
• It operates the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and developed the World Wide Web in 1989 to enhance scientific collaboration.
• With 24 member countries (India is an associate member), CERN conducts groundbreaking research on fundamental particles.
• This helps scientists understand the universe’s basic structure using powerful particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

Answer: Option B - Differential heating between land and ocean masses

Explanation:

• The subtropical jet stream shifts seasonally due to temperature contrasts between land and ocean.
• In summer, land heats faster than water, weakening the jet, while in winter, stronger temperature gradients intensify it.
• Earth's axial tilt influences seasons but not directly the jet stream shift.
• Coriolis force affects jet stream direction, not its seasonal movement. Stratospheric ozone and geomagnetic fluctuations have minimal impact.

Answer: Option D - Intensifies Indian monsoons while weakening rainfall over Indonesia and Australia

Explanation:

• The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a climate phenomenon affecting monsoons and global weather patterns.
• A positive IOD warms the western Indian Ocean, increasing rainfall over India and East Africa while reducing it in Indonesia and Australia.
• This disrupts monsoons and can intensify El Niño effects.
• A negative IOD does the opposite, weakening Indian monsoons and increasing rainfall over Indonesia and Australia, impacting agriculture and ecosystems.

Answer: Option B - It is associated with increased rainfall in India and stronger monsoon seasons.

Explanation:

• La Niña is a climate phenomenon characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
• It strengthens trade winds, leading to increased upwelling of cold water near South America.
• In India, La Niña is linked to stronger monsoons and higher rainfall, benefiting agriculture.
• It typically has opposite effects to El Niño, which causes droughts in India and warmer global temperatures.