CSIR - National Institute of OceanographyDona Paula, Goa, India - 403 004

(A constituent laboratory of CSIR -Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)

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CSIR-NIO : Mission, History and Research areas

Mission: To continuously improve our understanding of the seas around us and to translate this

knowledge to benefit all

CSIR- National Institute of Oceanography

(NIO) with its headquarters at Dona Paula,

Goa, and regional centres at Kochi, Mumbai

and Visakhapatnam, is one of the 37 constituent

laboratories of the Council of Scientific &

Industrial Research (CSIR).

NIO was established on 1 January 1966

following the International Indian Ocean

Expedition (IIOE) that was undertaken from

1962 to 1965.

The institute has a sanctioned strength of 200

scientists, 200 technical staff and 170

administrative and support staff.

The major research areas include the four

traditional branches of oceanography - biology,

chemistry, physics and geology and geophysics,

besides ocean engineering, marine

instrumentation and archaeology.

The major ongoing research projects are:

Ÿ Ocean Science towards Forecasting Indian

Marine Living Resource Potential

Ÿ Geological Processes in the Indian Ocean – Understanding the Input Fluxes, Sinks and

Paleoceanography

Ÿ Geo-scientific Investigations for Deciphering the Earth's Internal Processes and Exploration of

Energy Resources

Ÿ Indian Aquatic Ecosystems: Impact of Deoxygenation, Eutrophication and Acidification

Ÿ Analyses and Harnessing of Marine Biodiversity for Bioremediation of Aquaculture and other

Industrial Effluents

Ÿ Impact of Natural and Anthropogenic Stresses on the Coastal Environment of India

Ÿ Geological and Geophysical Studies of Coastal Zone of India

Ÿ Development of Autonomous Platforms for Ocean Applications

Ÿ Marine Ecological Assessment and Studies for Sustainable Development in the Coastal and Shelf

Areas along West Coast of India

Ÿ Ecobiogeography and Biotechnology of Estuaries and Coastal Waters of India

Ÿ Coastal Processes and Tectonics of Eastern Continental Margin of India

The red filled circles show cities where the 37 laboratories of the

CSIR Network are located. The open circles show the locations

of the three Regional Centres of NIO, whose headquarters are in

Goa on the west coast of India.

Environment Processes Tectonics Resources Instrumentation Biotechnology

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Ocean processesoThe Indian Ocean north of about 10 S latitude (the

Hydrological Front) is unique in several respects.

The Equatorial Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and

Bay of Bengal experience markedly different

physical, chemical and biological processes that

have been the main focus areas of NIO's research.

Circulation, hydrography and sea-level rise

NIO researchers have played a leading role in

defining the nature of seasonality in currents in the

North Indian Ocean, particularly along Indian

coasts. Observations and models have shown that

circulation needs to be looked at holistically

across the basin because the winds at a location

influence not only the local current, but have an

impact on the current at remote locations at a later

time through propagation of large scale wave.

traps solar energy in the shallow mixed layer,

facilitating deep convection necessary for

cyclogenesis and also affecting circulation.

Ÿ NIO has been involved in long-term

measurements of currents in the Equatorial

Indian Ocean since February 2000 through

deployment of 7 deep-sea moorings as a part of

the Ocean Observing System (OOS) programme.

Eastward velocity (cm/s) at lat : 1°N, lon: 77°E

Observations supported by models reveal

intraseasonal variability in meridional currents

at biweekly (14 day) period in the upper 1000

m, and also in the deep-ocean (2000 m and

4000m) and this is linked to the propagation of

surface wind energy into the deep ocean.

Surface currents along the Indian coast (WICC - West Indian Coastal Current, EICC- East Indian Coastal Current, LH- Lakshadweep High, LL- Lakshdweep Low).

Alongshore currents as a function of depth (upper panel), measured using ADCPs deployed on the continental slope off Goa. The blue shade shows equatorward and the red shade shows poleward flow. Lower panel shows alongshore currents at selected depths.

Ÿ Measurements and models indicate role of

local winds as well as remote forcing by large

scale waves originating far from the region.

Ÿ Large influx of fresh water through river

runoff and precipitation causes strong

stratification in the Bay of Bengal, which

Mooring locations in Equatorial Indian Ocean.

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Ÿ Observations supported by models reveal

intraseasonal variability in meridional currents

at biweekly (14 day) period in the upper 1000

m, and also in the deep-ocean (2000 m and

4000 m) and this is linked to the propagation of

surface wind energy into the deep equatorial

Indian ocean.

