An Indian perspective

The 1982 UNCLOS does not curb military activities in foreign EEZs. By specifically prohibiting certain activities in the territorial sea, it follows that such activities are permissible outside of it. Thus, the “peaceful purposes” clause is only a policy goal. However, due to new threats and technological advances, the authority, capability and jurisdiction of coastal States is being enhanced. Thus guidelines are needed to avoid certain contradictions.     

Indian marine technology policy

India continues to be a paradox. It is a country that at one and the same time has mass urban and rural poverty and deprivation, and is among the world leaders in some sectors of high technology. This is typified by India's proud membership of the small group of nations who possess the atomic bomb. Attitudes towards high technology are also evident in government support for marine technology.     

Geophysical investigations over a segment of the Central Indian Ridge, Indian Ocean

 Swath bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic studies were carried out over a 55 km long segment of the Central Indian Ridge. The ridge is characterized by 12 to 15 km wide rift valley bounded by steep walls and prominent volcanic constructional ridges on either side of the central rift valley. A transform fault at 7°45′S displaces the ridge axis. A mantle Bouguer anomaly low of −14 mGals and shallowing of rift valley over the middle of the ridge segment indicate along axis crustal thickness variations. A poorly developed neovolcanic zone on the inner rift valley floor indicate dominance of tectonic extension. The off-axis volcanic ridgs suggest enhanced magmatic activity during the recent past. Received: 24 May 1996 / Rivision received: 13 January 1997     

热带印度洋偶极子事件和副热带印度洋偶极子事件的联系

分别对热带印度洋偶极子事件和副热带印度洋偶极子事件的时间序列进行了周期分析。结果表明,热带印度洋偶极子事件的主要振荡周期为2 a和4 a,而副热带偶极子事件的主要振荡周期为8 a;对整个印度洋海区的海表温度距平进行2~8 a的带通滤波,发现未滤波之前,2个事件的相关性很低,而在进行了滤波之后,2个事件的相关性有很大的提高,并且当副热带印度洋偶极子事件超前热带印度洋偶极子事件9个月时,二者具有很强的相关性。通过对温度场和风场的分析,从物理上解释了2个事件之间的相互联系。     

The Indian Ocean HydroBase: A high-quality climatological dataset for the Indian Ocean

The present study developed a high-quality climatological dataset for the Indian Ocean - the Indian Ocean HydroBase (IOHB) - from a combined dataset including the World Ocean Database 1998 version 2 (WOD98v2). Methods are similar to those used by previous studies for other oceans. Japanese data for the IOHB originated from the Japanese datasets MIRC (Marine Information Research Center) Ocean Dataset 2001 and Far Seas Collection; these datasets contain more Japanese observations than WOD98v2. Water mass properties in the IOHB climatology are consistent with previous studies. Seasonal patterns of properties near the sea surface are well reproduced, and deep-layer properties are consistent with the Reid-Mantyla climatology that is derived from high-quality observations. The isopycnal climatology of the IOHB differs from the World Ocean Atlas 2001 (WOA01) along the fronts associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The WOA01 shows a warm and saline intermediate water intrusion from South Africa to the east along the northern edge of the front. Such an intrusion is absent in IOHB where less saline intermediate water extends continuously northward from the southern ocean. The WOA01 shows a continuous belt of low potential vorticity along the ACC. This feature is less distinct in the IOHB climatology and in the Reid-Mantyla climatology. The IOHB consists of a 1° × 1° gridded climatology and the datasets of raw and quality-controlled hydrographic stations. The latter is valuable for quality control of the Argo float salinity data as climatological reference. These datasets are available freely via the Internet.     

Segmentation of the Central Indian Ridge between 12°12′ S and the Indian Ocean Triple Junction

The present morphology and tectonic evolution of more than 1500 kilometres of the Central Indian Ridge are described and discussed following the integration of GLORIA side-scan sonographs with conventional geophysical datasets. Segmentation of the ridge occurs by a series of ridge axis discontinuities ranging in periodicity along strike from 275 km to less than 30 km. These segment boundaries we have classified into two types: first order fracture zones of offsets greater than 50 km which bound five major (mega-) segments, and smaller scale structures of a variety of offset styles and amplitudes which cut four of these segments. We refer to these as ridge-axis discontinuities. The frequent opposite sense of offset identified between the first order structures and the subordinate discontinuities between these major structures is interpreted as resulting from the adjustment to new kinematic parameters after magnetic anomaly 20. As far as our data allows us to determine, the central major segment is not subdivided by minor ridge axis discontinuities, which we suggest is a result of its proximity to the Rodriguez hotspot.     

Nature and distribution of manganese nodules from three sediment domains of the Central Indian Basin,Indian Ocean

Manganese nodules from the Central Indian Basin (5°–10°S) vary in abundance, morphology, mineralogy, and chemistry with water depth and sediment type. Nodules from the southern region, dominated by siliceous sediment, differ markedly from northern and central regions, dominated by terrigenous and terrigenous-siliceous mixed sediments, respectively. Effects of lysocline and sediment diagenesis are envisaged for trace metal enrichment in rough nodules of the southern region. Influence of deep ocean bottom currents have been postulated for the atypical trace metal enrichment of the smooth nodules from other regions. While nodules from other areas of sub-equatorial CIB are grown hydrogenetically, present area nodules show diagenetic influence.     

