The Department of Aquatic Environment Management at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) has been awarded two research grants worth ₹82.34 lakh. Anu Gopinath, associate professor and head of the department, will lead the research initiatives, said a press release from Kufos.
The first research project, valued at ₹30 lakh, has been sanctioned by the Space Application Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Ahmedabad. The project, operating under the umbrella of EOS-6/OCEANSAT-3, aims to develop algorithms for carbon and nitrogen-based productivity and their relationship to biogeochemistry using in-situ and satellite data in the Arabian Sea. Ranjeet Kumar Sarangi from the Space Application Centre will collaborate on the project.
The second research programme, worth ₹52.34 lakh, has been awarded to the University by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad. The project will investigate the environmental parameters influencing the health of coral reefs in Lakshadweep. The research team will concentrate on analysing the spatio-temporal variations in these environmental parameters and their implications for coral health.
The Science and Engineering Research Board of the Department of Science and Technology had last year granted ₹37 lakh to Kufos for a research project on coral reef bleaching in the Lakshadweep coral islands, which is also led by Dr. Gopinath, the press release added.
