Rasik Ravindra

India led its first scientific expedition to the Antarctic in 1981 and to the Arctic in 2007. India is thus, among the very few nations in the world to operate stations both in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

Prelude

Polar Regions, Arctic and Antarctica, with their wilderness, mysterious nature and scientific potential have always inspired mankind to launch innumerable expeditions to unravel the secrets hidden under the vast expense of snow and ice. India entered the Antarctic foray in 1981 with launch of its first scientific expedition to Antarctica. A Centre dedicated to the Antarctic studies and named as “Antarctic Study Centre” created in 1988, acted as a forerunner for an autonomous Institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences (then Department of Ocean Development) which was named as National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) and dedicated to the nation in 1999. The Centre has been given the mandate to plan, promote, co-ordinate and execute the entire gamut of polar science and logistic activities of the country in order to ensure a perceptible and influential presence of India in Antarctica. NCAOR has since then earned a respectable position among the nations involved in Antarctic Research. The Centre has been equipped with some of the state of art laboratories for ice core studies, microbiological and environmental research and related subjects. Apart from maintaining India’s permanent Research bases at Maitri, Antarctica, Himadri in Arctic; the Centre has also been entrusted with the job of construction of a new research station at Larsemann Hills, east Antarctica and is in process of acquiring countries first Polar Research Vessel.

The Program

Indian Polar Program comprises three main components:

• ANTARCTIC PROGRAM
• Scientific and logistic tasks linked to Antarctic Expeditions
• Maintenance of Research Base at Maitri- Indian Antarctic station
• Maintaining linkages with Antarctic Treaty , SCAR and COMNAP secretariat
• Establishment of BHARTI- Third Indian Antarctic station and collection of base line data for EIA Studies.
• Acquisition of a Polar Research Vessel

• ARCTIC PROGRAM
• Coordinating, formulation and execution of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional scientific research at the Indian Arctic Station- HIMADRI.

3. SOUTHERN OCEAN EXPEDITIONS

• Launching and coordinating scientific tasks of Southern Ocean Expeditions

Ant arctic and Arctic Expeditions : Polar Science

Antarctic

The Indian Antarctic Program that commenced in 1981 is multi institutional and multi-disciplinary in nature where more than sixty national organizations, universities and national laboratories join hands in advancement of polar sciences. In all thirty expeditions to Antarctica have been launched till date with one special expedition to Weddle Sea and another for exploration of krill resources. The first Indian station in Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, established in 1983-84, served the Indian team members till 1989, when it sank into snow due to excessive snow accumulation. “Maitri” the second Indian station was built in an ice free, mountainous area known as ‘Schirmacher Oasis’ in 1988. The station has been housing expedition members since then and is operating as a Base for launching work in deep interior areas of eastern Antarctica. NCAOR is the nodal agency coordinating the scientific and logistic operations related to the expeditions. The scientific experiments that are being carried out at Antarctica fall in five major domains viz: Atmospheric and meteorological sciences, Earth sciences including geophysics and glaciology; Biology and environmental sciences, Human physiology and medical sciences and Cold region engineering. Some of the major initiatives include: continuous recording of weather parameters, monitoring of Greenhouse gases and operation of Seismic, geomagnetic and permanent GPS Observatories. In addition to this, India has undertaken geological mapping of central Dronning Maud Land on 1:50,000 scale covering more than 18,000 sq km area in central Dronning Maud land of eastern Antarctica, glaciological studies to monitor the health of glaciers and shallow ice core drilling to decipher climate changes in the Holocene. Indian scientists are also working on cold adaptive microbes, mosses and lichens and mapping of the biodiversity in this region. India has to its credit discovery of some of the new species unknown to this area before. A monograph on the lichens of Schirmacher Oasis has also been published. The work on establishing a new research base- Bharati- in the Larsemann Hills, Prydz Bay area, in eastern Antarctica has already been initiated after obtaining the environmental clearance from Committee on Environmental Protection (CEP), a body of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Committee. India holds prestigious positions in international Antarctic bodies such as SCAR, COMNAP, AFoPS, CAMLR etc.

