ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

HIMANSH, India’s remote and high-altitude station opened in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) established a high altitude research station in Himalaya called HIMANSH. The station is situated above 13500 feet at a remote region in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. The station was unveiled by M. Rajeevan, Secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, on 9 October 2016. The ongoing initiatives by NCAOR will contribute to the integrated study the glaciers in the upper Indus basin (Chandra basin) in Himachal Pradesh and their contribution to discharge. Key highlights of HIMANSH • The station houses many instruments to quantify the glacier melting and its relation to changing climate. • Some of the instruments that are available at the research facility include, Automatic Weather Stations for weather monitoring, water level recorder for quantifying the glacier melt, ground penetrating radar to know the thickness of glaciers, geodetic GPS systems to study the glacier movements, etc. • The researchers will use the station as a base for undertaking surveys using Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). About National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research • The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research is an Indian research and development institution, situated in Vasco, Goa. • It was established on 25 May 1998, with Dr. P C Pandey as its founding director. • It is an autonomous Institution of the Department of Ocean Development (DOD), Government of India. • It is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Program and maintains the Indian Government's Antarctic research station, Maitri. • At present, NCAOR is an agency working under Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India since 2006, by the notification of the President of India. • NCAOR complex is a home to a special low-temperature laboratory and is setting up a National Antarctic Data Centre and a Polar Museum.