India’s First Winter Arctic Expedition

Source– This post is based on the article “RRI Bengaluru to participate in first winter Indian expedition to Arctic region” published in “The Hindu” on 18th December 2023.

Why in the News?

India has launched its first winter expedition to arctic region. The team from Raman Research Institute(RRI) was chosen as the initial group of scientists to conduct various experiments in the region.

What are the details of the expedition?

Funded by: The Earth Sciences Ministry.

Nodal Agency: The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa.

What are the objectives of the expedition?

1) Researchers will assess the radio frequency environment in Norway’s Arctic Svalbard region to determine its suitability for precise astronomy measurements.

2) It seeks to establish India’s continuous year-round presence at the Himadri station.

3) Scientists at RRI are developing the SARAS series, to study the faint cosmological signal from hydrogen emerging from the cosmic dawn.

Note – Cosmic dawn signifies the era when the first stars and galaxies emerged in the universe.

Significance of the experiments – It could open possibilities for deploying low-frequency radio telescopes in the region.

What are the research initiatives of India in Arctic?

1) Himadri

a) It is India’s first permanent Arctic research station, located at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.

b) It was inaugurated on the 1st of July 2008 by the Minister of Earth Sciences.

c) It is located at a distance of 1,200 kilometers from the North Pole.

2- IndARC

a) India’s first underwater moored observatory in the Arctic region.

b) It was deployed in 2014 at Kongsfjorden fjord, Svalbard, Norway.

c) Its research goal is to study the Arctic climate and its influence on the monsoon.

UPSC Syllabus – Science & Technology/ Geography and Places in news