-1Ÿ Tide-gauge records indicate 1.3 mm year sea-

level rise trends along the Indian coast during

the last century.

Biological productivity and carbon export in the North Indian Ocean

Ÿ The Northwestern Indian Ocean is the only

oceanic region experiencing large-scale wind-

driven, seasonal upwelling along its western

and eastern boundaries, enhancing primary

production over a large area.

However, during late SW monsoon low dissolved

iron concentrations limit production off Oman

affecting nutrient export to open ocean, food web

structure, carbon export to deep sea and

subsurface oxygen utilization

Ÿ Arabian Sea is the only tropical basin which

experiences winter convection and nutrient

enrichment leading to non-diatomaceous

phytoplankton blooms. Export of particulate

organic matter during this period is low, but

dissolved organic carbon build-up in the

surface layer supports the microbial loop.

Schematic of winter convection and nutrient supply to the euphotic zone from sub-surface waters.

Ÿ Consumption of the DOC during the following

oligotrophic spring intermonsoon helps sustain

high zooplankton biomass throughout the year

(the Arabian Sea Paradox).

Ÿ Mesoscale eddies, cold- as well as warm-core,

play a key role in Bay of Bengal

biogeochemistry with the cold-core (cyclonic)

eddies supplying nutrients to surface waters,

enhancing productivity in relatively

oligotrophic, highly stratified region

Satellite derived sea-level height anomaly depicting the cold-core (blue) and warm-core (red) eddies in the Bay of Bengal (January 2003).

Schematic of marine food web (left) and microbial loop (right).

Satellite derived chlorophyll in August.

Ÿ Despite large releases of nutrients on land,

nutrient fluxes to estuaries and coastal areas are

only moderately high. Estuaries are mostly net-

heterotrophic serving as sources of greenhouse

gases.

Ÿ Sediment trap studies have shown strong

seasonality in particulate organic and inorganic

carbon fluxes with higher fluxes during the SW

and NE monsoons. The CO draw-down by the 2

“biological pump” is stronger in the Bay of

Bengal because of the “ballast” provided by

lithogenic material.

Mean biweekly averaged organic carbon flux in the Arabian Sea.

Ÿ The Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal differ

considerably in terms of carbon cycling owing to

contrasting hydrography and biogeochemistry:

The Arabian Sea is a perennial source of CO to 2

the atmosphere whereas the Bay of Bengal is a

seasonal sink.

The North Indian Ocean experiences acute oxygen

depletion at mid-depths, but the oxygen minimum

zones (OMZ) of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of

Bengal are vastly different (i.e. reducing conditions

including denitrification/anammox occur only in the

Arabian Sea)

Arabian Sea OMZ is anomalously located –

geographically separated from productive upwelling

zones of the western Arabian Sea

Oxygen minimum zones

Mesopelagic oxygen deficiency greatly affects

biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (high

bacterial but low zooplankton biomass, great

abundance of lantern-fish.:

rdArabian Sea OMZ accounts for 1/3 of global pelagic

N production 2

N O consumption within the reducing zone, but large 2

production at peripheries - strong net source

Reduction of other polyvalent elements (e.g. Fe and

Mn)

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Maximum Nitrite (µM)

0.21

234

0.2

1

2

3

4

Carbon budget for a part of the Arabian Sea.

Arabian Sea suboxic zone

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Oceanic Coastal Oceanic Coastal

Spring intermonsoon (March-May)

NorthEast monsoon (November -February)

SouthWest Monsoon (June-August)

Annual Average

Arabian Sea Bay of Bengal

Marine biodiversity

The Indian Ocean is a region of very high

biological diversity. NIO has been analyzing and

documenting diversity of all forms of life –

microbes, plants and animals - from various

marine ecosystems.

Phytoplankton: Inhabiting the upper, euphotic

water column, these microscopic, self -replicating

organisms are the primary producers of organic

matter, forming the base of marine food

chain/web. Major phytoplankton groups are

diatoms, dinoflagellates, silicoflagellates and

coccolithophorids.

NIO has so far identified ~400 different species

of phytoplankton.

The annual average primary production in the -2Arabian Sea is ~600 mg C m in the upper 120 m

column. This is about twice that in the Bay of

Bengal. This production supports the rest of the

marine life.

Phytoplankton can form blooms and some of them

can be harmful. The incidences of such blooms

along the coast of India have increased in the recent

past.

