Ocean

India prepares to explore ocean depths with Samudrayaan submersible

Two scientists from a top ocean institute will pilot a 28-tonne indigenously built manned submersible up to 500 metres deep off Chennai coast early next year, marking India's entry in the coveted group of select countries with such capabilities. India's own aquanauts Ramesh Raju and Jatinder Pal Singh from the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will pilot the Matsya-6000 to unravel the mysteries of the ocean as part of India's Deep Ocean Mission. "We have explored the ocean bed at greater depths using remotely operated vehicles. This is for the first time we will be sending humans at a depth of 6,000 metres and safety is paramount for this mission," Balaji Ramakrishnan, Director, NIOT, told PTI here. India's Samudrayaan project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is also considered as a reflection of the spirit of self-reliance as global tenders were issued twice to procure a manned deep sea submersible, which ran into technology denials, prompting the ...

India becomes first country to hold 2 PMS exploration contracts with ISA

The new contract is a significant step towards realising the vision of the Deep Ocean Mission launched by PM Narendra Modi

At sea on ocean goals: India must lead to protect marine health interests

With UN pledges on ocean health remaining voluntary, India must chart its own course to safeguard its maritime interests

India pushes for Global Ocean Pact, launches data portal at UN meet

In 2024, the Potsdam Institute's Planetary Health Check warned that ocean acidity could soon become the seventh planetary boundary to be breached

High Seas Treaty: 18 new countries pledge support, take total to 49

Eighteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49 just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force. The surge in support, occurring during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean. Here's what the treaty is, why it matters and what happens next. What is the High Seas Treaty Formally known as the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, the High Seas Treaty is the first legally binding agreement focused on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters. These waters, which are beyond the jurisdiction of any single country, make up nearly two-thirds of the ocean and almost half the surface of the planet. Until now, there has been no comprehensive legal framework to create marine protected areas or enforce conservation on the high seas. Why is it needed Despite their remoteness, the high seas are under growin

Deep sea mystery: 99.999% of Earth's ocean floor still remains unexplored

A new study finds that humans have visually explored just 0.001 per cent of the deep seafloor - leaving vast areas unknown and raising concerns about biodiversity, climate, and deep sea mining

Nasa's SWOT satellite unveils most detailed ocean floor map yet: Watch

More precise maps created using data from the SWOT mission can enhance underwater navigation and provide deeper insights into the movement of heat and marine life across the world's oceans

Kerala Assembly urges Centre to withdraw deep-sea mining proposal

The Kerala assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution urging the central government to withdraw its move to allow deep-sea mineral mining off the coast of the state. The resolution moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was passed amidst the opposition UDF MLAs protesting in front of the Speaker's dais accusing him of acting as an "agent" of the ruling front. The UDF MLAs were protesting for not allowing the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan to complete his speech before walking out as their demand to adjourn the business of the house to discuss ASHA workers' protest was not accepted. Due to this protest, the deep-sea mining resolution was passed without discussion. The Kerala government has already made it clear that the Centre's move to initiate deep-sea mining along the state's coast cannot be allowed at any cost and the concern of the state's fishermen community in this regard has already been conveyed to the union government. Both the criteria in the

NOAA layoffs could impact forecasts, cyclone tracking in India: Scientists

Scientists and policymakers have voiced concern over the layoffs at the US climate agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), saying any reduction in observation data could affect monsoon forecasts and cyclone tracking in India. Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal NOAA employees on probationary status were fired last week. These included meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in the national weather service offices. "We are worried. If NOAA reduces observations, there will be implications on weather forecasts. When ocean observations reduce, there is less data to assimilate. Hence predictability will reduce," M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, told PTI. Climate scientist at the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology Roxy Mathew Koll termed the NOAA layoffs as a global crisis that could impact climate science. NOAA provides data and models that support weather-climate monitoring, forecasting and disaster preparedness .

Isro's EOS-06 satellite captures Phytoplankton growth on global scale

EOS-06, also known as Oceansat-3, is a third-generation satellite in India's Oceansat series which carries multiple advanced instruments to support ocean studies and environmental monitoring

CSIR-NIO's study on microplastics reveals extent of pollution on Goa coast

The CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography's study on microplastics over the last decade has been instrumental in uncovering the extent of pollution on Goa's coast. The CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Dona Paula began its research on microplastics in 2013-14 with the partial support of the state and Central governments. A team of researchers led by principal scientist Dr Mahua Saha has been collecting samples from beaches littered with plastic bottles and other waste to study the presence and impact of microplastics. Talking to PTI, CSIR director Dr Sunil Kumar Singh said the problem is that microplastics in water (rivers and sea) have started making their way into food and entering human bodies. He said plastic waste breaks down into microplastics, enters the water system, and subsequently into the food chain through fish and other marine life consumed by humans. The NIO has established the country's first laboratory dedicated to microplastic research. Principa

