The Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will play a crucial role in the second five-year-long international Indian Ocean exploration expedition, scheduled to begin early December this year.
According to Director of NIO S.W.A. Naqvi, the expedition will be launched early December this year from Goa and will involve 40 ships from at least 20 different countries to study various aspects of emerging and changing ocean behaviour.
“The previous Indian Ocean expedition held between 1960 and 1965 was a broad-based study. We are now looking at specific processes and problems. We have new problems as
well as new tools,” Mr. Naqvi said adding that he hoped that several phenomenon can be conclusively studied during the five-year study expedition.
The Indian Ocean exploration will involve countries the United States, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Australia as well as South Africa and other countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
The expedition will cost millions of dollars, but participating countries will spend their own resources.
Among the issues to be studied are current patterns, the differences between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal basins as well as other issues through the joint collaboration.
Prior to the expedition, India will enter into a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh to conduct studies along the Bangladeshi coast jointly with researchers from the Dhaka University.
