Polar Science and Cryosphere Research Scheme

March 26, 2022

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), an autonomous institute that falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Earth Sciences has successfully implemented the Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER) scheme which comprises of Indian Arctic program, the Antarctic program, Cryosphere, and Climate program, and Southern Ocean program.

Major achievements under this scheme

It has successfully executed the 39^th and 40^th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica.
The 41^st Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica is currently ongoing.
Under this scheme 10 sediment cores have been collected from lakes to reconstruct the climate of the past that is associated with the dynamics of the ice-sheet.
Various geophysical and glaciological measurements have been carried out in the coastal Dronning Maud Land with the objective to understand patterns of snow accumulation and the glaciochemical process contribution.
In the lakes of Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, studies were conducted to understand the biogeochemical process in the supraglacial environments.
At the Bharati and Maitri stations, clear-air atmospheric observatories which contain automatic weather stations, sensors to measure greenhouse gas and aerosol concentrations have been established.
Ice core analyses were also conducted to understand the long-term climate variability over Antarctica and dissolved organic carbon pathways.
Hydrophone system, as well as IndARC mooring system, was successfully deployed in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard.
In the Arctic Svalbard archipelago, coastal cruises were done to conduct microbial and biogeochemical research.
Using Arctic regional atmospheric model with Chemistry module, Arctic Regional Ocean Model, and Global sea-ice simulations several modeling initiatives were started.
The continuation of this scheme has also been approved for the 221-26 period.

During the 2019-20 Arctic expedition, how many research projects were carried out?

Twenty-three research projects which were related to marine science, glaciology, atmospheric science, and polar biology were carried out successfully during the Arctic Expedition of 2019-20.

About Glaciological field campaigns

Glaciological field campaigns have been conducted in six glaciers in the Chandra basin of the Western Himalayas Lahaul-Spiti region. The accumulation of winter snow over the glaciers was recorded by using snow corer and pits. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) surveys have also been conducted. Ice, snow, water, meltwater, and cryoconite samples have been collected from various lakes and glaciers. To strengthen infrastructure across the Chandra basin, two new Automatic Weather Station (AWS) systems were installed at Baralacha La, a high elevation site in the Spiti region.

About the 11th Indian Southern Ocean Expedition

This expedition was successfully executed. In Prydz Bay along with several parts of the Southern Ocean, several geological, atmospheric, biological, and oceanographic measurements were conducted. From 13 locations, sediment cores were collected, and to measure different ocean parameters argo floats were deployed.

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