National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, is hosting the 20th GEOTRACES Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) meeting on its campus at Dona Paula, Panaji, Goa. The meeting, being organised from 15th to 17th October, has the presence of 20 members from various countries while 15 members are participating online.
GEOTRACES is an international programme which aims to improve the understanding of biogeochemical cycles and large-scale distribution of trace elements and their isotopes in the marine environment. Scientists from 35 nations have been involved in the programme, which is designed to study all major ocean basins.
Talking about the meeting, Dr M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Science, Government of India, said that the SSC meet will discuss the ongoing studies on the marine environment and plan the future course of action for the GEOTRACES.
“The ocean is big, and there are some tiny particles like the microbial films and ions which are crucial in the marine environment. The studies under GEOTRACES program include research on these tiny particles and various other organisms,” he said.
“NIO is studying various processes in the Indian Ocean sector and how these micro-nutrients are going along the currents and their pathways. This is an international program, which is focused on the study of trace elements and isotopes in the ocean,” he said.
Prof Sunil Kumar Singh, Director, NIO, said that as part of the program, observations of the trace elements and isotopes around the world are collected. “We then integrate our knowledge around this to understand the main ways these elements are being provided to the ocean from outside and how they are being processed, mobilized, and transported throughout the ocean. Government of India is now supporting the studies in a great way as the findings help us protect the marine environment with a vision,” he said.
Prof. Alessandro Tagliabue, one of the co-chairs of the SSC for GEOTRACES and a professor at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, said that India had taken a massive responsibility in the program for delivering the team the knowledge around the Indian Ocean.
“The contribution of India has been absolutely critical. Without the Indian contribution to GEOTRACES, our knowledge of the Indian Ocean processes here would be much diminished,” he said.
NIO last hosted the GEOTRACES SSC Meeting in the year 2012. The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), an international body that provides oversight and support for the GEOTRACES program, oversees GEOTRACES as one of its large-scale international ocean research projects. SCOR also helps coordinate research activities among participating countries under GEOTRACES and reviews the program’s annual reports.