Arctic

NCAOR launched India’s first Arctic expedition in August 2007. Indian Arctic research initiative coincides with the ongoing international Polar Year (IPY), which is seen as one of the biggest scientific congregation of nations devoting time, energy and resources to contribute to the understanding of poles and their relevance to the world at large. Under the program, Indian scientists have been camping at the international research village-Ny Alesund in Spitsbergen Island of the Svalbard archipelago. The scientists representing various institutes and universities undertake studies on topics of interests in consultation with the Svalbard Science Forum, New Alesund Science Management Committee and Norwegian Polar Research Institute.

Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal inaugurated the Indian research base- HIMADRI at Ny Alesund, Svalbard situated at 78 055' N, 11 056'E, only 1200 kms from the North Pole in the Arctic Region in 2008. With the opening of 'Himadri' India has become the 10th country to have established its full fledged research station at Ny-Alesund. India, thus is among very few nations in the world that operate stations in both Arctic and Antarctic.

Indian scientists have varied interests in atmospheric, biological and glaciological sciences. Atmospheric studies so far have focused on simultaneous and continuous measurements of atmospheric electrical field, conductivity and the size distribution of atmospheric aerosols to understand the global electric circuit and solar-terrestrial relationships. Aerosol measurements are specifically targeted to study the source of Arctic summer aerosols, their concentrations and the processes of the new aerosol particle generation in the Arctic regions. The biological investigations aim to study the microorganisms that thrive in different environment in such regions and define the lower temperature limits for life. Geologically, Svalbard Island provides a unique place to study the landforms given rise to by glaciers, rivers and neotectonic activities. Palaeoclimatic studies from the exposed sections and sediments cores are expected to throw significant light on the changing pattern of the climate in recent past. Markers have been put to monitor the movement of a prominent glacier and attempts will be made to map the glacier with Ground Penetrating Radar and obtain the ice core up to the base of the glacier.

Southern Ocean studies

The Southern Ocean is the source and sinks for several intermediate and deep water masses of the world oceans. The research in the Southern Ocean realm underlines the sensitivity of the Southern Ocean region to climatic variability and its importance in our understanding the climate at large. India already has a strong presence in Antarctica for the past 25 years and to bridge the gap in the knowledge, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research has been declared as the nodal agency for planning, coordinating and executing all facets of the work related to the Southern ocean expedition. The basic and advanced research programs proposed to be undertaken during the XI Plan period in the Southern Ocean Sector primarily include:

a) Dynamics of the formation and distribution of water masses, currents and sea ice,

b) Investigating the relationship between oceanic and atmospheric circulation systems physical basis for biological productivity,

c) assessment of the distribution, sources and sinks of carbon, as also deciphering palaeoclimate records preserved in the sediment cores from the southern Ocean, through integrated sedimentological, micro-paleontological and geochemical studies, and

d) Delineation of space-time variables of the Antarctic Polar Front and Subtropical Convergence in the Indian Ocean Sector of the Southern Ocean.

Four cruises (including a Pilot Expedition) launched in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean during January-March 2004 and January-April 2006, 2009 and 2010 involved about a dozen institutions in the country to understand the complex integrated behavior of the Indian Ocean Sector of the Southern Ocean. The results obtained have since been publishes in national and international journals. The Fifth Cruise set to be launches in January 2011 has two foreign participants from Brazil.

The South Pole Traverse

The crowning glory for the nation has been the successful traverse to South Pole planned and executed in a meticulous way during the November-December 2010. The expedition was launched simultaneously from Delhi and Goa by the then Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, H’ble Shri Prithviraj Chavan and His Excellency the Governor of Goa Dr S. S. Sidhu respectively on 2 nd November 2010.

International scene

India at ATCM, SCAR, COMNAP/SCALOP, AFoPS and CCAMLR Meets:

India has a Consultative Party Status in the Antarctic Treaty System and takes active part in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. It hosted the XXX ATCM (Antarctic Treaty Consultative Committee Meeting) in New Delhi in April-May 2007, a meeting that brought about 300 Polar delegates for the first time to India. The meeting was significant as India got defended its proposal for a new Antarctic Base in Larsemann hills and obtained the clearance from CEP (Committee for Environmental Protection) for it.

