India to flag off first scientific expedition to South Pole

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) India's first scientific
expedition to the South Pole to commemorate the centenary of
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's feat will be flagged off
here on Monday.
A eight-member team of scientists, led by 62-year-old
Rasik Ravindra, Director of the National Centre for Antarctic
and Ocean Research, will embark on the treacherous journey to
the South Pole from 'Maitri', India's research station in the
Antarctic region.
During their 40-day journey, the scientists will conduct
experiments, gather atmospheric data and collect ice cores
from the frozen continent in their bid to understand the
changes in the environment over past 1,000 years.
Besides Ravindra, Ajay Dhar, Javed Beg, Thamban Meloth,
Asit Swain, Pradip Malhotra, Krishnamurthy and Surat Singh
will be part of the team.
"The journey from Maitri to the South Pole, approximately
about 3,000 kms, will also help understand climate change over
the years," a senior official said.
Experiments involving geomorphology -- the study of
landforms and geophysics -- which includes movements of
tectonic plates are being planned.
These studies are expected to add to the knowledge of how
the ancient landmass, once fused with other continents in a
super-continent before being separated 200 million years ago,
has evolved, they said.
While Amundsen reached the South Pole on December 14,
1911 in dog-drawn sledges, Indian scientists will use special
sport utility vehicles (SUV) for their journey.
The challenging effort, even with the aid of navigational
equipment and modern ice-traversing vehicles, is seen as part
of India's bid to enhance its presence on the South Pole.
The team of scientists and vehicle mechanics will have to
brave adverse weather conditions in the region, where it is
summertime now and the highest temperature reaches 13.6
degrees Celsius below zero.
At the South Pole, the sun rises on or about September 21
and does not set again until about March 21. The winter low
temperature recorded at the Amundsen Scot station at the South
Pole was minus 82.8 degrees Celsius.
The wind averages 12.1 miles per hour and the closest
land is actually straight down through the ice, approximately
3.2 km away.
India is also in the advanced stages of building its
third research station named 'Bharti' in the Larsemann Hills
region in the eastern part of the frozen continent.
India's first research station in the Antarctic region --
Dakshin Gangotri -- was established in 1983-84. It was
abandoned in 1990 after it sunk in the snow partially. PTI