1992-93 National Institute of Oceanography
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ANNUAL REPORT 1992-93 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY DONA PAULA GOA - 403 004 INDIA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY DONA PAULA, GOA - 403 004, INDIA Grams : OCEANOLOGY, PANAJI Telephones : 46253-56, 53352 (Director's Off.) 53324 (Director's Res.) Telefax : 91-(0)832-53361 Telex : 0194-216 NIO IN 91-(0)832-53360 (BITS) 0194-316 MGG IN REGIONAL CENTRES National Institute of Oceanography Grams OCEANOLOGY, BOMBAY Regional Centre Telephones : 6263773, 6264807 Sea Shell Building Telex : 011-78419 NIO B Seven Bungalows Versova Bombay - 400 061 National Institute of Oceanography Grams : OCEANOLOGY, ERNAKULAM Regional Centre Telephones : 360306, 351814 Vidyaniketan Annex Building Telex 885-6399 NIO IN Providence Road, Ernakulam Cochin - 682 018 National Institute of Oceanography Grams : OSTECHLAB, VISAKHAPATNAM Regional Centre Telephone : 54180 52, Kirlampudi Layout Telex : 495-580 NIOW IN Visakhapatnam - 530 023 Front cover: Depth contour map generated from multibeam (Hydrosweep) data showing the 79°E fracture zone. Blue zone : >54OO m. Pink zone : 5100 - 5400 m. Orange zone : 4800 - 5100 m, Yellow zone: <4800 m. ANNUAL REPORT 1992-93 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY DONA PAULA, GOA - 403 004, INDIA Printed & Published by : Director NIO, Dona Paula, Goa - 403 004, India. Compilation & Editing : Publication & Reprography Section. Editorial Personnel : V. Kesava Das S.R. Bhat R. Thomas S.P. Sharma A.Y. Mahale C. Rebeiro Printed at PADPRINTS, Parvati Towers, 82 Parvati, Pune 411 009. Phone: 422997. CONTENTS 1 Director's Report 5 9 Highlights 22 3. List of Projects 33 4. R & D Activities 4.1 Physical Oceanography 34 4.2 Chemical Oceanography 50 4.3 Geological Oceanography 65 4.4 Biological Oceanography 73 4.5 Marine Corrosion & Materials Research 85 4.6 Ocean Engineering 88 4.7 Marine Instrumentation 94 4.8 Surveys for Polymetallic Nodules 96 4.9 Antarctic Oceanography 98 4.10 Marine Archaeology 100 4.11 Data and Information 102 4.12 Publications and Public Relations 107 4.13 Training 109 4.14 Planning 111 5. International/Bilateral Programmes 112 6. Contract Research Projects 114 7. Oceanographic Cruises 117 8. Infrastructure 119 9. Visitors 121 10. Awards and Honours 122 11. Deputations 123 12. Workshops/Symposia/Seminars held 125 13. Publications 129 14. Papers presented in Conferences, Seminars, etc. 141 15. Budget 147 16. Composition of various Committees of NIO 148 17. Appointments/Transfers/Resignations 150 18. Scientific, Technical and Administrative Staff 151 ORGANISATIONAL CHART Annual Report 1992-93 2 Annual Report 1992-93 3 Annual Report 1992 93 4 1. DIRECTOR'S REPORT It is with a sense of achievement that I look back on 1992-93. The year began with a peer review of the Institute's performance during the VII Plan period, and finalisation of the programmes for the VIII Plan, which began this year. We are fast learning to live within the funding constraints, and our perceptions and actions have metamorphosed to accommodate these new realities. My colleagues as usual deserve the credit for their positive reactions to the new ground truth as do the members of the Research Council who during the two meetings of the year helped us detail our future course of action to suit the changing economic policies of the Government. In essence, our programmes sharpened up under the headings of industrial, societal and basic. That this was not old wine in new bottles as could be seen from our bottom line. We earned Rs.4 crores from external agencies against a CSIR grant of Rs.7 crores. But the essence of the Institute remains - a deeper under- standing of the seas around us. leading to a more knowledgeable use of its potential. Our performance in this framework is satisfying, and I highlight only a few of our results. Global change researchers studied, amongst others, the biogeochemical cycling in the Bay of Bengal during two seasons. Relationships of the conser- vative tracers NO & PO were used to identify 3 end-member water masses. A hydrochemical discontinuity at ~ 12°C appeared to define the zone boundaries of linear mixing between these waters. A shallower occurrence of the discon- tinuity in the Bay as compared to the Arabian Sea appeared to restrict the thickness of the oxygen minimum layer in the Bay. Marked seasonal changes occurred in intermediate waters, presumably reflecting the changes in coastal circulation off the Indian coast. On the geological front, we have proposed a schematic model for the eastern Gondwanaland, for the early Cretaceous period, which is more realistic than the earlier models of juxtaposed position of India & Australia. These were the conclusions from magnetic studies that confirmed NNE - SSW trending magnetic lineation in the Bay of Bengal, between the 85° and 90°E ridges. Our geologists have also done extensive "industrial research" in the Polymetallic Nodules and mineral exploration programmes. • The bathymetry of 150,000 sq. km. in the Application Area in the Central Indian Ocean was completed. Based on these data, a comprehensive bathymetric map was prepared depicting the