Deep Ocean Mission

Why in news?

• As part of Deep Ocean Mission, the Indian Navy will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in a bid to share knowledge in the areas of design and development of underwater vehicles.
• The mission will be the torchbearer of India’s “Blue Economy” initiatives in the years to come.

About Deep Ocean Mission:

• It is the Government of India mission to explore deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources.
• The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crores for a period of 5 years to be implemented in a phase-wise manner.
• Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.

The Mission consists of six major components:

• 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 with a suite of scientific sensors and tools.
  • An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean.
• 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.
• 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.
• Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration:
  • Explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
• Energy and freshwater from the Ocean:
  • Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged.
• Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:
  • Development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering, to translate research into industrial application and product development.

Add ons

• The mission will bring together experts from the ISRO, DRDO, Department of Atomic Energy, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Navy.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Which of the following are the objectives of ‘Deep Ocean Mission’?

1. Conservation of deep-sea biodiversity

2. Mining of polymetallic nodules

3. Development of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant

4. Development of ocean climate change advisory services

Select the correct answer using code given below

(a) 1,2 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

Answer