Titan submersible owner's top officials to testify before Coast Guard

One of the top officials with the company that owned the experimental submersible that imploded en route to the wreckage of the Titanic is scheduled to testify in front of the Coast Guard on Tuesday. Amber Bay, OceanGate's former director of administration, is one of the key witnesses Tuesday. OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush was among the five people who died when the submersible imploded in June 2023. The Coast Guard opened a public hearing earlier this month that is part of a high level investigation into the cause of the implosion. Some of the testimony has focused on the troubled nature of the company. The co-founder of the company told the Coast Guard panel on Monday that he hoped a silver lining of the disaster is that it will inspire a renewed interest in exploration, including the deepest waters of the world's oceans. Businessman Guillermo Sohnlein, who helped found OceanGate with Rush, ultimately left the company before the Titan disaster. This can't be the end of deep

Titan submersible's director says sub malfunctioned prior to Titanic dive

The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified on Thursday that the sub had malfunctioned just prior to the fatal dive. A mission specialist for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year told the US Coast Guard on Thursday that the firm was staffed by competent people who wanted to make dreams come true. Renata Rojas was the latest person to testify who was connected to Titan owner OceanGate. An investigatory panel had previously listened to two days of testimony that raised questions about the company's operations before the doomed mission. OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush was among five people who died when the submersible imploded en route to the site of the Titanic wreck in June 2023. Rojas' testimony struck a different tone than some of the earlier witnesses, who described the company as troubled from the top down and focused more on profit than ...

Employee who called Titan unsafe testifies firm only wanted to make money

A key employee who labelled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with the company's co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money. David Lochridge, OceanGate's former operations director, is one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board. His testimony echoed that of other former employees Monday, one of whom described OceanGate head Stockton Rush as volatile and difficult to work with. The whole idea behind the company was to make money, Lochridge said. There was very little in the way of science. Rush was among the five people who died in the implosion. OceanGate owned the Titan and brought it on several dives to the Titanic going back to 2021. Lochridge's testimony began a day after other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled

Coast Guard to hear from ex OceanGate employees about Titan implosion

US Coast Guard officials investigating the implosion of an experimental watercraft en route to the wreck of the Titanic were scheduled Monday to hear from former employees of the company that owned the Titan submersible. The aim of the two-week hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future, the Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this month. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. The Titan imploded in the North Atlantic in June 2023, killing all five people on board and setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration. Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion. Witnesses scheduled to testify on Monday include OceanGate's .

GRSE to build ocean research vessel in collaboration with NCPOR

Defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) signed a contract with the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) for constructing an ocean research vessel, an official said on Wednesday. The contract, worth approximately Rs 840 crore, was signed between GRSE and NCPOR officials for the construction of the vessel in 42 months, the shipyard informed the stock exchanges. The Kolkata-headquartered warship builder said it has the necessary expertise in the field of survey vessels and has been building them for the Indian Navy for nearly four decades now. The contract was signed by the officials of the shipyard and NCPOR in Goa on Tuesday, the GRSE official said in a statement. In December 2023, GRSE delivered the INS Sandhayak, the largest survey vessel to be built in the country, to the Indian Navy. Three more vessels of this class are at various stages of completion at the shipyard, he said, adding that this experience will stand GRSE in good stead wh

ISA members negotiate deep sea mining code in Jamaica as opposition mounts

Supporters say deep sea mining will help boost supplies of raw materials like cobalt and nickel, which are needed for the global energy transition

A year after Titan disaster, OceanGate co-founder plans ocean sinkhole trip

The team will attempt to unravel the secrets of Dean's Blue Hole in The Bahamas, while being subjected to an extreme pressure of about 20 times greater than that felt on the surface

A yr after Titan's dive, deep-sea explorers vow to pursue ocean's mysteries

The deadly implosion of an experimental submersible en route to the deep-sea grave of the Titanic last June has not dulled the desire for further ocean exploration, despite lingering questions about the disaster. Tuesday marks one year since the Titan vanished on its way to the historic wreckage site in the North Atlantic Ocean. After a five-day search that captured attention around the world, authorities said the vessel had been destroyed and all five people on board had died. Concerns have been raised about whether the Titan was destined for disaster because of its unconventional design and its creator's refusal to submit to independent checks that are standard in the industry. The US Coast Guard quickly convened a high-level investigation into what happened, but officials said the inquiry is taking longer than the initial 12-month time frame, and a planned public hearing to discuss their findings won't happen for at least another two months. Meanwhile, deep-sea exploration ...

India to become sixth country to have deep sea mission, says Jitendra Singh

Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said India is set to become the sixth country to have its own deep-sea mission. Chairing a meeting to discuss the ministry's 100-day action plan, Singh expressed pride and happiness on the progress of the deep-sea mission and India being among the very few nations to achieve this feat. He asked institutes to focus on achieving a resilient blue economy to empower people dependent on the ocean and its energy for livelihood. Singh said the deep-sea mission is not limited to mineral exploration but development of ocean sciences and exploration of flora and fauna and conservation of marine biodiversity. He lauded the National institute of Ocean Technology's (NIOT) efforts for the development of Matsyayaan 6000, which can dive 6,000 metres deep into the ocean. Taking stock of the progress, he directed officials to complete the first stage of the vessel's harbour trial by September and finish the subsequent ones by 2026. Singh ...