VISAKHAPATNAM: Nearly 50 years after the first expedition was conducted, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) launched the second International Indian Ocean Expedition mission to study the effects of climate change on the ocean over the last 50 years. Around 20 different countries will participate in the expedition, which has already commenced on December 4 and will be conducted for the next five years to study different phenomenon in the Indian Ocean.
During his visit to Visakhapatnam, NIO director Syed Wajih Ahmad Naqvi told Express here Monday that the second international Indian Ocean expedition is an initiative by the UNESCO’s intergovernmental oceanographic commission. The expedition was launched from Goa in December marking the golden jubilee year of NIO. It will involve 40 research vessels from 20 different countries to study various aspects of emerging and changing ocean behaviour where the countries will collate and analyse the marine science data to study different climatic challenges and changes.
The mission is aimed at knowledge-building, sharing and capacity building. It will also raise global awareness about the importance of the Indian Ocean. “The first expedition conducted between 1961-65 was a broad-based study with the involvement of only 13 countries. But we are now looking at specific data and issues in collaboration with countries like Bangladesh and Myanmar,” he added.
Interestingly, countries like USA, Japan, Germany, France, Australia, South Africa and other regional countries will be participating in the expedition. As the expedition cost runs into millions of dollars, it will be borne by individual countries.
Large parts of the Indian Ocean remained unexplored during the first expedition as they lie in the special economic zones of several countries and the NIO is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh to explore and sample the Indian Ocean area in such economic zones of Bangladesh.
Naqvi said that a meeting of NIO scientists and the Bangladeshi officials is scheduled in February to brainstorm and chalk out the modalities of the research. 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.