India to have third Antarctic station in 2012

[Choppers]

India to have third Antarctic station in 2012​

New Delhi, Jan 11, DHNS:

India’s third permanent station in Antarctica, “Bharati”, would be up and running next year accommodating 70 scientists and beaming back satellite pictures on ocean conditions back home in real time.

To be constructed at a cost of Rs 200 crore, “Bharati” will have an accompanying earth station to receive satellite images and transmitting them back to India in real time. It is coming up at the Larsemann Hills on the eastern coast of Antarctica.

“The new station will have modern facilities and connectivity like a regular living space," said Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal after remotely unveiling the foundation stone of “Bharati” at a function here. Facilities at Maitri are also being upgraded.

With the third station, India is consolidating its strength on the icy continent. While scientific objectives are immediate goals, the real reason behind the consolidation is aimed at sharing the oil and mineral resources when the Antarctica treaty would be open for review.
At the moment no nation can exploit Antarctica resources, which are treated as the common heritage of the mankind.

The earth station would be of great advantage because currently many satellite images are being received at a base station in Svalbard in Norway’s Arctic region, from where they are sent on a disc every 2-3 days.

“Indian Space Research Organisation is paying a heavy sum for that every year, which can be saved. Also we would get the data in real time," said Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.

Once the station was ready, close to 35 scientists and 10 logistics persons would stay in “Bharati” throughout the year, he added.

India to have third Antarctic station in 2012

 

[GORKHALI]

India to have third Antarctic station in 2012​

New Delhi, Jan 11, DHNS:

India’s third permanent station in Antarctica, “Bharati”, would be up and running next year accommodating 70 scientists and beaming back satellite pictures on ocean conditions back home in real time.

To be constructed at a cost of Rs 200 crore, “Bharati” will have an accompanying earth station to receive satellite images and transmitting them back to India in real time. It is coming up at the Larsemann Hills on the eastern coast of Antarctica.

“The new station will have modern facilities and connectivity like a regular living space," said Union Science Minister Kapil Sibal after remotely unveiling the foundation stone of “Bharati” at a function here. Facilities at Maitri are also being upgraded.

With the third station, India is consolidating its strength on the icy continent. While scientific objectives are immediate goals, the real reason behind the consolidation is aimed at sharing the oil and mineral resources when the Antarctica treaty would be open for review.
At the moment no nation can exploit Antarctica resources, which are treated as the common heritage of the mankind.

The earth station would be of great advantage because currently many satellite images are being received at a base station in Svalbard in Norway’s Arctic region, from where they are sent on a disc every 2-3 days.

“Indian Space Research Organisation is paying a heavy sum for that every year, which can be saved. Also we would get the data in real time," said Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.

Once the station was ready, close to 35 scientists and 10 logistics persons would stay in “Bharati” throughout the year, he added.

India to have third Antarctic station in 2012

SOME MEMBERS FAVOURITE WORD NOW IN ANTRATICA
BHARATI

 

[JayAtl]

but will you have any toilets over there . just kidding- I couldn't resist before some of the usual suspects came in with that question and proclaimed their love for our poor .

 

[Capt.Popeye]

SOME MEMBERS FAVOURITE WORD NOW IN ANTRATICA
BHARATI

Seems like Kapil Sibal has been frequenting PDF, to pick up a suggested name for the research station.

 

[PRACTICAL PATRIOT]

go INDIA go.

 

[Kinetic]

SOME MEMBERS FAVOURITE WORD NOW IN ANTRATICA
BHARATI

None of the non-English newspaper call this country India but 'Bharat'. I always liked this name. Read a famous novel where the name of the main character was 'Bharati' it was about independence movement.

 

[WHITESMOKE]

PANAJI: Almost twenty-eight years after it set up the first permanent research station in the South Polar region, India is all set to commission and occupy third such station, named as 'Bharti', in Antarctica by March next year, a senior scientist associated with the project said today.

