Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

Context: India has successfully launched the 41st scientific expedition to Antarctica.

• 23 scientists and support staff reached the Indian Antarctic station, Maitri.
• Four more batches will reach Antarctica by air and chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin by mid-January 2022.

Programs of the Expedition

• The 41st expedition has two major programmes
• Geological exploration of the Amery ice shelf at the Bharati station.
• This will help, explore the link between India and Antarctica in the past.
• Reconnaissance surveys and preparatory work for the drilling of 500 metres of ice core near Maitri.
• It will improve the understanding of the Antarctic climate, westerly winds, sea-ice, and greenhouse gases for the last 10,000 years.

Significance

• It will replenish the annual supplies of food, fuel, and spares for operations and maintenance of life support systems at Maitri and Bharati.

About Antarctica

• Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent.
• It contains the geographic South Pole situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere.
• It is the fifth-largest continent with more than 14 million square kilometers.
• Temperatures are consistently below zero throughout the year.

Key Facts on Antarctica

• The Dry Valleys in Antarctica are the driest places on earth.
• The Antarctic Ice Sheet is the single biggest mass of ice in the world and sometimes be up to four miles thick.
• The continent contains about 90 percent of the planet's freshwater ice and 70 percent of the total fresh water on earth.
• It holds one of the world's biggest mountain ranges - the Gamburtsev Mountains, which stretch out more than 1200 kilometers.
• The Grand Canyon is biggest natural rift, on the trench of Antarctica.
• Because of the earth's tilt, the sun does not rise in Antarctica, it remains dark throughout the entire winter season.

What is Indian Arctic Program?

• The Indian Antarctic Program is a multi-institutional program under National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, and Ministry of Earth Sciences, India.
• It was initiated in 1981 with the first Indian expedition to Antarctica.

Research Stations

• In 1981 India initiated Southern Ocean expeditions under the environmental protocol of the Antarctic Treaty (1959).
• It has built three permanent research base stations in Antarctica.

1. Dakshin Gangotri

• It was built in 1983.
• It was excavated and used as supply base and transit camp.
• It was decommissioned in the year 1990.

2. Maitri

• Maitri, was put up in 1989 and has been conducting experiments in geology, geography, and medicine.
• It accomplished the mission of geomorphologic mapping of Schirmacher Oasis.

3. Bharati

• Located beside Larsmann Hill Bharati was established in 2015.
• It will collect evidence of continental breakup to reveal the 120-million-year-old ancient history of the Indian subcontinent.