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Zooplankton: Zooplankton are tiny animal

communities that link primary producers with

animals at higher trophic levels including fish in

marine food chains. Considered to be the

gatekeepers of organic carbon flux to the deep sea,

zooplankton are also crucial in the functioning of

the biological pump. They are responsible for ~ 30%

of organic flux to the deeper layers in the our seas.

Since the days of the International Indian Ocean

Expedition, NIO has played the key role in

documenting zooplankton abundance and

composition in the Indian Ocean publishing a large

number of atlases and research papers

Benthos: Animal and plant species inhabiting the

seafloor (from intertidal to deep-ocean) such as

bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, star fishes and

corals are important contributors to biogeochemical

cycling and fluxes. NIO has been studying benthos

from different habitats. Their type, abundance and

distribution are adversely affected by pollution and

coastal disturbance. The ongoing deoxygenation and

acidification make these organisms vulnerable to

global change.

Molecular biological technologies such as Density

Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), DNA

sequencing and in-situ hybridization are used to

describe diversity of bacteria, archaea and fungi in

our marine ecosystems.

Marine ecology

NIO has carried out investigations to unravel

interactions between the environment and

organisms

Benthic ecology

Rocky shores provide a unique habitat for a

gamut of organisms. Amongst them, sessile

organisms form an important component.

Evaluating the changes in their population

structure provides insights to ecosystem

functioning and to understand the influences of

environment and climatic perturbations.

Barnacles are dominant inhabitants of the rocky

intertidal region.

Barnacle, Balaus amphitrite

Ÿ Adult barnacles respond to cues provided by the

phytoplankton bloom and spawn so that the

larvae are released to food rich environment.

This facilitates successful larval development

a n d s e t t l e m e n t . H o w e v e r , s u c h a

synchronization in monsoon season is impacted

by the intra seasonal variations in the rainfall

intensity and monsoon break periods.

Barnacle life cycle.

Ÿ Barnacles have a larval life cycle in the

planktonic mode and find their metamorphosis

destination to develop into a conspecific

community. In the case of Balanus amphitrite a

dominant barnacle, it was observed that the

interaction between glycoproteins produced by

the adult and the dissolved sugars in the

surrounding environment provide the necessary

chemical cues for attracting the population of its

conspecifics.

Ÿ Physical forcing such as winds and currents along

the central west coast of India helps in the

transport of the larvae from their spawning sites

hugging the coast and contributes to the

population within the estuaries.

Ÿ The extent of barnacle larval dispersal from the

spawning sites off Goa varies from 10-78 km.

Diatom-Bacteria co-occur and interact in numerous

ways. In order to decipher this interplay, experiments

have been carried out with benthic diatoms through

the application of 'antibiotics'.

Diatom-Bacteria interplay

Positive/Negative Interplay between diatoms and bacteria

Ÿ Application of Penicillin, a β-lactam antibiotic

that can affect diatoms only through bacteria,

resulted in bacterial suppression and changed

diatom species composition.

Ÿ Diatom communities were less susceptible to

bacterial modulation during the south-west

monsoon.

The exoskeleton of most zooplankton is made up of

chitin. Degradation of chitin involves a cascade of

processes involving chitinase enzymes produced by

the microbes.

Ÿ Bacterial community undergoes alterations

during the degradation process.

Ÿ Bacterial population associated with the

exoskeleton of live zooplankton changes once

treated with chitinase and lead to the emergence of

undetected forms.

Plankton Ecology

Microbe-metazoa interaction

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Marine biotechnology

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NIO has studied the breeding and distribution of

horse shoe crabs and sea-horses along the Indian

coast and developed lab techniques for rearing

these charismatic species for biomedical

applications.

Marine organisms offer various biotechnological

options. Some of these that have been undertaken

by NIO include

• Searches for Bioactive Substances from Marine Organisms

• Isolation of microbes and evaluation of their metabolite production potential

• Searches for Biomolecules through Biodiversity Analyses & Molecular Phylogenetics

• Isolation of Jorumycin, an isoquinoline alkaloid from nudibranch. This anti-cancer alkaloid has proven effective against leukemia- and lymphoma cell lines

• Marine bacterial strains for Bioactive Leads: Over 29000 pure cultures of bacteria isolated and got them screened for anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-infective and anti-inflammatory activities. Among them, Over 4000 isolates have shown potential for some/all of these activities.

