National Institute of Oceanography, India
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The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) is a constituent laboratory of CSIR - the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, an autonomous research organization in India. The institute has its headquarters in the coastal state Goa, and regional centres in Kochi , Mumbai and Vizag. The Institute was established on 1 January 1966. At the end of over 40 years, this is grown today into a large oceanographic laboratory of international repute with main focus on the understanding of special oceanographic features of the Northern Indian Ocean. The institute headquarters was shifted to its present location on a panoramic view of Arabian Sea in the background soon after its establishment.
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[edit] History
The NIO has its roots in the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE). India was one of the countries participated in this multi-country, multi-institutional expedition and provided a base for the analysis of biological samples at Indian Ocean Biological Centre and non-biological samples at Indian Ocean Physical Oceanography Centre. During early 60s, CSIR felt need for the oceanographic research in the country and considered to establish this institute incorporating the scientific manpower involved in the IIOE at the end of the expedition.
[edit] Research programmes
The major reasearch areas include traditional branches such as, Physical Oceanography, Geological Oceanography, Chemical Oceanography, and Biological Oceanography - and some other areas evolved over a period of time like Marine Corrosion and biofouling, Marine Archaeology, Ocean Engineering. With a staff strength of 200 researchers, and over 100 technical personnel, the focus of research has been on observing and understanding the special oceanographic features that the North Indian basin offers. The inferences from this research have been reported in about 6000 research articles so far. Besides this, the industry sponsors a variety of projects to the institute to carry out applied research that mainly include data collection, environmental impact assessment, coastal zone management and modeling studies. The well equipped research laboratories, library and other infrastructure for oceanographic research attracts large number of students to pursue their doctoral programmes under the guidance of the scientists of the institute. At present over 60 research fellows (students qualified through CSIR/UGC eligibility criterion) are working for their degrees from various universities. Besides this over 200 students, doing their post-graduate studies, base at NIO for their short-term research projects and dissertations every year. Nearly 5% of them are from other countries.
[edit] Research vessels of the NIO
Research vessels form most the important research facility for the oceanographic studies. NIO's scientists use following vessels at large, besides chartering others for specific purposes, for collection of data at seas. Acquisition of a new research vessel is also in progress.
[edit] Sagar Sukti
Sagar Sukti is NIO's coastal research vessel with 23.5 m length and 6.5 m in breadth. It provides accommodation to 8 scientists, 4 officers and 8 crew on board with an endurance of 12 days.
[edit] Sagar Kanya
Sagar Kanya, depicted in the two images is the flagship expedition vessel of NIO and is a deep-sea research vessel owned by the Department of Ocean Development, Government of India. This was built at Federal Republic of Germany in 1983. NIO is a major user of this vessel for its data collection.
This 100.34m long, 4209 ton, all weather multi-disciplinary vessel enhanced Institute's capabilities. It is centrally air-conditioned with 13 laboratories on board spread over 3 decks having an endurance of 45 days providing accommodation to a total of 91 staff including 32 scientists. In 1990 a multibeam swath bathymetric survey system was also installed. The system enables coverage of a large area as much as twice the depth, and can produce real time graphic display of cross profile, bottom map and can also produce on a printer bottom bathymetric chart. The ship is docked at the Marmagoa (Vasco-da-Gama) Harbour in the Zuari estuary for the majority of it time when not on the high seas as this is the closest port to NIO.
Other vessels such as Sagar Shukti, AA Sidorenko, Jack Cousteau's Vessel Calypso, FORV Sagar Sampada were some of vessels chartered by the Institute in the past.
[edit] RV Gaveshini
The RV Gaveshini is a 68.5 m medium range vessel which played an important role in the oceanographic research in the seventies and early eighties in the Indian ocean for the institute. Gaveshani (Researcher), was NIO's first research vessel acquired in December 1975. In her 19 years of service (until 1994), she completed 246 cruises, the last being off the east coast, before she went into dry dock in July 1994. She accidentally caught fire on 26 August 1994 during refit and modernisation. She was then declared unserviceable in December, 1995.