SCAR, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research- is one of the most proactive scientific bodies of ICSU that oversees the cooperation in scientific research in Antarctica. SCAR arranges Open Science Conferences once in two years and increasing number of Indian scientists have been presenting their research work in such forum. India also attends the SCAR Delegate Meet –apex body that takes administrative decisions. Director NCAOR, Shri Rasik Ravindra occupies the position of Vice President of this body for the term 2008-2012

India joined COMNAP (Council of Managers of National Antarctic Program) and SCALOP (Standing Committee on Antarctic and Logistic Operations) in 1999. During its XX Meeting at Washington in 2007, Shri Rasik Ravindra, Director NCAOR was elected to its Executive Committee. The position has subsequently been elevated to the Vice Chair (2008-2010).

Apart from these international bodies active in polar science, India is also a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and has Chaired this body for a term. It is also one of the founder members of the Asian Forum in Polar Sciences (AFoPS) with China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia as other members and the DROMLAN (Dronning Maud Land Air Operators Network) - that oversees the air operations between South Africa and Antarctica. The AFoPS is active in developing collaborative science and logistic projects among the member nations. India holds current position of Chair of AFoPS as also of the Larsemann Hills Coordination Group.

Geopolitics of Arctic and Antarctic and India’s position:

Signing of the Antarctic Treaty in Washington in 1959, as a fall out of the IGY resulted in recognizing Antarctica as a region of science and cooperation. Though several countries had conflicting and overlapping claims on the Antarctic territory, the original twelve signatories agreed to freeze their claims as it was realized that it was “in the interests of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord”. This proved to be a major policy stand pertaining to Antarctica and gave rise to Antarctic Treaty system (ATS) - an instrument that has survived the cold war period and flourished to be cited as one of the most successful international agreement.

The ATS has kept under suspension the contentious issues relating to claims of sovereignty over different parts of Antarctica. ATS not only ended suspicion among claimant nations but has also has proved an effective management tool to control environmental and other legal issues (Chaturvedi, 2005). Several other agreements that make the ATS such as: the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty ( Madrid, 1991); the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS, London, 1972), the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR, Canberra, 1980) and a number of Measures, Resolution and Decisions further strengthened the ATS.

The scenario so far as the Arctic is concerned is entirely different The international attention to the Arctic sea region is fast increasing in view of the fast depletion of sea ice cover over there and chances of opening of new sea routes not very far away. Most of the region surrounding Arctic sea fall under the sovereign control of nations of the Arctic Council which was formally established under the Ottawa Declaration of 1996 as a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic states, with the express involvement of Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, especially issues of sustainable development and environmental protection.

The Arctic Council comprises Canada, Denmark (Including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States of America. India is not an Arctic country or a member of the Arctic Council but the Svalbard Treaty which came into force on August 14, 1925 ( Treaty between Norway, the United States, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Sweden concerning Spitsbergen, and ratified by India) gives it a right to conduct exploration in Svalbard region of Arctic .

At Ny Alesund, in Arctic our scientists are joining the other nations in long term monitoring of Kongsfjorden System, pursuing the studies on role of aerosols and precursor gases in direct radiative forcing over Arctic region, studying the microbial diversity such as that of Cyanobacteria and are conducting multi proxy studies on palaeoclimate that would go a long way in understanding the Arctic eco system. India has been invited to attend the Meeting of the International Arctic Science Committee Meeting in 2011 as an Observer. This would offer it an opportunity to show case its scientific achievements in Arctic region which will help it in securing a respectable place in Arctic Council soon.

India has started playing a constructive role in matters pertaining to several issues such as preservation of environment in Antarctica, energy management, outreach and capacity building, tourism activity etc. It has voiced its concern over the growing tourism and consequential negative impact on the pristine environment. As per the information circulated by International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), total numbers of tourists to Antarctica currently, is at a level of more than 45,000 visitors, annually which is more than the total scientists and support staff of national programs visiting the Antarctic each year. Industry figures project a continuing increase in tourism numbers through this decade, although the recent economic downturn may slow increases temporarily.

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The author is a professor at National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies, New Delhi. Email: spohit@nistads.res.in