Twenty Bonus Questions

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Define "limnic eruption" in one sentence and name the three lakes in this book at genuine risk of or historically affected by one. — A sudden, catastrophic release of dissolved gas (usually CO₂) from deep lake water; Lake Kivu, Lake Nyos, and Lake Monoun.
What is a "playa," and which Australian lake is this book's standard example? — A dry, flat salt-pan lakebed that only intermittently fills with water; Lake Eyre.
Name the binational body (distinct from the International Joint Commission and the Great Lakes Compact) that runs the sea lamprey control programme on the Great Lakes. — The Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Roughly how much cargo does the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway system move annually? — Well over 150 million tonnes in a typical year.
What health consequence has the Aral Sea's exposed seabed dust been linked to among local populations? — Elevated rates of respiratory illness, anaemia, and other health problems.
What security/conflict dimension is Lake Chad's shrinkage frequently cited alongside? — Its contribution, through resource competition, to conditions supporting Boko Haram's foothold in the Lake Chad Basin.
Name the Estonia–Russia border lake that was the site of the 1242 "Battle on the Ice." — Lake Peipus.
Contrast Lake Hillier's pink colour with Lonar Lake's. — Lake Hillier is permanently, year-round pink; Lonar turns pink only intermittently under specific conditions.
Why did Kashmir's houseboat tradition begin, and what is Dal Lake's floating agricultural technique called? — Colonial-era restrictions barred non-Kashmiri Europeans from owning land, so they built houseboats instead; the floating gardens are called raad.
Name the company that runs Sambhar Lake's commercial salt operation, and its ownership structure. — Sambhar Salts Limited, a joint venture between Hindustan Salts Limited (central government) and the Rajasthan state government.
Beyond fish, birds, and Irrawaddy dolphins, name Chilika's fourth major wildlife credential. — Olive ridley sea turtle nesting nearby at the Rushikulya river mouth.
Roughly how far below sea level does much of Kerala's Kuttanad region sit, and what method protects its paddy fields? — Roughly 0.6 to 2.2 metres below sea level; an extensive network of earthen embankments (bunds) with mechanical pumping.
What did Roopkund's 2019 genetic study conclude about the origin of its skeletons? — That they belong to three genetically distinct groups from different time periods and regions — one South Asian-related (7th–10th centuries CE), one eastern Mediterranean-related (17th–20th centuries), and one Southeast Asian-related — ruling out a single simple explanation such as one hailstorm.
Roughly how has the Sangai deer population changed since its rediscovery at Keibul Lamjao in the 1950s? — From a low of only a few dozen individuals to several hundred today, though it remains endangered.
Name the two smaller Northeastern lakes covered in this book associated with a folklore origin and a seismic-subsidence origin respectively. — Tam Dil, Mizoram (folklore); Chandubi Lake, Assam (seismic subsidence, linked to the 1897 earthquake).
Which dam/reservoir superlative does Tehri Dam hold, distinct from Hirakud's and Bhakra's? — Tehri is India's tallest dam; Hirakud is among the world's longest earthen dams; Bhakra is the historic flagship dam of India's early dam-building programme.
Roughly how many Ramsar sites did India have by 2019, and roughly how many by the mid-2020s? — Roughly 26 sites by 2019, rising past 80 sites by the mid-2020s.
Name the short local river that feeds Rajasthan's Jaisamand Lake, and explain why its name is a potential source of confusion. — The Gomti river (Rajasthan) — not to be confused with the much longer, better-known Gomti river of Uttar Pradesh that flows through Lucknow.
Define "graben" and name the lake in this book described as having a hybrid graben-and-glacial origin. — A depressed block of crust bordered by parallel faults; Lake Tahoe.
Name the two Cameroonian lakes, besides Lake Kivu, that fall into the same "exploding lake" hazard category, and the disaster year associated with each. — Lake Nyos (1986) and Lake Monoun (1984).
Which American saline lake reached record-low levels in 2022, raising alarm over toxic dust from its exposed lakebed? — The Great Salt Lake, Utah.
How did the Salton Sea originally form, and what has caused its recent decline? — It formed accidentally in 1905 from an irrigation canal breach on the Colorado River; recent decline is due to reduced agricultural runoff inflow.
Name the two Colorado River reservoirs that have repeatedly hit record lows during the American Southwest's sustained drought. — Lake Powell (Glen Canyon Dam) and Lake Mead (Hoover Dam).
Distinguish China's largest lake overall from its largest freshwater lake. — Qinghai Lake (largest overall, saline) versus Poyang Lake (largest freshwater).
What upstream infrastructure is Poyang Lake's recent shrinkage partly attributed to? — The Three Gorges Dam's regulating effect on the Yangtze's natural flow.
Name Africa's own meteorite-impact crater lake, and the country it is in. — Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana.
What genuine physical-geography fact about Loch Ness is often overshadowed by its monster folklore? — It sits within the Great Glen, a fault-line valley, making it a genuine tectonic lake.
What real, scientifically documented phenomenon does New Zealand's Lake Wakatipu exhibit? — A "seiche" — a rhythmic, roughly 25-minute rise-and-fall oscillation of its water level, caused by wind and pressure changes.
Which Sikkim lake is the highest lake in the state and the source of the Teesta River? — Cholamu Lake.