After 'Bharti' becomes operational, India will join the league of select nations that have multiple operation stations in the region.

The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) Director Rasik Ravindra stated that the new station is located almost 3,000 km away from the existing 'Maitri' station which has been serving the nation since its inception in 1988-89.

"The construction of the new station is going on at a hectic speed. The current Indian Antarctic Expedition that sailed off from Cape Town on October 26, 2011 under the leadership of Dr Rajesh Asthana will complete the project in this Antarctic summer itself, hopefully by March 2012," Ravindra told PTI.

"We will occupy it soon thereafter," he said. The scientists associated with NCAOR had earlier carried out a comprehensive environmental evaluation (CEE) of the project for the new station at Grovnes promontory in the Larsemann Hills on the eastern part of the South Pole.

Indian scientists will undertake cutting-edge research on geological structures and tectonics at the centre from the next year, he added.

The setting up of this station was taken up in two phases. Phase I materialised during summer of 2010-11 and Phase II in the successive summer.

As per the CEE, minor and transitory impacts on the Antarctic environment are likely due to construction of the ambitious project.

Although 'more than minor and transitory impacts on the Antarctic environment' are expected due to construction, the impacts are expected to be minimised with measures like use of combined heat and power concept for heating and renewable energy sources, low sulphur fossil fuel, optimisation of vehicle movement, efficient treatment of effluents, bringing back hazardous and sanitary wastes to mainland for disposal and others, Ravindra said quoting the CEE study.

The proposed location is of interest on account of scientific and logistic reasons, ice-free terrain and easy access from the sea.

"This area, including the islands and promontories, offer an excellent scope for extensive studies on geological structures and tectonics with special reference to Gondwanaland, palaeoclimatology, solid earth geophysics, space-weather and meteorology, oceanography, marine biology, microbiology, environmental science," Javed Beg, a senior NCAOR scientist said.

"To facilitate the planned scientific studies, including environmental monitoring, the station will have state-of-the-art laboratory facilities," he said.

The station is designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions prevailing at Larsemann Hills and is compliant with the environmental standards under the Madrid Protocol, Ravindra said.

The Larsemann Hills area is marked by persistent, strong katabatic winds that blow from east to southeast during austral summer. Extreme minimum temperature recorded in the region so for is -40 C, though the daytime mean monthly temperatures during summer drop to around 0 degree C.

India had in the past established Dakshin Gangotri (1983) and Maitri (1988-89) stations in Antarctica. The former has since been decommissioned after it got buried under ice and has been marked as an historic site.

 

[Avisheik]

Research, Environmental monitering at 200 cr? India is mostly interested in explioting antartica like other countries, or else india wouldnt have invested 200 cr

Anyways Congrats

 

[KS]

None of the non-English newspaper call this country India but 'Bharat'. I always liked this name. Read a famous novel where the name of the main character was 'Bharati' it was about independence movement.

Subramanya Bharathi

Ontopic : Good news !

 

[IndoUS]

Research, Environmental monitering at 200 cr? India is mostly interested in explioting antartica like other countries, or else india wouldnt have invested 200 cr

Anyways Congrats

If we do that all the other countries would be on our a** so unless there is clearance from the Governing body of UN or who ever governs the region there can be nothing done.

I hope this opens up path to future development in science in the country we are already developing in a good speed, investing more in R&D and other development sectors will take us far.

 

[westtowel]

 

[American Pakistani]

Congratulations.

 

[Alchemy]

Does India have any such facilities in the Arctic circle too ?

Congrats to India and its scientists !

 

[arihant]

so, is kapil sibal on pdf too. Bharati, good one, now no objection to this name. But please spell it correct as written to our BD and Pak member.

 

[golmaal]

Does India have any such facilities in the Arctic circle too ?

Congrats to India and its scientists !

I think India doesn't have any research station currently in Artic glacier..

http://maps.grida.no/library/files/major-research-stations-in-the-arctic_006.jpg