Polar Science and Cryosphere Research (PACER)

Recently, India’s 1^st winter scientific expedition to the Arctic has been flagged off from the MoES headquarters in New Delhi.

It is a Central Sector umbrella scheme.
Implemented by – Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) through National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
Objectives – To promote long-term scientific programmes in the polar region and the surrounding oceans that have potential societal, strategic and global relevance.
To plan, coordinate and implement the annual expeditions.
To establish polar research and logistic facilities in the country and to maintain Indian research bases at Antarctica, Arctic and Himalaya.

4 sub-schemes under PACER

Indian Antarctic Program – It was conceived in 1981 initiated under the Department of Ocean Development (DOD) attached to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
3 permanent Indian research bases, Dakshin Gangotri-1983, Maitri-1988 and Bharati-2012 have been built.
Indian Arctic Program – Its foundation was laid in 2007 and it established its Arctic research station, Himadri in 2008.
Its research includes atmospheric, biological, marine and glaciological studies.
Indian Scientific Expeditions to the Southern Ocean (ISESO) – It was initiated to pursue multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research activities addressing key scientific components like
Air-sea interactions, lower atmospheric processes, hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry, biodiversity, etc.
Cryosphere and Climate – It was initiated during 12th 5-year plan that have enhanced our understanding of the Antarctic cryosphere and the climate variability.

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