geomorphology of the basin. Narrow beam echo-sounding of the area reveals that the basin was subjected to tectonic reactivation in the past, an unusual feature for a basin on an apparent single tectonic plate. This is supported by the 5 j Annual Report 1992 93 ENE-WSW trending latitude parallel zone of reactivation across the central part of the basin, distinct difference in character of sea-mounts, man- ganese nodules and bottom sediments, and by the presence of several guyots. • Extensive vibrocoring in the Kalbadevi Bay (Maharashtra) has lead to the delineation of ilmenite rich zones upto 2 m sediment thickness and the estimated reserves are found to be 3 million tons - about 4 times more than earlier inferred reserves. In physical oceanography, ocean dynamics studies on the simulated circulation in the Arabian Sea using a 3-D model indicate that the sea level upslopes by 34 cm from west to east during summer, whereas the dominant slope (24 cm) is upward from north to south during the NE monsoon. Studies of the equatorial Indian Ocean have simulated zonal penetration of low saline waters in the latitudinal belt of 10°-20°S during the summer. Remote sensing studies of microwave brightness, SST and cloud motion vectors have thrown up some indicators of different phases of the southwest monsoon, its circulation, onset, and reasons for poor monsoon rainfall. Similarly software for synthetic aperture radar data processing, and scat- terometer data for retrieval of wind vectors have been developed. Our biologists, usually associated with more fundamental aspects of life in the oceans, have shown remarkable progress in industrial oriented program- mes: • mangrove fungi and actinomycetes have been studied for successful use in biopulping of bagasse, biobleaching of the pulp and in controlling high alkalinity paper mill effluents. • lysate from the haemolymph of the horseshoe crab, is used in biomedical science, and a technique has been patented for artificial breeding of the crab, thus ensuring its continuance as a species. The Institute's concern for industrial development as well as its place in society is most forcefully brought out in its pollution monitoring programmes. • Industrial waste disposal at sea has led to biological investigations of the discharge from the Cauvery Distillery at Nagapattinam, environmental studies in the sea off Palayakayal for the effluent disposal from the zirconium and titanium sponge plants, and studies of the effluents from SIPCOT near Cuddalore. All these environmental impact studies indicate that the areas are healthy and have a good recipient capacity. The situation is not as happy elsewhere along the coast. "Hot spots" requiring intense monitoring of pollutants, have been identified at Vizag, Kakinada and Godavari. Similarly phytoplankton and zooplankton distribu- tions show unhealthy trends around the oil fields at Bombay High and in the polluted areas around Bombay. Also the ecological status of the Mahi estuary in Gujarat shows a drastic reduction in zooplankton stock, indicating a marked deterioration in water quality. Suitable pollution control measures and alter- native modes of waste disposal have been suggested. 6 Annual Report 1992-93 The Instrumentation Division concluded its UNDP funded development programme of an in-water spectral radiometer. The design emerged as a compact module, able to resolve 2 nm in the range 200 to 800 nm. sample at speeds upto 11 msecs per scan, average and store the light field data in-situ. The design, which has been provisionally patented, was calibrated at the University of California with NBS traceable standards for amplitude and wavelength response. In the field it has been tested off Californian waters and at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute field test facility. It has also been taken on cruises to the Central Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Perfor- mance of the radiometer is satisfying and engineering details for its commer- cialisation are being readied. The Institute has also earned revenue from its Coastal Zone Management and Harbour Development programmes. Studies on current helped develop a harbour model in the Zuari estuary and generate design parameters for the construction of a berthing jetty in Gulf of Kachchh. while an impact assess- ment of the proposed deepening of the navigation channels of Cochin Harbour was studied. Waves and longshore sediment transport between Mangalore and Kayamkulam were made for Delft Hydraulics to develop coal handling facilities along the west coast of India. Our studies on corrosion inhibitors suggested that Naphthylethelene diamine dihydrochloride can be used as an effective corrosion inhibitor to mild steel in sea-water, throwing up interesting economic aspects to the shipping industry and coastal and off-shore structures. Our marine archaeological excavation at Poompuhar revealed a terracotta ringwell within the intertidal zone, suggesting that ancient habitation existed in the present intertidal region and beyond. Chinese pottery was also recovered from a cliff section facing the sea, below 2 m of overburden, proving of significance in estimation of sediment rates and other related aspects.