Present-day kinematics around the Indian Ocean plate

The kinematic situation around the Indian Ocean plate depends on the total northward motion of the plate (relative to Eurasia) with the formation of spreading zones at the southern boundary and frontal compression structures at the northern boundary. The time and scales of the manifestation of ancient and recent phenomena are quite comparable. In addition to the detachment faults at different levels of the lithosphere and disharmonic dislocations (especially in the conjugation zones between the continental and oceanic crusts), a wide region of gentle warping exists in the central part of the plate. This region is most probably independent of horizontal motions.     

Ferrobasalts from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

We report the occurrence of ferrobasalts recovered from the Central Indian Ocean Basin crust generated at the Southeast Indian Ridge during a phase of moderate to fast spreading accretion (～110–190?mm/yr, full rate).The rocks are rich in plagioclase, FeO* (13–19%), and TiO₂ (2.27–2.76%), poor in olivine and MgO (3.44–6.20%), and associated with topographic highs and increased amplitude magnetic anomalies corresponding to chrons A25 and A24. We suggest that secon dary eruptions from ancient N-MORB magma, which may have been trapped at a shallow depth in a horizon of neutral buoyancy, could have produced the ferrobasalts.     

Ferrobasalts from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

 We report the occurrence of ferrobasalts recovered from the Central Indian Ocean Basin crust generated at the Southeast Indian Ridge during a phase of moderate to fast spreading accretion (∼110–190 mm/yr, full rate).The rocks are rich in plagioclase, FeO^* (13–19%), and TiO₂ (2.27–2.76%), poor in olivine and MgO (3.44–6.20%), and associated with topographic highs and increased amplitude magnetic anomalies corresponding to chrons A25 and A24. We suggest that secon dary eruptions from ancient N-MORB magma, which may have been trapped at a shallow depth in a horizon of neutral buoyancy, could have produced the ferrobasalts. Received: 27 January 1998 / Revision received: 25 May 1998     

The Physiography of the Southwest Indian Ridge

Marine Geophysical Research -     

印度洋海表温度的变化及其对印度夏季季风降水影响的诊断研究

对印度洋海表温度(SST)的主要特征及变化趋势进行分析,并研究了其与印度夏季季风降水(ISMR)和季风环流的关系,揭示出:从北印度洋到南半球中高纬度印度洋,SST最显著的变化模态是全海盆一致的变化,近50 a来总体趋势是上升的,在1976,1986年以及1996年间分别有一次跳跃性增温,与太平洋SST变化趋势基本一致.除了长期变化趋势外,南印度洋中高纬度比热带地区有更显著的模态分布.在印度洋SST升温的背景下,ISMR具有逐渐减少的趋势,但两者相关较弱.印度洋SST发生跳跃后的不同阶段,许多海区SST与ISMR相关均发生变化,但在春季,热带外南印度洋具有一对相对稳定区,其分布与EOF分析的第2模态相似.根据它们的分布,文中定义了春季南半球偶极子(SIOD),在正SIOD(PSIOD)情况下印度降水偏多,而负SIOD(NSIOD)则反之.环流分析表明,PSIOD(NSIOD)通过与大气的相互作用,对夏季马斯克林高压具有增强(减弱)作用,进而使得索马里越赤道气流增强(减弱),在印度地区低空产生异常的辐合(辐散),高层辐散(辐合),从而影响印度季风环流,使得印度季风降水偏多(少).     

Real-time wave forecasts off the western Indian coast

The wave observations at three locations off the west coast of India have been analyzed using artificial neural network (ANN) to obtain forecasts of significant wave heights at intervals of 3, 6, 12 and 24 h. The most appropriate training method requiring an input of four observations spread over previous 24 h has been selected after considerable trials. Further, the networks are trained after filling in the missing information. Larger gaps in data are filled in using spatial mapping involving observations at nearby locations, while relatively smaller gaps are accounted for by the statistical technique of multiple regressions in temporal mode. It is found that by doing so the long-interval forecasting is tremendously improved, with corresponding accuracy levels becoming close to those of the short-interval forecasts. If the amount of gaps is restricted to around 2% per year or so it is possible to obtain 12 h ahead forecasts with 0.08 m accuracy on an average and 24 h ahead forecast with a mean accuracy of 0.13 m. However, in harsher environments the prediction accuracy can change.     

The Bengal Submarine Fan,Northeastern Indian ocean

Bengal Submarine Fan, with or without its eastern lobe, the Nicobar Fan, is the largest submarine fan known. Most of its sediment has been supplied by the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers, probably since the Early Eocene. The “Swatch-of-No-Ground” submarine canyon connects to only one active fan valley system at a time, without apprent bifurcation over its 2500-km length. The upper fan is comprised of a complex of huge channel-levee wedges of abandoned and buried older systems. A reduction of channel size and morphology occurs at the top of the middle, fan, where meandering and sheet flow become more important.     

