Recent Indian contributions from the polar realm

Abstract

Polar science in India has gained enough impetus post the 1980's with the launching of the Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica on 6th December 1981 and the establishment of the Department of Ocean Development (now the Ministry of Earth Sciences). Indian scientific endeavors in the polar realm are tripolar with emphasis on the Arctic, Antarctica (including the Southern Ocean) and the recent addition of Himalayas to the mandate (not covered in this article). The scientific endeavors of the Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) have increasingly covered a wide spectrum of fields since 1981. These include, geological investigations of exposed outcrops in the vicinity of the Indian Antarctic research bases, paleolimnological studies, satellite remote sensing related work, polar biological science, and the snow, ice and ice core studies. Indian researchers have put footprints in the Arctic (since 2007) at the Ny-Ålesund scientific village, Svalbard. India therefore has now its presence in both Arctic and Antarctica with active research bases (Arctic: Himadri; Antarctica: Maitri and Bharati; managed by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research based in Goa). In addition, India launches dedicated expeditions to the Southern Ocean to decipher its hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry. A brief overview of scientific achievements of Indian researchers in the various fields of research is provided in this compilation.