The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is a research consortium of 24 member nations to drill & explore the ocean floor. India joined the IODP fraternity as an Associate Member during 2008-09. A formal MoU in this regard was also signed between MoES and NSF/MEXT- the two lead Agencies for IODP Operations.

a) Objectives:

1. To develop a long-term science plan for initiating integrated marine geological studies through deep drilling in select locales in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal
2. Initiation of deep-sea drilling activities as an international endeavor through associate membership in the International Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP)
3. Participation in the varied scientific activities of the IODP.

b) Participating Institutions:

National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research, Goa.

c) Implementation Plan:

The Programme would be implemented as a multi-institutional national endeavor. As the first phase of operations, a scientific proposal titled “Deep sea drilling in the Arabian Sea: Discovering the tectono-climatic unknowns” has been submitted to the IODP for its consideration. The proposal for implementation primarily aims at recovering deep sea cores from five different sites from the Arabian Sea to:

1. Obtain high-resolution climate records from regions of high pelagic sedimentation in the Arabian Sea (vs. records of Himalayan erosion in the Indus Fan).
2. Reconstruct the erosion response of the western Himalaya to proposed monsoon strengthening at 8 Ma.
3. Recover Paleogene sediments from Arabian Sea to understand significant issues pertaining to the evolutionary history of this region such as offshore extension of Deccan Traps and the Mesozoic sediments beneath them and the nature of crust in the Laxmi basin area of the Arabian Sea.

d) Deliverables:

The wealth of scientific data sought to be collected through deep-sea drilling in the Arabian Sea basin is expected to provide answers to several of the key questions pertaining to the geological evolution of the basin, and the role of Himalaya in modulating the Indian climate on a millennial scale. Furthermore, the program once implemented, would help develop a core competence at a national level in various facets of deep sea drilling and related studies.

The participation in different cruises run by IODP for drilling of deep Ocean cores will enrich Indian scientists with rare experience and enhance the capacity building in this field.

e) Budget requirement : 120 Crores

(Rs. In crores)