Technology developments for the strategic Indian blue economy

Abstract

With the land-based resources depleting faster, effective exploration and sustained harvesting of the Ocean resources, taking into account the economic growth, social needs and the health of the Ocean environment is essential. India with a 7600?km long coastline and an exclusive economic zone of 2.3 million km² and spear heading the blue economic growth and security of all the countries in the Indian Ocean region have initiated policies for leveraging the growth of the Indian economy through the blue economy. The paper discusses the strategic technology developments undertaken in India by the National Institute of Ocean Technology-Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India for the harvesting of the living and non-living blue economic resources, and for protecting the ocean ecosystems.     

Era-interim Forced Simulation of the Indian Summer Monsoon

Abstract

In the present study, mean rainfall for the months of June-July-August-September (JJAS) during summer monsoon is simulated over India and its adjoining regions for a period between 1982 and 2006. The study was carried out using Regional Climate Model (RegCM) version 4.6 at a resolution of 25?km. The simulated mean JJAS monsoon rainfall was validated against the observational IMD data. Comparison of JJAS seasonal mean summer rainfall for the first decade 1982–1991, with the later decade 1997–2006 indicate that the intensity of rainfall increases over Indian land-mass during the later decade under the forced conditions of Era-Interim. The observed JJAS mean rainfall indicates two maximum rainfall areas i.e. the Western Ghats and the Himalayan region. A significant bias is observed in the central and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region. The JJAS mean seasonal surface air temperature distribution at 0.25?×?0.25-degree grids resolution shows a decreasing trend of temperature over the Indian landmass.     

Ambient noise measurements in the northwest Indian Ocean

Ambient noise measurements were made at seven different locations during the first four months of 1977. The measurement systems included: two types of towed arrays, a bottomed array, and systems with sensors distributed throughout the water column. The noise in the frequency regime dominated by shipping was found to be extremely high with a spectrum level of 92 dB//1 /spl mu/Pa at 50 Hz. These high levels were attributed to the high-density shipping. Horizontal directionality of the noise varied from site to site, ranging from highly directional to nearly nondirectional. The character of the directionality was highly dependent on the site position relative to shipping lanes. The noise showed very little dependence on depth.     

东印度洋现生浮游有孔虫

A brief morphometric study of the recent planktonic foraminifera in the eastern Indian Ocean was provided with the taxonomic key to species,synonyms,SEM microphotographs of shells and chamber arrays.By recent classification,currently 20 species representing 13 genera and 6 families(Canderinidae,Heterohelicoidae,Hedbergellidae,Higerigerinoidae,Globigerinoidae,and Globorotaloidae)identified from the planktonic material of the eastern Indian Ocean up to a depth of 200 m.Their distribution in water(0–200 m)also reports on the new range of expansion in the eastern Indian Ocean,with Dentigloborotalia anfracta,Hastigerina pelagica,Streptochilus globigerus,Globigerinella calida,Globigerinella adamsi,Orcadia reidelii,Tenuitella parkerae,Tenuitella compressa,reported for the first time in this study area.In general,only around 50 planktonic species are valid worldwide,more specifically the species,e.g.,H.pelagica,G.calida,G.adamsi,S.globigerus,O.riedeli,T.parkerae,T.compressa,which occur in the eastern Indian Ocean to fill the the paucity of the recent regional taxonomic literature and the problematic identification from the eastern Indian Ocean.This work aims to bridge this gap and help scientists,managers,educators and students to identify plankton foraminifers by using species notes and images.     

A Record of Palaeo-Tsunami in the Indian Ocean

The history of catastrophic events on the Indian coast helps us to understand the frequency and magnitude of the tsunamis that occurred in the Indian Ocean. These catastrophic events have changed the coastal landscape and have left significant records for further studies. These rare events have occurred in the Indian Ocean. There have been megatsunamigenic events in the past due to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Those events due to earthquakes have proved more catastrophic than the volcanic activities. There has been limited official records of the causality and magnitude of palaeo-tsunamigenic events. These have been studied using the various proxies. The rate of sedimentation is a proportional tool to study the magnitude of a tsunami and this has proved to be a successful tool along with foraminiferal assemblages. Causes for a tsunami to occur are by and large, the subduction zone earthquakes of the Indian plate has been the most common source for tsunami in the Indian Ocean. More often the Andaman and Nicobar and the Indonesian islands have been vulnerable to tsunami than the mainland of India and Sri Lanka.

In summary, in the last 200 years at least three basin-wide tsunamis have occurred, with several smaller tsunami affecting one or more coastlines in the region. The December 2004 M-9 tsunami seems to have been the largest and most destructive in the last two centuries, suggesting most tsunami are likely to be smaller but still allowing the possibility that even larger tsunami could be generated in propitious circumstances.