why nowadays in the news:-
The Indian space research organization (ISRO) that is known for sending satellites out into space, including the manned mission Gaganyaan, is now helping to build a specialized sphere for a manned mission to 6,000 meters deep into the ocean, the parliament was told on Thursday.
Under the ' Deep Ocean Mission ' launched by the government, a manned scientific submersible has been proposed to be developed for deep ocean exploration and the project is named 'samudrayaan'. Science and Technology and Earth Science Minister, Dr Jitender Singh told Rajya sabha in a written replay.
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| Deep Ocean |
highlighted points:-
The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crore for a period of 5 years to be implemented in a phase-wise manner. The estimated cost for the first phase for the 3 years (2021-2024) would be Rs.2823.4 crore. Deep Ocean Mission is a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India. Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.
- Part of the ₹6,000 crores Deep Ocean Mission, will send submarines with 3 persons to a depth of about 6000 meters
- India Joins an elite club of selected nations including the USA, Russia, France & china
- will enable the exploration of ocean resources for drinking water, clean energy & a blue economy.
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| Blue Economy |
Discuss the project:-
- Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible: A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools. Only a very few countries have acquired this capability. An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean. The exploration studies of minerals will pave way for the commercial exploitation in the near future, as and when commercial exploitation code is evolved by the International Seabed Authority, a UN organization. This component will help the Blue Economy priority area of exploring and harnessing deep-sea minerals and energy.
- Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.
- Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: Bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep-sea bio-resources will be the main focus. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Fisheries and allied services.
- Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges. This component will additionally support the Blue Economy priority area of deep-sea exploration of ocean resources.
- Energy and freshwater from the Ocean: Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant is envisaged in this proof of concept proposal. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of offshore energy development.
- Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology. This component is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering. This component will translate research into the industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.
significance of the project:-
- The mission aims to explore the deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources.
- The mission will create employment opportunities, capacity development in marine Biology, growth of the MSME and start-Ups, etc.
- Oceans are also a storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth.
- Oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95 per cent of the Deep Ocean remains unexplored. For India, with its three sides surrounded by the oceans and around 30 per cent of the country's population living in coastal areas, the ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade.
Impact of Deep Ocean Mission on the Environment:-
A major concern has been shown by Environmentalists for the Ocean mining that is being conducted in various countries. The biggest concern is that since this field is unexplored, the repercussions cannot be assumed.
Another cause of concern is the sediment plumes that may have formed after the mining practice and the oil spills which may be caused.
However, India seems to be positive with their research as major revelations can be done once the mission takes off and the research is started. One of the most important of which is the fact that since the temperature at deep depths of the ocean is very low, a lot of species will be discovered which are capable of surviving in extreme weather conditions.
All the activities which shall be performed under the Deep Ocean Mission will be as per the rules prescribed by ISA, ensuring no harm is caused to the biodiversity.