INDIAN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION& FISHERIES

Antarctica — the seventh continent of the earth is known to be the stormiest, windiest, coldest and the most inaccessible of all the other continents. It has an area of 14 x 106 km2, most of which is covered with ice. The thickness of the ice cover varies from a maximum of 4.5 km to a minimum of 800 m (average thickness 1.6 km). It has about 512,000 square kilometers of landmass which is free from ice. If the Antarctic ice cover were to melt, the world oceans would rise by about 50 to 60metres.

Antarctica “the white continent” is the fifth largest continent in the world with its unique wildlife, extreme coldness, dryness, windiness and unexplored territories. The word Antarctica is derived from the Greek word antarktike, which means “opposite to North” i.e., opposite to Arctic.

It is situated within the Antarctic circle and is surrounded by . James cook discovered Antarctica when he was crossing the Antarctic Circle. The world’s largest Ocean current, the Antarctic circumpolar current circumvents the Antarctic continent. Of the 14 million sq.km area, 98% is covered with thick ice sheets that formed 25 million years ago and holds 75% of the earths fresh water.

Waking Up to Antarctica

The first Indian with the Antarctic spirit and the unsung hero of India’s Antarctic adventure was Paramjit Singh Sehra. Sehra participated in the 17th Soviet Antarctic Expedition from 1971-73 that led him to distinction of being the first Indian to winter at the South Pole. His expedition sparked interest back home in India for further exploration of the icy continent, including openingIndian Antarctic base in Antarctica.Indian Antarctic Research Programme, which was initiated in 1981, has taken the shape of a major national programme that has a distinct multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary approach. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Ministry of Earth Sciences, (NCPOR) an autonomous institution of the Ministry set up at Goa, earlier known as NCAOR.

NCPOR is the first institute of its kind in the country completely dedicated to all the aspects of polar research. Scientific experiments being carried out at 787 Scientific and Technological Developments Antarctica are in the field of Measurements of Greenhouse gases, Tele Seismic studies, Permanent GPS Tracking Station at Maitri, Study of Crack propagation on Ice Sheet, Communication at Maitri. ORV Sagar Kanya also conducted experiments in the Southern Ocean. In the 25th Indian Antarctic Expedition which left from Cape Town in the last week of December 2005, two students and one Scientist representing a private research Centre, participated for the first time. Glacier, which has been monitored by Indian Scientists for the last 23 years in Antarctica has been declared as an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) by the governing body of the Antarctic Treaty in its XXVIII Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting(External website that opens in a new window) (ATCM) held in Stockholm in June 2006. An Ice Core Laboratory to study the ice cores brought from the Antarctica, has become fully operational at NCPOR, Goa.

Ocean Observations and Information Services (OOIS)

Change is believed to be one of the potential factor for causing variation in the weather pattern resulting in droughts, floods, and extreme heat conditions in various parts of the world. The understanding on climate variability is an imperative need for India as monsoon plays an important role in the economy. Although, the oceans play an important role in the climate change, the symbiotic connection between ocean and atmosphere particularly in terms of exchange of heat and mass is not well understood. Recognizing the importance of information and knowledge of the seas, an integrated programme on Ocean Observations and Information Services has been launched targeting at,

i. Development of a wide range of ocean-atmospheric and coastal models ii. Generation of algorithms for retrieval of satellite parameters iii. Augmentation of ocean observations including in-situ and satellite measurements iv. Operationalisation of ocean advisory services

The OOIS consists of four major components viz., Ocean Observing System, Ocean Information Services, Ocean Modelling and Dynamics (INDOMOD) and Satellite Coastal Oceanographic Research (SATCORE).

RESEARCH STATIONS

Dakshin Gangotri

In 1981 the Indian flag unfurled for the first time in Antarctica, in the leadership of Dr.Syed Zahoor Qasim marking the start of Southern Ocean expeditions under the environmental protocol of the Antarctic Treaty (1959). The first permanent settlement was built in 1983 and named Dakshin Gangotri. In 1989 it was abandoned after it became buried in ice. Dr.Syed Zahoor Qasim (31 December 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an Indian marine biologist. He led India's exploration to Antarctica and guided the other seven expeditions from 1981 to 1988. He was a Member of the Planning Commission of India from 1991 to 1996. Maitri The second permanent settlement, Maitri, was put up in 1988–89 on the and has been conducting experiments in geology, geography and medicine. India built a freshwater lake around Maitri known as Lake Priyadarshini. Maitri accomplished the mission of geomorphologic mapping of Schirmacher Oasis.

Fig. 1: Schirmacher oasis, central Dronning Maud Land, site of Indian research station Maitri Bharti (2012) India has demarcated an area beside Larsemann Hill at 69°S, 76°E for its third settlement and second active research station. The survey has already been completed and the station is scheduled to be operational by 2012. When it is complete, India will enter the elite group of nine nations having multiple stations within the Antarctic Circle. Bharati is proposed for oceanographic research and will collect evidence of continental breakup to reveal the 120-million-year-old ancient history of the Indian subcontinent. Fig. 2: Larsemann hills, east Antarctica, and site of Indian research station Bharati Relevance to Fishing Krill is a small, shrimp-like crustacean. There are approximately 85 species of krill on the planet, one of which is Antarctic krill, the foundation of the Antarctic food chain and a primary source of nourishment for whales, seabirds, penguins, squid, and seals. Antarctic krill live in huge schools, called swarms, sometimes miles long and deep, and though they are one of the most abundant species on the planet, they are under threat from increasing human activity and rapid environmental change. Antarctic holds scientific interest for global research projects due to a number of reasons: 'Origin of continents, climate change, meteorology and pollution' are among the reasons cited by S.D. Gad (2008). Antarctic ecosystems, biodiversity and environment physiology; solar terrestrial processes and their coupling; medical physiology, adaptation techniques and human psychology; environment impact assessment and monitoring; enabling low temperature technology development; and studies on earthquakes' are among the areas of study under the Indian Antarctic program. Like other living organisms’ fishes are also facing the threats created by the climate change. The researches going on Antarctica will be helpful to understand the power of adaptation in fishes as this region is deadly cold. It will also helpful in increasing the capture and culture of fishes in different type of water bodies as well as to understand the fish behavior in this type of extreme conditions.