Q Why is it in News ? A The Union Cabinet has approved the long-pending Deep Ocean Mission since 2018. Q What is Deep Ocean Mission ? A Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)
Nodal Agency: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by ISRO.
Underwater robotics and ‘manned’ submersibles are key components of the Mission which will help India harness various living and non-living (water, mineral and energy) resources from the seabed and deep water.
The tasks that will be undertaken over this period include deep-sea mining, survey, energy exploration and offshore-based desalination.
These technological developments are funded under an umbrella scheme of the government – called Ocean Services, Technology, Observations, Resources Modelling and Science (O-SMART).
India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for the exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN).
Q What are major components of Mission ? A Six major components (1) 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 in the ocean with suite of scientific sensors and tools.
Only a very few countries have acquired this capability.
An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean.
(2) 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 on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.
(3) 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.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Fisheries and allied services.
(4) Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration:
The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
This component will additionally support the Blue Economy priority area of deep-sea exploration of ocean resources.
(5) Energy and freshwater from the Ocean:
Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of offshore energy development.
(6) Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology:
This component is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering.
This component will translate research into the industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.
Q Why need such a mission? A
Oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95 percent of the Deep Ocean remains unexplored.
For India, with its three sides surrounded by the oceans and around 30 per cent of the country’s population living in coastal areas.
The ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade.
Oceans are also a storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth.
Q What are Poly Metallic Nodules ? A
These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
Being able to lay hands on a fraction of that reserve can meet the energy requirement of India for the next 100 years.
It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean.
India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million square kilometers.