• Detoxification of Hg, Cr, As etc using marine microbes

The pharmacological extracts include:

Ÿ Stress reducing/sedative anti-anxiyolitics

Ÿ Toxins from phytoplankton

Ÿ Microbial pigments useful in food coloring

These studies have led to various industrial applications such as

Ÿ Laboratory-scale demonstration of textile mill

effluent decolorization using a marine fungus.

Ÿ Bioremediation of industrial wastes by

a highly active fungal laccase enzyme

Ÿ Brightening of newsprint and photocopy

paper pulp using metabolites of a marine

bacterium

Ÿ Characterization of a cyclic peptide, a novel

broad-spectrum antibiotic, from a bacterium

effective at nanogram levels against many

pathogenic bacteria

Application in paper industry (paper recycling).

Human Imprint on Aquatic Environment

NIO is studying cycling of carbon, nutrients

(especially nitrogen) and trace metals in

groundwater, selected natural lakes and man-made

reservoirs. Significant results are as follows:

Ÿ Indian lakes and reservoirs experience

moderate eutrophication and methane buildup

during summer anoxia despite large

anthropogenic nutrient loading

Ÿ Anoxygenic photosynthesis contributes

significantly to primary production.

Ÿ Large mobilization of Fe (II) and Mn (II)

occurs within anoxic hypoliminia.

A key area of NIO's research is the impact of

natural and human-induced stresses such as

deoxygenation, eutrophication and acidification

on biogeochemistry and ecosystems in freshwater

and marine environments

Freshwater

Year long time series in Tillari Reservoir

Seawater

Since 1997, NIO has been carrying out regular

monitoring of the largest naturally-formed,

coastal low- O zone in the world that develops 2

seasonally over the western continental shelf of

India to investigate human impact on coastal

biogeochemistry and ecology. Results show:

Ÿ Intensification of O deficiency (emergence of 2

sulphidic conditions since 1970s), large inter-

annual variability, but no clear-long term

trend

Ÿ Record accumulation of N O2

Ÿ Hypoxia greatly impacts biology and fisheries

Induced carbon dioxide sequestration

LOHAFEX – NIO organized an international ocean

iron fertilization (OIF) experiment in low silicate,

high nitrate subantarctic zone of South Atlantic to

test the efficacy of OIF for sequestering

atmospheric CO yielding following main results:2

Ÿ OIF led to a non-diatom (flagellate) bloom that

was grazed by zooplankton

Ÿ Accumulation of particulate and dissolved

organic matter in the surface layer accounted for

bulk of increase in net community production

(NCP) with little export to deep sea

Ÿ Small decrease (<15 µatm) in pCO Due to 2.

widespread occurrence of Si-poor conditions in

the Southern Ocean, potential of OIF for CO 2

sequestration is not very large

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Modis chlorophyll a composite image (12 to 14 Feb 2009)

NIO is actively engaged in monitoring the health of Indian coastal environs through:

Ÿ Seasonal monitoring of water, sediment,

biological and microbiological parameters

Ÿ Establishing an overall index of pollution

(OIP)

Ÿ Use of biota as indicators of toxic metal

contamination.

Ÿ Development of protocols using specific

biomarkers/ biological indicators to provide

early warning signals of pollution.

Ÿ Testing and certification of dispersants used to

combat oil spills.

Ÿ Providing advisories to coastal stake- holders

through Environmental Impact Assessments.

Ÿ Use of numerical models to predict trajectories

of oil spills and trans-port of tar balls and other

pollutants.

Model simulated trajectory of oil spill off Goa during 23-25 March, 2005

Tidally-averaged residual currents in the Gulf of Kachchh to determine transport of pollutants (ACE and CE indicate

anticlockwise and clockwise eddies).

BioinvasionCargo ships carry annually 3-5 billion tonnes of

ballast water around the world. Introduction of harmful aquatic organisms to new environments by

ships represents one of the most serious threats to

the oceans, with potentially devastating impacts on

ecology and human health. With 12 major ports and

expanding maritime activity, India needs an

effective ballast water management programme.

The programme coordinated by NIO involves:

Ÿ Biological baseline surveys in portsŸ Ballast water risk assessmentŸ Ballast water sampling & analysisŸ Electronic ballast water reporting formŸ Marine organism database for Indian portsŸ Identification of ballast water discharge location

in emergency

Marine bioinvasion example - Mytilopsis sallei, a

small delicate bivalve introduced to India

around1967. Presently restricted to Visakhapatnam

and Mumbai ports. Being tracked in South/SE Asian

countries under an INDIA-ASEAN project.

