The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Sh Narendra Modi, in January 2016, emphasized the role of oceans as important drivers of the economy and iterated upon the enhanced focus of the government on the ocean and blue economy, from the outskirts of the Red Fort during his address to the nation. At the Indian National Congress in January 2017 in Tirupati, he announced the launching of the Deep Ocean Mission as a transformative step for the prosperity and security of the nation.
Oceans are key to sustenance of life on our planet. They are the driving force of monsoons, climate, vital source of natural resources and act as a trigger for ocean hazards. Oceans contribute immensely to "Blue Economy" through sectors such as Fisheries, Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas, Minerals, Shipping, Tourism, etc. The lives and livelihoods of about 350 million population living along the 11098 km long coastline of India are intricately linked to the Oceans. Climate change and anthropogenic impacts are threatening ocean health and biodiversity. Yet, 95% of the deep ocean remains unexplored.
The Deep Ocean Mission has been identified as one of the nine national missions under the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PMSTIAC) towards developing a futuristic roadmap for the country. The mission is also aimed at being appropriately integrated with India's Blue Economy Policy, which is presently under consideration by the government.
India's Deep Ocean Mission will contribute to our understanding of the oceans, realising our "Blue Economy" vision and managing our Oceans sustainably. Being undertaken at a cost of 4077 Crore for the period 2021-2028, the Mission is spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences in synergy with other Central Ministries, National Institutions, Universities and Industry.
i. Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, Manned Submersible, and Underwater Robotics: Manned submersible capable of diving up to 6000 m to the bottom of the ocean. Mining tools to explore 300 M MT of valuable metal deposits in a 75,000 square kilometre area in the Indian Ocean seabed.
ii. Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: Accurate future projection of sea level rise and extreme events like cyclones, storm surges and waves along the Indian coast to safeguard our coastal population, economy and infrastructure. Development of a deep ocean observing system using deep-sea autonomous gliders, wave drifters, Argos and a deep ocean underwater cabled observatory.
iii. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: Bio- prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio-resources.
iv. Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration of Minerals from Hydrothermal Vents: Explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
v. Energy and freshwater from the Ocean: Engineering capabilities to scale up offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered energy generation and desalination plant for clean energy and fresh water.
vi. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: Translate research in ocean biology and engineering into industrial application and product development through establishment of on-site business incubator facilities.
The Vertical 2, namely Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services (OCCAS), is being implemented by MoES-INCOIS, Hyderabad. The major thrust areas of OCCAS are assessing changes in sea level, the intensity of cyclone, storm surge, and waves and their impacts on associated coastal erosion and inundation in the projected climate. Another area of interest is to assess the impact of climate change on the coastal marine ecosystem and create advisories on the likelihood of intensity and spread of Harmful Algal Blooms that may impact the future potential migration of fishing zones and contribute to the marine-driven economy along the long coastline of India.
The vertical aims to provide climate assessments for the coastal areas through interactive GIS-based mapping applications. This application is expected to help in coastal zone management and policy decisions for mitigating climate risks and hazards.
An interim report assessing the probabilistic 100-year return extreme and mean sea level rise for a selected 11 locations along the coasts of India was estimated based on mid-emission and high emission business-as-usual scenario projections by the end of the 21st century and is published as an INCOIS Technical report available at: Click Here
The Deep Ocean Observing System (DOOS) is a network of advanced technologies and instruments designed to monitor and collect data from the deep ocean, offering valuable insights into ocean conditions and dynamics. The DOOS plays a crucial role in climate change studies by providing long-term, high-resolution data on the ocean’s role in the global climate system, including its absorption of heat and carbon dioxide. This data is essential for understanding how the deep ocean influences climate patterns for ecosystem health and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
The DOOS under OCCAS of DOM, have the following objectives:
The deep-sea underwater gliders are State-of-Art autonomous vehicles designed to explore and monitor the ocean depths, providing crucial data on the oceanographic parameters. Unlike traditional submarines, these gliders do not rely on propulsion but instead use changes in buoyancy to glide through the water over long distances, often traveling thousands of kilometres. By adjusting their buoyancy, they can ascend and descend in the water column, using minimal energy to move, which allows for extended missions that can last for months. The navigation of these gliders can be controlled by the satellite telemetry. These gliders play a vital role in collecting a valuable data for scientific research, including climate studies, and environmental monitoring, by reaching depths and remote locations that are difficult or impossible for human divers or conventional vessels to access. INCOIS has procured ten deep-sea Slocum G-3 gliders from M/s Teledyne Webb Research, USA with a plan to have sustained observations along two transects in the Bay of Bengal (along 80oE) and the Arabian Sea (along 67oE). Prior to the deployment, these gliders were configured and ballasted in the National Glider Test Facility, established under DOM, at INCOIS and further tested through sea trail in shallow coastal waters.
As of now ten glider missions were successfully executed in the Bay of Bengal (eight) and the Arabian Sea (two) and two gliders are in operation including one recent deployment off Mauritius on February 03, 2025. The glider deployed off Mauritius is being navigate to reach the northern Arabian Sea along 67oE. All these gliders were monitored closely and piloting (24x7) until the glider gets recovered.
