Indo-US Indian Ocean mission

• 06 Jul 2018

The Indian Ocean Research Vessel (ORV), Sagar Nidhi, will set out as part of an Indo-US expedition seeking to find answers to the vagaries of the Bay of Bengal-fed southwest monsoon, which accounts for 70% of India’s annual rainfall.

Key Highlights

• The south-west monsoon has vigorous intra-seasonal variations of dry and weak spells, hence, Sagar Nidhi will sail through the Bay of Bengal for a month collecting data on ocean conditions at different depths and locations.
• The Indo-US expedition wants to find answers about the unpredictability of the south-west monsoon.
• The project is funded by India’s ministry of earth sciences and the US Office of Naval Research.

Importance of this Mission

• Crucial for farmers and policymakers to know when and for how long the monsoon will remain active.
• Improve the understanding of mixing of fresh water in oceans and these improvements are required in our models for better prediction.

ONV Sagar Nidhi

• Oceanographic Research Vessel (ORV) Sagar Nidhi is primarily used for the country's marine research programme. It is the third research vessel after Sagar Purvi and SagarPaschimi.
• A highly sophisticated custom-built vessel, Sagar Nidhi is used for conducting oceanic studies and search for scientific evidence about the origin of life and cures for chronic diseases.
• The gigantic vessel is also used for oceanographic and hydrographic research, including water, ice and core sampling of the seabed.