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Coastal placer minerals

Deep-sea polymetallic nodules

Ferromanganese crusts

Hydrothermal sulphides

Rich reserves of minerals containing titanium,

chromium, uranium, thorium, zirconium and gem

stones have been found along the coasts of

Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra

Pradesh, Orissa and parts of West Bengal .

The Ministry of Mines has allotted offshore

blocks to placer mining companies. Some of the

blocks (off Maharashtra) are from deposits

identified by NIO.

Exploration with 30,000 km of multibeam

sounding data and 11,000 samples has led to 2 India being allotted an area of 75,000 km in

international waters of Central Indian Ocean

Basin that contains large reserves (450 million

tonnes) of mineral-rich polymetallic nodules.

Estimated reserve of useful metals (Mn, Ni, Cu,

Co) is ~100 million tonnes.

Investigations have also led to identification of a

First Generation Mine site and evaluation of

response of deep-sea environment to artificial

and natural disturbances.

Rich in Co, Pt and other metals, these crusts are

found on oceanic seamounts and abyssal hills. 2 NIO has surveyed an area of 40,000 km in the

Afanasiy Nikitin Seamount (ANS) area from the

equatorial Indian Ocean.

NIO's efforts have led to the discovery of

hydrothermal plumes indicative of new vent

fields over the Carlsberg Ridge, signatures of

plumes over the Central Indian Ridge and

hydrothermal mineralization in the Andaman Sea

that are potential sites for minerals rich in Zn, Pb

and Cu.

Marine Minerals

Marine minerals are an important potential

resource of metals such as copper, cobalt, nickel

and titanium that could be utilized in future in

view of increasing demand of these metals and

dwindling land reserves. NIO has carried out

extensive surveys for such minerals both in

shallow waters and the deep sea. Coastal placer minerals of Kalbadevi, Maharashtra

Large haul of polymetallic nodules from Indian Ocean.

Area claimed by India in Central Indian Ocean.

Ferromanganese Crust from Indian Ocean.

Indication of hydrothermal plume over Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean.

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Energy from the ocean

Accounting for over half of the organic carbon

reserves, marine gas hydrates (methane clathrate)

are an important potential future energy resource.

Studies by NIO using bathymetry and thermal

gradients have led to generation of the gas

hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) thickness map

required for prediction of gas hydrates.

Drilling has confirmed occurrence of gas hydrate

deposits in Krishna-Godavari (KG), Mahanadi

and Andaman basins at different depths below the

seafloor.

Seismic data provided evidence for disseminated

and fault-controlled gas hydrate deposits in the

offshore KG basin.

High attenuation and low velocity below the

GHSZ are most likely related to the presence of

free gas below the bottom simulating reflector.

High velocity (V > 1.7 km/s) zones with low P

attenuation imply that hydrate-bearing sediments

are less attenuated than the background

sediments.

As petroleum reserves are depleting, search is on

for new sources of energy from the oceans.

Potential areas for gas hydrates exploration

JOIDES-Resolution, the drill ship used for hydrate exploration in the Bay of Bengal

Methane hydrate recovered from the Krishna-Godavari basin.

Bottom simulating reflector (BSR) in the seismic profile is a manifestation of the contact between methane hydrate and

underlying gas.

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Reconstructing the past

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Paleoceanography deals with the study of the

history of the oceans in the geologic past with

regard to circulation, chemistry, biology, geology

and patterns of sedimentation and biological

productivity. Material used for paleo-studies are

aquatic sediments, their components and

chemically precipitated marine mineral deposits,

One of the climate features of the Indian Ocean

is the monsoon. Reconstructions of monsoon

variability, sea surface temperatures (SST), sea

surface salinity (SSS) and interactions between

land, ocean and atmosphere is a prerequisite to

understand climate forcing in different time

scales in order to predict the future climate

changes.

Excellent records of past climate are preserved in

marine archives dating back to millions of years

before present. Biostratigraphic and radiometric

dating tools are used to date the geological

material. Variations in grain-size, mineralogy and

chemical composition of sediments, and

abundance, morphology, stable isotopic and

elemental composition of skeletal remains of tiny

oceanic biota, are some of the proxies that are

being used to reconstruct past climatic and

oceanographic changes.

Paleo-studies at NIO revealed that

Ÿ Indian Monsoon intensification is cyclic in

nature and the periodicity varied from

centennial to orbital time scales. Key

periodicities identified are 400 kyr, 100 kyr,

23 kyr, 2,200 years, 1400 years and 77 years.

