India has intensified studies in the region, which it believes holds the key to global climate, sea levels, and biodiversity
India is sending its first-ever winter expedition to the Arctic to conduct atmospheric observations during the polar nights, study auroral changes, and monitor variations in sea ice.
The mission was launched in New Delhi on Monday by Kiren Rijiju, Indian Minister of Earth Sciences. The country has been sending summer expeditions to the frigid region for the past 16 years, but the maiden winter voyage holds “immense significance” as India “navigates the Arctic’s critical influence on global climate, sea levels, and biodiversity for the first time,” the minister noted.
A team of four scientists will be sent to the Himadri research station in Svalbard, Norway, which will serve as the base for year-round observations. The expedition’s aim is to understand the complex interactions between the Arctic climate and the Indian monsoon system, as well as contribute to research on global warming, India Today reported.
According to Thamban Meloth, director of India’s National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), the new explorations will cater for “new scientific projects in atmospheric and space sciences.”
Meloth said “wintering” at the Himadri would cost the government an additional $120,000. In an interview with The Indian Express, the official also revealed that India had initiated new projects in Canada’s Arctic region and is planning to begin studies in Greenland.
Now, India will have round the year Research Station in Arctic!
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