First Antarctic Expedition Of Scientists From Indian Ocean Countries

Two scientists from Mauritius and one from Bangladesh participated in the first Antarctic expedition of scientists from Indian Ocean region countries. The ship arrived in Cape Town on 20 December, 2023 to participate in the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) under the Maritime Cooperation among Nations. These scientists have joined to participate in India's 43rd Antarctic Expedition.

Will do research work in Bharti Research Center:

• Scientists from Mauritius and Bangladesh have joined researchers from India's Antarctic expedition at the Bharati Research Center in the Larsemann Hills region of the icy continent.
• Scientists from these countries participate in research activities under the Colombo Security Conference (CSC).
• These scientists will participate in the Antarctic expedition for three to four months.

On which topics will research be done?

• During this time, they will do collaborative research in various subjects related to polar science. Along with this, we will also understand the challenges of the environment.

Under whose leadership is the Antarctic expedition taking place?

• This expedition is being conducted under the leadership of the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa (NCPOR)
• The participation of these scientists has been ensured as a result of the first CSC Oceanographers and Hydrographers Conference in Goa and Hyderabad in November 2022.
• Earlier, scientists from CSC countries had boarded 'Sagar Nidhi' for a month-long scientific expedition to the Indian Ocean region in June 2023.

Plan to establish Maitri-II in East Antarctica:

• Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha on 21 December 2023 that the government planned to establish Maitri-II in East Antarctica. The Government of India has expressed the possibility of completing the operation of this new station by January 2029.

About Colombo Security Conference (CSC):

• It was formed in 2011 as a Trilateral Maritime Security Group of India, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
• The fifth meeting of the National Security Advisors of the CSC identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security across five pillars. These are as follows:
  • Safety and Maritime Security
  • Combating terrorism and fundamentalism
  • Combating Illicit Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime
  • Cyber Security, Security of Critical Infrastructure and Technology
  • Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
• Significance of CSC: CSC is seen as India's outreach to the Indian Ocean to underpin regional cooperation and shared security objectives.

India's research centres in Antarctica:

• The Government of India started its research work in this field in 1981. This is the 43rd scientific expedition of the Indian Antarctic Program since then.
• India has established three permanent research bases in the Antarctic region. These are as follows:
  • Dakshin Gangotri (1983)
  • Maitri (1988)
  • Bharati (2012)
• Currently, the South Gangotri Research Center (1983) is not functioning. South Gangotri has become a mere supply station, whereas Maitri and Bharti are fully operational.

About National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR):

• NCPOR is located in Goa.
• NCPOR is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• NCPOR manages the entire Indian Antarctic Programme.