Ÿ SST estimates based on the faunal

composition, alkenones and

Magnesium/Calcium ratio show 3°C regional

cooling in the Indian Ocean during the last

glacial maximum as compared to the

Holocene.

Ÿ Deglaciation warming in the Indian Ocean

started at ca. 19 ka, which is contemporary

with the deglacial warming in the Antarctica

and southern Ocean. Deglaciation warming in

the Indian Ocean is either coeval with or up to

1 kyr before the atmospheric CO rise.2

Ÿ A link between the Red Sea out flow and

intensification of Indian Monsoon is found

between 15.5 to 7.3 kyr.

Ÿ Reconstruction of calcium carbonate

fluctuations during Late Quaternary show that

Aragonite compensation depth (ACD) and

calcite compensation depth (CCD) in the Indian

Ocean are controlled by rapid climate changes

through atmospheric and oceanic

teleconnections.

Ÿ Sea level was ~100 m lower off west coast of

India 14,500 years ago.

Ÿ Changing north-south salinity gradient in the

eastern Arabian Sea suggests changes in

monsoon intensity

Ÿ Slowly depositing sediments and

ferromanganese crusts suggest Himalayan

erosional events at 0.5 Ma, 0.8 Ma, 10 Ma,

~16Ma and a link between orogeny and climate.

Ÿ Prevalence of suboxic condition in the Bay of

Bengal from 15.2 ka to 4.5 ka, peaking around

9.5 ka, corresponding to the previously recorded

southwest (SW) monsoon intensification

Indicators of Climate Change

'The timing of deglacial increase in seawater temperature in the Eastern Arabian Sea, as compared with global rise in atmospheric CO2, as well as the average northern and southern hemispheric temperature change'.

Seafloor Tectonism

NIO carries out studies of tectonics to understand

various features of the seafloor, their surface and

sub-surface expression and evolution.

Major outcomes includeŸ Discovery of seamount chain (consisting of

Raman and Panikkar seamounts and the

Wadia guyot) in the deep sea off the central

Indian west coast

Ÿ Mapping of Carlsberg Ridge and Central

Indian Ridge revealed finer-scale

segmentation pattern of these slow spreading

mid-ocean ridges.

Ÿ Mineral rich rock assemblages of

serpentinities, peridotites and gabbros within

axial valley zone of the Carlsberg Ridge and

pyrites from spreading centre, seamounts and

sediments in the Andaman back arc basin

suggest occurrence of hydrothermal activity.

Ÿ Identification of prominent hydrothermal

plumes over the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian

Ocean suggests the presence of two active

hydrothermal vent fields over the ridge at

water depths 3500-3800 m.

Ÿ Understanding of tectonic framework of the

North Indian Ocean

Ÿ Formation of Indo-Australian Plate 42 Ma ago

and breaking into 3 small sub-plates (India,

Australia and Capricorn) around 15.4 Ma

Ÿ Ninety East Ridge track was emplaced at a

rate of 118 km/Ma, twice the speed of relative

motion of the Indian Plate

Ÿ Mid-oceanic ridge system postulated to have

migrated in order to create space for

Antarctic Plate

Geophysical investigations over Carlsberg and Central Indian ridge systems.

Hydrothermal plume location over Carlsberg ridge

Cratered seamount in Andaman Sea

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Shaded region and triangle show the location of diffuse plate boundary and diffuse triple junction, respectively between Indian, Australian and Capricorn sub-plates.

Marine Instrumentation

In order to strengthen our research capabilities,

NIO strives to develop new technologies for

ocean observations.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle 'Maya'

Autonomous Vertical Profiler

Sea Level Gauge Autonomous Weather Station

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Marine Robotics

Oceanographic instruments

Integrated Coastal Observation Network (ICON)

I. Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) 'Maya'

Ÿ Max depth : 200 m

Ÿ Endurance: ~ 7 hour @ 1.5 m/s

Ÿ Technology transfer to

i. Larsen and Toubro Limited, Mumbai. ii. VEA Automation and Robotics Pvt.

Ltd., Coimbatore.

