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| Foray into Arctic to study climate |
| Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal with members of India’s first expedition to the Arctic, in New Delhi
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| INDIA
, 4-August-2007
3:2:11 AM |
| With climate change increasingly becoming a hot global issue, Indian scientists are set to go over to the Arctic region for a first-hand understanding of all aspects of the phenomenon.
Launching the first-ever Indian scientific expedition to the icy region on Friday, Earth Sciences Minister Kapil Sibal said that not only the Arctic Ocean but also surrounding areas were one of the most important regions which governed the earth’s climate. Studies also showed a tele-connection between the northern polar region and the intensity of Indian monsoon.
The Indian scientists will try to unravel the exact mechanism by which the tele-connection functions. They will conduct studies on thermohaline circulation which, originating in the northern Atlantic and southern Arctic, not only drives oceanic circulations but also regulates global climate. There are apprehensions that any change in this phenomenon could pose a threat to the Arctic region and thereby to global climate, sea level and biodiversity.
(There are three main processes that make the oceans circulate: tidal forces, wind stress and density differences of seawater. As the density of seawater is controlled by its temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline), the circulation driven by its density differences is called thermohaline circulation. Some scientists have speculated that global warming could slow down or even shut down the circulation, leading to cooling in the north Atlantic which, in turn, could have an impact on global climate.)
Emphasising that the expedition would be an annual event, one in summer and the other in winter, Mr. Sibal said that under the new Indian Arctic research programme, scientists would also conduct studies on use of arctic microbes in biotechnology and glaciology, geology and palaeoclimatology studies. The Arctic Ocean and its surrounding regions were considered an excellent ground for studying the history of global climate, apart from its future.
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