40th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica | UPSC
HEADLINES:
40th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica launched
WHY IN NEWS:
India today launched the 40thscientific expedition to Antarctica.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : 3 : Geography : Earth Science
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS it is important to go through both the research stations and take a note of it. Map all the research bases with respect to longitudes and latitudes .
For MAINS go through the global conventions regarding the utilisation of resources in Arctic and Antarctica.
ISSUE:
40th INDIAN SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO ANTARCTICA
- The word Antarctica is derived from the Greek word antarktike, which means “opposite to north” i.e., opposite to the Arctic.
OVERVIEW
- This Indian expedition marks four decades of country’s scientific endeavour to the southern white continent.
- The 40th expedition journey will be flagged off from Goa on January 5, 2021, with 43 members onboard.
AIM
- The team also is focussed on environmental monitoring; resupplying of food, fuel, provisions and spare; and accomplishing the return of the winter crew.
PREVIOUS MISSION
- The preceding 39th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica was launched in November 2019.
- It mounted 27 scientific projects, focusing on climate process and its linkages with climate change, crustal evolution, environmental processes and conservation etc.
- Two additional collaborative projects with the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan were also undertaken.
- After completing its mission mandate, it returned to India in May of 2020.
- It also replenished the annual supplies of food, fuel, provisions, snowmobiles, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.
- It cruised a team of 48 members to Antarctica for winter operations.
BACKGROUND
- The Indian Antarctic expeditions began in 1981.
- The first trip comprised of a team of 21 scientists and support staff led by Dr SZ Qasim.
- After a humble beginning, the Indian Antarctic programme has now credited to have built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica—named Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, and Bharati.
- The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, manages the entire Indian Antarctic program.
MAITRI RESEARCH STATION
- In the year 1988 an ice free, rocky area on the Schirmacher oasis was selected to build the Second Research Station Maitri.
- The building was erected on steel stilts, and has since stood the test of time.
- It is an inland station about 100 km from the shore at an elevation of about 50 meters above sea level.
- It can support 25 persons in the main building during summers as well as winters and about 40 in summer facility comprising of containerized living modules.
- The station consists of one main building, fuel farm, fuel station, lake water pump house, a summer camp and a number of smaller containerized modules.
- The main building offers regulated power supply, automated heating with hot and cold running water, incinerator toilets, cold storage, PA system, living, dining, lounge and containerized laboratory space.
- The communication is through dedicated satellite channels providing connectivity for voice, video and data with India mainland.
BHARATI RESEARCH STATION
- About 3000 km east of Maitri, the new Indian research base ‘Bharati’ is located between Thala Fjord & Quilty bay, east of Stornes Peninsula in Antarctica at approximately at 35 m above sea level.
- The station with a very small footprint was commissioned on 18 March 2012 to facilitate year-round scientific research activity by the Indian Antarctic program.
- Station can support emergency shelters / summer camps during summers and having a total capacity of 72 members.
- The communication is through dedicated satellite channels providing connectivity for voice, video and data with India mainland.
IASbhai WINDUP:
- The scientific and logistic activities of the 40thIndian Antarctic expedition are limited due to the existing challenges associated with COVID-19 pandemic.
- India is committed to maintaining the continent of Antarctica free of COVID-19.
- Extra precautions of sanitizing the cargo, mandatory fourteen days of quarantine (pre-, and post-expedition), and RT-PCR testing before boarding the ice-class vessel is also being conducted.
SOURCES: PIB | 40th Indian scientific expedition to Antarctica | UPSC
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