II. Autonomous Vertical Profiler (AVP)

Ÿ Max depth : 200 m

Ÿ Speed: 0-1 m/s

Ÿ Weight in air: ~ 13 kg

Ÿ Endurance: ~ 2 dives / day to 100 m for 15

days

Ÿ Technology transfer to Control Technologies,

Bengaluru

This technology has applications in:

• Fisheries research

• Climate related studies

• Pollution monitoring

• Satellite validation

The users of AVP include

• SAC (ISRO), Ahmedabad • CMFRI (ICAR), Kochi• CSIR-NIO and its regional centres

I. Sea-level gaugesII. Autonomous weather stations (AWS)

Real-time network of sea-level gauges and autonomous weather station (AWS) developed

Ÿ 14 stations in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.Ÿ

Ÿ Data on Internet server at ~ 10-min intervals,

using GPRS cellular modems provides

graphical sea-level information, surface

meteorological variables - //inet.nio.org

Services offered include:

Marine Archaeology

• Bathymetry, shallow seismic and side scan

sonar surveys

• Collection of shallow core samples

• Geo-technical investigations

• Studies related to coastal zone management

• Delineation of Coastal Regulation Zone

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environmental monitoring

• Simulation of meteorological and

oceanographic parameters (winds, waves, tides

and currents) based on numerical modelling

• Oil spill prediction and risk analysis and

preparation of contingency plans

• Feasibility studies including identification of

suitable sites for marine facilities

• Oceanographic design parameters for marine

facilities

• Testing of oil spill dispersants

• Underwater inspection and videography

(e.g. identification of remains of MV River

Princess for Goa Government)

NIO carries out underwater explorations in

coastal areas, examining submerged

objects/structures (e.g., past habitation sites, ports,

ship wrecks and anchors) for reconstruction of

ancient civilizations, maritime history, trade

routes and shoreline changes. These studies have

provided evidences for

• rich maritime practices of India

• submerged habitation and port sites along the west and east coasts of India

• overseas trade and commerce during historical periods of Indian sub-continent

• India's maritime contacts with the middle-eastern and African Countries

Services to Industry and Society

NIO extends support to a large number of

industries/facilities such as ports and harbours,

oil and gas companies, power plants, and

chemical & pharmaceutical companies. Use of

coastal and offshore areas for these activities

requires systematic study of the marine

environment.

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Setting up of baseline station for shoreline survey. Deployment of wave rider buoy.

Installation of instrument in surf zone.

Recording echosounder data.

Remains of steam engine shipwreck in Lakshadweep.

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Manpower

Permanent – the sanctioned strength of various categories of employees in NIO is as follows:

Permanent Sanctioned strength

S&T (Group IV) 200S&T (Group III) 120S&T (Group II) 76S&T (Group I) 15 Administration 173Total 584

Temporary staff and students:

Research Fellows (PhD students) ~ 80

Project Assistants (graduates/

post-graduates ~400

UG/PG Students for dissertation ~ 250 / yr

/internship

NIO has numerous state of the art analytical

instruments; some of which are listed below:

Research facilities

Ÿ Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer

Ÿ Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer

Ÿ Liquid Chromatograph- Mass Spectrometer

Ÿ Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass

Spectrometer

Ÿ High Performance Liquid Chromatograph

Ÿ Protein Purification System

Ÿ Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer

Ÿ Gas Chromatograph- IRMS

Ÿ ICP-Optical Emission Spectrometer

Ÿ ICP-Atomic Emission Spectrometer

Ÿ SEM-Energy Dispersive X-ray Analyser

Ÿ Particle Size Analyzer

Ÿ Palaeo-magnetism Analyser

Ÿ X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

Ÿ X-Ray Diffractometer

Ÿ Electron Probe Micro Analyser

Ÿ Graphite Furnace-Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

Infrastructure and Resources

Library

Oceanographic Data Centre

IT facilities

• Recognised as the National Information

Centre for Marine Sciences (NICMAS) since

mid-1990s.

• While catering to the needs of the users

within the institute, it is also committed to

serve the marine information seekers within

and outside India.

• Most operations in the library are

computerised

• As a part of CSIR's Consortium, it makes

large electronic resources available to users

• Maintains one of the highest ranked

institutional repositories in India

• The Indian Oceanographic Data Centre (IODC) was established at NIO in 1964.

• It was subsequently recognised as the National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) under the IOC/IODE data network

• Centralised IT HUB hosting dedicated servers for Website, email, Internet, Intranet, ftp, HPC systems and high capacity storage accessible through the LAN, WAN and VPN links.

• Development and implementation of Lotus Notes based work flow applications for Office Automation .

