India
launched its first scientific expedition to Ny-Alesund
on the Spitsbergen island of Norway in August, 2007 to mark the beginning of
long-term scientific research by Indian scientists through global scientific
endeavor in the Arctic region. The five
member inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional team of scientists of the
first Arctic Expedition were drawn from National Center for Antarctic &
Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa; Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology
(CCMB), Hyderabad; Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune; and Lucknow University.
The objectives of the
Indian Arctic programme during XI plan period are:
(i) The characterization of sea ice in Arctic
using satellite data from Indian/foreign satellites to
estimate the effects of global warming in the northern polar region;
(ii)
Comprehensive glaciological studies of the Arctic that will involve not
only satellite data but also ground truth measurements;
(iii)
Research on the dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers. The focus
would be on the effect of glaciers on sea-level change and on the fresh water
input into fjords and embayments;
(iv) Comprehensive
assessment of the flora & fauna of the Arctic vis-a-vis their response to anthropogenic activities and a
comparative study of the life forms from both the Polar Regions in terms of
environment;
(v) Study of sea ice
microbial communities;
(vi) To carry out
detailed isotopic, chemical and micropaleontological
studies on the sediments from the Arctic Ocean to decipher their response and
feedback to past climate changes;
(vii) Measurement of
atmospheric aerosols and ions;
(viii) Snowpack production of
carbon monoxide and its variabilities
(ix) Carbon cycling in the
near shore environments;
(x) To
ensure a perceptible and influential presence of India in Arctic and to uphold
the country’s strategic interests in the Polar Regions and the surrounding
oceans.
An MoU has been signed on 1st July 2008 between National Centre
of Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR), an autonomous agency of the Ministry
and Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) on Cooperation in Polar Research.
A research station
at Arctic namely ‘Himadri’ was launched at Ny-Alesund in Svalbard region on 1st July
2008. Research
in various disciplines i.e. glaciology, Palaeoclimate,
microbiology, atmospheric science, etc. during different seasons in a year have
since been undertaken in the region around the Ny-Alesund. The nature of research, which is in phases,
does not necessitate all-year-round-presence presently. Since 2007, four expeditions (inter-disciplinary and comprising of
multi-institutional team of scientists) to Arctic have been undertaken.
(g) The
results of the first Arctic expedition to the Ny-Alesund
region indicate the following:
(i) The total number, concentration and size
distributions of aerosols in the Ny-Alesund show good
correlation with wind speed and wind direction;
(ii)
The electrical conductivity does not show any diurnal variation as the
ionization due to cosmic radiation is abundant during the arctic summer
period;
(iii)
Sediment and water samples from the Midtre Lov’enbreen glacier have bacteria from four phyla namely Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Flavobacteria
and Proteobacteria and bacterial abundance is more at
the convergence point of glacial melt and the sea.
The studies at Arctic are aimed at understanding
the processes and phenomena in such cold climate and their link, if any and
importance in the overall understanding of the litho, hydro and atmosphere.
This information was given by theMinister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Ashwani
Kumar in a written reply to a question
by Shri Jayant Chaudhary and Shri
Harishchandra Chavan in Lok Sabha today.
KP
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