The recent news of 36 individuals at a Chilean research station in Antarctica testing positive for the novel coronavirus has sparked attention towards the Antarctic and the various research activities taking place on the Earth’s southernmost continent. This event marks the first instance of the virus spreading to Antarctica, which is traditionally uninhabited except for personnel managing approximately 60 permanent stations used for scientific research by countries worldwide, including India.
Overview of Antarctica
Antarctica, located in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, encompasses the geographic South Pole. With an area of 14,000,000 square kilometres (5,400,000 square miles), it is the fifth-largest continent in the world.
The Indian Presence in Antarctica
The Indian Antarctic Programme, a multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary venture, falls under the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Ministry of Earth Sciences. Becoming an official member of the Antarctic Treaty System in August 1983, India has since established several stations for conducting scientific research in the area.
Research Stations in the Antarctic
The first Indian scientific research base station set up in Antarctica was Dakshin Gangotri. However, with time, it has weakened and become solely a supply base. Following Dakshin Gangotri, India built Maitri, its second permanent research station in Antarctica, situated in the mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis. A freshwater lake, Lake Priyadarshini, was also constructed around Maitri. Bharti, India’s latest research station, operational since 2012, was designed to ensure researchers’ safety given the harsh weather conditions. It is positioned about 3000 km east of Maitri.
Additional Research Facilities
In addition to these stations, other research facilities include Sagar Nidhi, an ice-class vessel that India commissioned for research in 2008. Capable of cutting through thin ice of 40 cm depth, Sagar Nidhi is the first Indian vessel to navigate Antarctic waters.
Antarctic Treaty System
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements form the Antarctic Treaty System, which governs international relations concerning Antarctica.Everything south of the 60°S latitude, including the land and ice shelves, are deemed to be part of Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat Headquarters is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The treaty, in effect since 1961, currently has 53 parties, and designates Antarctica as a scientific preserve, dictating specific provisions for its use and investigation.
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
Established in 1998 as an autonomous research and development institution under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) is located in Goa. It holds the primary responsibility for managing India’s research activities in the Polar and Southern Ocean realms, along with associated logistics functions.
Indian Antarctic Research Bases
One of the major roles of NCPOR includes management and maintenance of the Indian Antarctic Research Bases “Maitri” and “Bharati”, and the Indian Arctic base “Himadri”. Himadri was established in July 2008 at Svalbard, Norway, following India’s first scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean in 2007. This base facilitates research studies in areas such as Glaciology, Atmospheric sciences, and Biological sciences.
