and the availability of wide array of allied technology in modern times, has given a tremendous boost to exploration of ocean depths by Scientists across the globe, including India. The present marine research based on physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology and geology, encompass all the earlier scientific explorations made on the earth covered by sea water. According to oceanographers, latest techniques are being used in the explorations to find out the processes taking place in the ocean and its boundaries in order to study life within the sea and the nature of the earth beneath it.
Modern oceanography was born in 1872, the day on which ‘HMS Challenger’ set sail on her great voyage of oceanic discovery that lasted nearly 4 years. The date and specimens collected on this voyage are still used as reference material. Of equal importance in the history of oceanography was the first meeting of the members of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in Copenhagen in 1902.
This Council was the all-important arena for international co-operative research for the study of the sea and its living resources. Even though oceanography was recognised science by the year 1900, development was slow until war-time. By the turn of the last century, it was mainly a descriptive science, but since the past 60 years, oceanography has developed towards becoming an exact science.
The world oceans occupy more than 70 per cent of the surface of the earth and exert an overwhelming influence on man. The ocean is the new frontier of human knowledge and like all new frontiers, it offers both challenges and opportunities. Until recently, man’s need for the ocean was for most part confined to food and trade followed by military uses.
The oceans are known to be a store-house of energy. Ocean Thermal Energy Conservation (OTEC) is a method of converting this energy into a continuously renewable source for electricity. The oceans influence our daily weather. Until recently, the ocean floor was virtually unknown and their potential resources unheard of. Today, the seafloor is no longer a bottomless pit but an underwater world with a landscape, where man has begun to direct his energy – his quest for knowledge, for benefit and for his ultimate survival. Deep sea mining is an international resource game, which has all the necessary ramifications – economic, legal, political, strategic and so on.
The living resources include the living organisms sought for products such as food derivations and pharmaceuticals. The non-living include potable water from sea, the salts and minerals. One of the important marine resources is nodules containing manganese and iron oxide, cobalt, nickel and copper. Petroleum is another important non-living resource. More than 90 countries are now engaged in offshore petroleum drawing activities.
On the other hand technological innovations, the depleting land resources and rapid population expansion have led to an unprecedented awareness and keen interest in the marine environment. Oceanographers are frequently asked whether the sea can provide the necessary proteins for the world’s ever expanding population. The answers range from widely optimistic over estimates to pessimistic fears that we are already over exploiting our marine resources and that future uncontrolled exploitation may lead to disaster.
The study of the world oceans has become an urgent need for human welfare, and in this quest, almost all the littoral countries of the world are aware and several international agencies such as the ICO, UNESCO, FAO, WHO, UNEP, etc., are deeply involved. This is a good example of international co-operation in science.
Technological and infrastructural factors have delayed India’s sharp focus on the surrounding ocean. India has an extensive coastline of about 7000 kms and a vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of over 2 million sq. kms. The Indian Ocean is the only ocean which is subject to the monsoon phenomenon. The International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) was started in 1961 to study this effect. In 1962, the Indian National Committee of Oceanic Research (INCOR) was established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to organise the Indian participation in the IIOE.
The termination of the IIOE in 1965 saw the birth of a new institution called the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in 1966 under CSIR. The NIO has its Headquarters at Dona Paula, Goa, while its three regional centres are located at Mumbai, Kochi and Visakapatnam. It is the only institution in India developed exclusively to conduct ocean-related studies.
The first oceanographic research vessel of India was ‘Gaveshani’ which was commissioned in 1979 for the NIO. The other research vessels are ‘Sagar Sampada’ and ‘Samudra Manthan’, all these ships are dedicated fulltime to marine research. A wealth of data on physical, chemical, biological, geological, including mineral resources and pollution studies have been accumulated from cruises of these ships.
The Department of Ocean Development (DOD) established in 1981, initiated and funded the National Program on Antarctica Research (NPAR). India’s continuing interest in Antarctica has been well conceived throughout the world, and so far, India sent 20 expeditions to the frozen continent. Commendable work on various scientific fields has been carried out, and the waters of Antarctica are found to be very fertile and a breeding ground for diverse kind of organism.
The NIO is presently engaged in conducting extensive explorations in the Indian ocean, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
(The writer is a
freelance journalist)
