Sagardhwani retraces historic Indian Ocean expedition routes

Sagardhwani retraces historic Indian Ocean expedition routes

Context

Marine acoustic research vessel INS Sagardhwani is riding a wave of history that charted the course of oceanographic research in the Indian Ocean.

What

Research to look at impact of monsoon and human activity on marine resources

INS Sagardhwani

The Kochi-based ship, operated by the Navy and equipped with eight scientific laboratories, recently joined an international campaign to revisit the first major interdisciplinary ‘International Indian Ocean Exploration (IIOE)’ undertaken by 13 countries with 46 vessels in the 1960s

History

Indian Naval Ships Kistna and Varuna had taken part in the expedition held under the United Nations

Kistna

• Kistna, a frigate which was converted for ocean surveys for want of a dedicated vessel for the purpose, had conducted 29 cruises carrying scientists from various organisations, including the then fledgling Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a DRDO laboratory which now owns the state-of-the-art Sagardhwani.
• The massive drive also covered a large part of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, including the coastal seas
• Sagardhwani’s present cruise retraces certain routes followed by Kistna in its mission that lasted till 1965. Between November 17 and 20, Sagardhwani followed the sixth cruise track of Kistna in the southern Bay of Bengal in 1963.

IIOE-2

• As the ongoing commemorative expedition is known, is organised by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) under the UN.
• It hopes to furthering the scientific community’s understanding of the Indian Ocean biophysical variability in response to monsoon and human activity
• A total of 52 nations are taking part in IIOE-2, carrying out oceanographic research in designated areas in the Indian Ocean.

IIOE-1

• It was a watershed event for ocean research in India
• Four Indian vessels, including two small trawlers, from Kochi, had taken part in it
• But it triggered the formation of several ocean-based research institutions in India like the NIO, NIOT, INCOIS and NCAOR & ocean studies departments in various universities
• The event was among the factors instrumental in rechristening the Indian Naval Physical Laboratory in 1968 to NPOL

In Future

• Between now and 2020, the DRDO would be carrying out extensive scientific research along four tracks covered by Kistna in the maiden expedition
• The research carried out by NPOL scientists on Sagardhwani has been immensely useful in enabling a better understanding of our littoral (relating to or situated on the shore of the sea or a lake) waters as well as the seabed, which are of vital maritime and security interest to India
• A monograph on the scientific contributions of Sagardhwani over the past two decades was brought out in August this year, when the ship completed its 200th scientific mission.