Lakshya UPPSC PT 2022 – Science & Technology Lecture – 3 – Complete One Year Current Affairs – Free PDF Download

Lets Deconstruct

• What is PACER?
• Which Ministry implements it?
• Which institution is nodal agency?
• What is Cryosphere?
• What are components of PACER?
• Any other Similar Schemes?

PACER Scheme Extended

• The Polar Science and Cryosphere (PACER) scheme has been approved for continuation during 2021-2026. It was launched under the 12^th FYP (2012-2017).
• Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER) scheme comprises the Antarctic program, Indian Arctic program, Southern Ocean program and Cryosphere and Climate program.
• PACER is being implemented successfully through National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences in Goa.

What is Cryosphere?

• Cryosphere is the frozen water part of the Earth system. These are places on Earth that are so cold that water is frozen solid.
• Cryosphere areas are snowy or icy regions, which are subject to temperatures below 0°C for at least part of the year.
• Cryosphere includes polar areas and the continental ice sheets found in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as ice caps, glaciers, and areas of snow and permafrost.

What is Cryosphere?

6 Components of PACER

• Overall objective: To improve our understanding of Polar Science and cryosphere system.

1. Construction of polar research vessel NCPOR initiated the preliminary work towards the implementation of the programme during 2008-09.
2. Construction of the third research base in Antarctica
3. Indian scientific endeavours in the Arctic
4. Polar expeditions to Antarctica
5. Replacement of Maitri station
6. Southern Ocean

• To understand the dynamics of the Southern Ocean

FYI

Deep Ocean Mission

Deep Ocean Mission

• Deep-ocean polymetallic nodules form on or just below the vast, sediment-covered, abyssal plains of the global ocean.
• Polymetallic nodules primarily consist of precipitated iron oxyhydroxides and manganese oxides, onto which metals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, titanium and rare earth elements sorb.
• The enormous tonnage of nodules on the seabed, and the immense quantities of critical metals that they contain, have made them a target for future mining operations.

What is O-SMART scheme?

• O-SMART scheme encompasses seven sub-schemes
  1. Ocean Technology (OT)
  2. Ocean Modelling and Advisory Services (OMAS)
  3. Ocean Observation Network (OON)
  4. Ocean Non-Living Resources
  5. Marine Living Resources and Ecology (MLRE)
  6. Coastal Research and Operation
  7. Maintenance of Research Vessels

What is O-SMART scheme?

• O-SMART is implemented by the following five institutes of the MoES.
  1. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai
  2. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad
  3. National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai
  4. Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi
  5. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa

What is O-SMART scheme?

1. Marine Living Resources Programme
2. National Centre for Coastal Research
3. Ocean observation and network
4. Ocean advisory and information services
5. Ocean—modelling data assimilation and process specific observations
6. Ocean science and technology for islands
7. Harnessing ocean energy for generating freshwater
8. Manned and unmanned underwater vehicles
9. Marine sensors, ocean electronics and acoustics
10. Operating and maintaining research vessels
11. Seafront Research
12. Facility Studies on Gas hydrates/Polymetallic nodules/Polymetallic Sulphides
13. Geoscientific studies of exclusive economic zone
14. Extension of the continental shelf
15. Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

Matsya 6000

Matsya 6000

• Matsya 6000 will be indigenously developed manned underwater submersible vehicle capable of taking three humans to a depth of 6,000 m.
• According to National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, Matsya 6000, will be ready as originally planned for its launch in 2024 for the Samudrayaan Mission.

Matsya 6000

• Matsya 6000 is a manned submersible, designed to carry three people in 2.1 meter diameter Titanium Alloy Personnel Sphere.
• It is being developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and NIOT, Chennai, under the aegis of Deep Ocean Mission.
• It will have an operational endurance of 12h and systems to support emergency endurance up to 96h for deep ocean exploration of non-living resources such as polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydro-thermal sulphides and cobalt crusts, located at a depth between 1,000 and 6000 meters.

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