In a 1st, NCPOR sends team to study ocean data in Greenland
As part of its strategy to expand its research in the Arctic region, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) dispatched a research team to Greenland. The NCPOR's expedition is driven by the rapid warming of the Arctic, which will have a huge impact on India's monsoon patterns and the economic security of the country due to sea level rise.
A nine-member team of Indian researchers will depart on Friday for Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, where they will embark on the RV Skagerak, a 49m-long research vessel owned by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
The team will start the expedition on July 21 from Iceland and conclude the research on Aug 7.
'Till now, we have been working on land and fjords in the Arctic. As the Arctic is warming three times higher than the global average, the Arctic Ocean is experiencing consequences like potential disruption of major oceanic circulations and melting of its vast sea ice,' said NCPOR director Thamban Meloth.
India and its relationship to the Arctic date back to Feb 1920, when it signed the Svalbard Treaty in Paris. The NCPOR researchers have been observing Arctic glaciers for their mass balance in order to compare them with Himalayan glaciers. India's association with the Arctic is a part of the interlinked polar programme consisting of activities in the Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayas, regions where the NCPOR is conducting extensive research.
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'It is a completely new expansion. We have never done something like this before. Our first dedicated expedition to the Arctic will be focused on the East Greenland Sea, situated between Iceland and Greenland, which will provide oceanographic data and samples on the impact of ongoing warming in this region,' said Meloth.
The major currents from the Greenland Sea flow into the North Atlantic Ocean. 'The ice around Greenland is melting heavily these days and fresh water is entering the ocean, and there are large changes that they are seeing.
We are focusing on specialised measurements and if the team finds something interesting, then we will continue to conduct expeditions in these waters,' said the NCPOR director.
The NCPOR lacks an ice-class research vessel, which is why it approached the University of Gothenburg for this expedition. The Vasco-based research institute is already working on a proposal to purchase a dedicated, ice-class research ship.
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