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Finance Minister launches Rs 4,000 crore Deep Ocean Mission in Union Budget 2020-21

Posted on February 2, 2021 by admin1  507

In News: Core Deep Ocean Mission, which will cover deep ocean exploration and conservation of biodiversity, has been launched with a budget outlay of more than Rs 4,000 crores over 5 years.

Objectives of Core Deep Ocean Mission:

  • Deep ocean survey exploration.
  • Conservation of deep-sea biodiversity.

Need for Core Deep Ocean Mission:

  • Globally, only 11 percent of marine species have been identified. The deep ocean species are even less explored.
  • Different researches have shown the critical unexplored state of ocean floor diversity
    • National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research in Goa and the University of California collaborative study have highlighted that
      • Indian Ocean floor at a depth of 3,000 m to 6,000 m was rich in biodiversity, both small and large.
      • Species found around underwater mountain ridges remain virtually unexplored.
    • YOUMARE Conference in Oldenburg, Germany highlighted that unbridled exploration is the primary threat to ocean biodiversity worldwide.
  • It took the Indian government 17 years to take note and start exploring the ocean depths and conserve its biodiversity.

Previous Efforts of Ocean Exploration:

Two ongoing government projects under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) are:

  • Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources, Modelling and Science (O-STORMS) project
    • Under this project, a polar remotely operated vehicle was indigenously developed for exploring shallow waters of up to 500m depth.
      • The vehicle was deployed in the Andaman coral islands’ undulating reef terrain to record high-quality underwater visuals of coral reef biodiversity with spectral irradiance.
  • Ocean Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART) project.
    • Under this, 16 objectives including the collection of information of marine living resources, monitoring of pollution in the Indian Ocean and develop underwater vehicles have been listed
    • Exploration of polymetallic nodules from a water depth of 5,500m in the site of 75,000 square kilometres allotted to India by the United Nations in the Central Indian Ocean Basin will also be carried out.
    • This was to investigate the depths of the ocean for gas hydrates.

Conclusion and Way forward:

Indo-Pacific is the current hotbed for geopolitics. Oceans are the treasure yet unexplored. The one with economic and technical superiority will have an advantage in economic prosperity, environment management and international affairs. For this reason, the Deep Ocean Exploration programs are very crucial and must be enough limelight with budgetary support.

About Gas Hydrates:

  • They are ice-like crystalline minerals that form when low molecular weight gas (such as methane, ethane, or carbon dioxide) combines with water and freezes into a solid under low temperature and moderate pressure conditions.
  • Unique life forms living on chemosynthesis using hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulphide may also be found
  • The Gas hydrate may have nearly double carbon content than available on the landmass.
    • It can be both: a very crucial opportunity (Economic Potential, Energy Self Sufficiency) as well as a concern (Greenhouse effect of Methane is nearly 4 times CO2).

About Polymetallic Nodules:

  • Polymetallic nodules are rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides
  • They cover vast areas of the seafloor but are most abundant on abyssal plains at water depths of 4000-6500 metres.
  • Good source of rare earth metals like gold, silver, molybdenum, etc.

Source: DTE

 
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