BoB to turn into a beehive of activity

Bay of Bengal will become a beehive of activity for oceanographic researchers with the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) being undertaken for a five-year period to study factors associated with climate change.

With its strategic location, Visakhapatnam, which houses the regional centre of CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Centre for Studies on Bay of Bengal and Department of Meteorology and Oceanography, Andhra University and Cyclone Warning Centre, is expected to witness a lot of action. NIO has already decided to deploy two research vessels here. Scientists from 20 countries are expected.

“BoB is unique for its characteristics. We are very much excited to take an active part in various trials as part of Indian Ocean expedition,” Dona Paula-based national director of NIO Dr. S.W.A. Naqvi told

The Hindu .

Unique area

Several unique aspects of circulation (e.g. what drives the surface currents), air-sea exchange, biogeochemistry and ecology, and geological history of the BoB still remain poorly understood. This is despite the fact that systematic research on ocean sciences in India began in the city in late 1940s with focus on BoB, he points out.

Subsequently, programmes like IIOE and Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) largely concentrated in the Arabian Sea. Nevertheless, work carried out by the CSIR-NIO has highlighted several highly interesting features of the BoB oceanography and currently there is huge interest in the processes of the region on an international level. Dr. Naqvi says it is expected that the IIOE-2 would concentrate more on the BoB than on other parts of the Indian Ocean. According to him, BoB will offer them an exciting opportunity for research as it receives enormous amounts of river runoff (about 2000 cubic kilometre per year) and experiences large excess of precipitation (rainfall) over evaporation.

IIOE-2 will concentrate more on the BoB than on other parts of the Indian Ocean

S.W.A. Naqvi

National Director, NIO

IIOE-2 will concentrate more on the BoB than on other parts of the Indian Ocean

S.W.A. Naqvi

National Director, NIO