Which Uttarakhand lake is considered the source of the Assi Ganga and is associated with Lord Ganesha's birthplace legend? — Dodital.
Which Himachal Pradesh lake is the focus of the annual Manimahesh Yatra pilgrimage? — Manimahesh Lake.
Which Kashmir Valley alpine lake is considered the source of the Vishav River? — Konsarnag Lake.
Name India's second-largest inland saline lake, after Sambhar. — Deedwana Lake, Rajasthan.
Which Bihar Ramsar wetland, in Darbhanga district, supports a population of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin? — Kusheshwar Sthan.
Which lake was notified in 2016 as India's first lake declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site, and under what law? — Ameenpur Lake, Telangana; under the Biological Diversity Act.
Which Uttar Pradesh city's urban lake has undergone a major recent beautification and redevelopment project? — Ramgarh Tal, Gorakhpur.
Which Assam wetland, in Karimganj district, is one of Northeast India's largest seasonal freshwater lakes? — Sone Beel.
How many formal criteria does the Ramsar Convention use to designate a Wetland of International Importance, and how many must a wetland satisfy to qualify? — Nine criteria in total; only one needs to be satisfied.
Distinguish Ameenpur Lake's "Biodiversity Heritage Site" status from Ramsar's "Wetland of International Importance" status. — Biodiversity Heritage Site is a domestic Indian legal designation under the Biological Diversity Act; Ramsar status is an international treaty-level recognition — a lake can hold either, both, or neither.
Name India's largest and second-largest inland saline lakes, and their common state. — Sambhar Lake (largest) and Deedwana Lake (second-largest), both in Rajasthan.
Which national park is built directly around a lake in Haryana, and what is the lake's name? — Sultanpur National Park; Sultanpur Lake.
Name the wildlife sanctuary notified over Lonar Lake's crater rim, and the year it was declared. — Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary, declared in 2000.
Which tiger reserve sits near (though not directly overlapping) Rajasthan's Siliserh Lake? — Sariska Tiger Reserve.
Name the bird sanctuary within Chilika Lake and the wildlife sanctuary notified over Kolleru Lake. — Nalabana Island Bird Sanctuary (Chilika); Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary.
Which national park contains Yellowstone Lake, and what geological system does the lake sit atop? — Yellowstone National Park; the Yellowstone volcanic caldera system.
Which Kenyan national park is famous for its flamingo-covered lake? — Lake Nakuru National Park.
What gives Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, its striking turquoise colour? — Fine glacial "rock flour" suspended in the glacial meltwater feeding it.
In which national park do Croatia's Plitvice Lakes sit, and what international heritage status does that park hold? — Plitvice Lakes National Park; UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Name the two continental plates the East African Rift is splitting Africa into, and which branch (eastern/Gregory or western/Albertine) each of Lake Turkana and Lake Tanganyika sits within. — The Somali Plate (east) and the Nubian Plate (west); Lake Turkana sits in the eastern (Gregory) branch, Lake Tanganyika in the western (Albertine) branch.
Why is Lake Victoria comparatively shallow and geologically young despite being Africa's largest lake by area? — It sits in the broad depression between the rift's two branches rather than within either one, unlike the true rift-valley lakes around it.
Which Nagaland reservoir is celebrated as the "Falcon Capital of the World," and what changed there in the early 2010s? — Doyang Reservoir; a conservation campaign ended large-scale hunting of roosting Amur falcons.
Name three distinct Indian wildlife-conservation turnaround stories covered in this book. — Chilika's lagoon restoration, the Sangai deer's recovery at Keibul Lamjao, and the Amur falcon protection turnaround at Doyang Reservoir.
What international treaty now tightly restricts trade in wild Caspian caviar, and where does most commercial caviar come from today? — CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species); mostly from farmed rather than wild-caught sturgeon.
What geological process keeps Lake Baikal widening by a few centimetres each year, and what substance of ongoing scientific interest has been found beneath parts of its lake bed? — Continental rifting (active tectonic widening); methane hydrates.
Name the central authority that has issued dedicated guidelines on GLOF risk management in India, and the body that tracks glacial lake inventories across Himalayan states. — The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA); the Central Water Commission (with ISRO satellite data).
What specific engineering response did Sikkim's state government take at South Lhonak Lake after the October 2023 breach? — Emergency partial draining of the lake's remaining water to reduce the risk of a repeat breach.
Which small Andhra Pradesh village tank is notable as a breeding "pelicanry" for spot-billed pelicans and painted storks? — Uppalapadu.
Which Mumbai-region lake, completed in 1892, remains an active drinking-water source for the city and protects its own wildlife sanctuary? — Tansa Lake (Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary).
Which commercially significant fishery is Ashtamudi Wetland known for, distinguishing its local economy from Vembanad's? — The black clam (Villorita cyprinoides) fishery.
What 2009 Hindi film's closing scenes are widely credited with turning Pangong Tso into a major domestic tourist destination? — 3 Idiots.
Besides fishing, what crop cultivation forms part of Wular Lake's local economy, and what dedicated body has been constituted to manage its conservation? — Water-chestnut (singhara) cultivation; the Wular Conservation and Management Authority.
Name the Uzbek town on the Aral Sea's former southern shore famous for its "ship graveyard" of stranded fishing vessels. — Moynaq (Muynak).

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