The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is preparing to launch a Deep Ocean Mission to spur research activities in ocean science and develop technology to harness ocean resources.
M. Rajeevan, secretary, MoES, said here on Monday that the mission programme would also seek to create jobs and business opportunities in ocean science. Delivering the inaugural lecture at the fifth national conference of the Ocean Society of India (OSI), he said India was ranked 15th in the number of research papers on ocean science.
The country did not figure in the top 30 based on citation and impact factor of research papers. Pointing to the dearth of good research projects, Dr. Rajeevan said the Ministry of Earth Sciences was ready to fund meaningful proposals on oceanographic research.
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The Ministry would soon launch a special training programme on oceanography free of cost for university students.
Dr.Rajeevan said the rapid warming up of the Indian Ocean would add to the threat of heat waves and extreme rainfall events. The increasing ocean heat content in the Indian Ocean could have a bearing on the intensity of cyclones in the region as well as ocean acidification and marine biodiversity.
The situation, he said, called for more investment in deep ocean observation.
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Delivering the plenary lecture, former Secretary, MoES, Shailesh Nayak mooted the idea of a coordinated coastal mission and a coastal biodiversity information system.