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Specifications

Length overall : 56.3 Meters Speed : 11.5 knots cruising speedRange : 20,000 nautical miles Endurance : 30 daysCompliment : 35 (15 crew +16 scientists)

Onboard facilities

• CTD system (operational depth up to 6000 m)

• Automatic Weather Station

• Shallow water (33/210 KHz) and deep water

(12 KHz & 20 KHz) echosounders

• Shallow water (EM 1002) and deep water

(EM 302) multibeam bathymetric systems

• Sub-bottom profiler (2-12 kHz; Transducer

source 10 KW)

• Biological samplers (Plankton nets) & Seabed

samplers (Grabs, 4-6 m corers & dredges)

• Arrangement for towing magnetometer,

sparker, side scan sonar operations

• Arrangements for deploying and retrieval of

instrumented mooring systems

• Laboratories - 3 (Sample processing, data

acquisition and multipurpose)

Specifications:

Length overall : 80.00 mBreadth moulded : 17.60 mDraught scantling : 5.00 mDesign speed : 13.5 KnotsGross tonnage : approx. 4170 GTRange : 10,000 Nautical Miles Endurance : 45 daysComplement : 57 (29 Scientists;28 crew)

Onboard facilities:

• Single beam echo sounders (shallow and deep

water)

• Multi-beam echo sounder (shallow and deep

water)

• Parametric sonar

• Gravimeter

• Magnetometer

• Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

• CTD system

• Dynamic positioning system

• Sampling gear (seafloor, water column,

biological)

• Analytical and computational facilities

• Facilities to deploy instrumented moorings,

AUV & ROV

Research ships

RV Sindhu Sankalp RV Sindhu Sadhana

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Outreach activities

Conferences – NIO regularly hosts national and

international conferences on various current and

emerging topics related to oceanography

Training programs – NIO conducts tailor-made

training programs for national and international

agencies. Participants include students,

researchers, professionals, defence personnel and

other government officials.

Student programs – Students from India and

abroad can enrol in several programs of the

Institute as follows:

Program Eligibility Duration Procedure

NIO-AcSIR NET/GATE/INSPIRE 5 years Admission in August. For details visit:

Jr/Sr. Research Post Graduates Upto 5 years CSIR/UGC-NET qualifiedFellowship

Project Under / Post Graduates Upto 5 years Walk-in interviews notified on NIO Assistantship website

Dissertation / UG / PG students 3-6 months Acceptance of supervisor (through email) internship / and official permissionsummer training

fellowship holders www.acsir.res.in

NIO also accepts short visits by student groups on prior appointment (write to ocean@nio.org)

Outputs and Outreach

Publications

NIO publishes over150 research papers annually

in reputed national and international scientific

journals. The number of research papers and the

total impact factor have shown an impressive

increase in recent years:

Patents

NIO scientists have filed a large number of

patents on inventions made in the Institute:

• Total inventions : 95

• Patent applications : 144

• Granted patents : 96

(USA: 37, India: 34; Others: 25)

• More than half of the patents are on

biotechnology

International collaborations

• NIO has been collaborating with a large number

of research and academic institutions all over

the world (Australia, China, Finland, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Oman,

Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden,

UK and USA) as well as international agencies

such as ASEAN and SAARC.

Grants and external cash flow

The research activities at NIO are funded through

grants from CSIR as well as external cash flow

(ECF) generated by the institute through projects

undertaken for different government and private

organisations.

(Rs. in lakhs)

Headquarters – Goa

Dr. SWA NaqviDirectorCSIR-National Institute of OceanographyDona PaulaGoa 403004Phone: +91-832-2450200Fax : +91-832-2450602-2450609 Email:ocean@nio.org

Regional Centre – Kochi

Dr. PS ParameswaramScientist-in-ChargeCSIR-National Institute of Oceanography-Regional CentreDr. Salim Ali RoadKochi 682018Phone: +91-484-2390814Fax : +91-484-2390618 Email:param@nio.org

Regional Centre – Mumbai

Dr. SN Gajbhiye Scientist-in-ChargeCSIR-National Institute of Oceanography-Regional CentreLokhandwala Road, Four Bunglows, Andheri (W)Mumbai 400053Phone: +91-22-26359605-26359608Fax : +91-22-26364627Email:snbhiye@nio.org

Regional Centre – Visakhapatnam

Dr. VSN Murty Scientist-in-ChargeCSIR-National Institute of Oceanography-Regional Centre176, Lawsons Bay ColonyVisakhapatnam 530017Phone: +91-891-2539180, 2784569, 2784570Fax : +91-891-2543595Email:vsnmurty@nio.org

Contact information

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For further information visit www.nio.org