 Main Entrance of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research | |
| Abbreviation | NCPOR |
|---|---|
| Formation | 25 May 1998 |
| Headquarters | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| Coordinates | 15°23′49″N 73°47′35″E / 15.397°N 73.793°E |
Region served | India |
Chairman | M. Ravichandran[1][2] |
Main organ | Governing Council |
Budget | ₹1,897 crore (US$240 million) (2021 - 2022) [3] |
| Website | Official website |
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, (NCPOR) formerly known as the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is an Indian research and development institution, situated in Vasco da Gama, Goa.[4] It is an autonomous institution of the Department of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India which is responsible for administering the Indian Antarctic Programme and maintains the Indian government's Antarctic research stations, Bharati and Maitri.[4] NCPOR was established originally as NCAOR on 25 May 1998, with Dr. Prem Chand Pandey as the founding director.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
NCPOR is known for its participation in global experiments, hosting of international conferences and in the leadership of international committees concerned with Antarctic science. The chairman of NCPOR is Dr. M. Ravichandran who is also Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences since 2021.[2] The director of NCPOR is Dr. Thamban Meloth.[11]
NCPOR complex is home to a special low-temperature laboratory and is setting up a National Antarctic Data Centre and a Polar Museum.[citation needed]
The main duties of the NCPOR include:
- storing ice core samples, from Antarctica and the Himalayas.
- operating the Himadri and IndARC Arctic research stations in Svalbard, Norway.[12][13]
- managing the oceanic research vessel ORV Sagar Kanya, the flagship of India's fleet of oceanographic study vessels. This ship has contributed significantly[vague] to India's study of the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean.[citation needed]
- it supported the KBCAOS, University of Allahabad from the initial stage of establishment up to the final stage of the center as full-fledged faculty centre, in form of a project as per collaborative work with the university.[5]
This centre was previously referred to as the Antarctic Study Centre. It came into existence with joining of Dr. P. C. Pandey as the director on 12 May 1997.[14]
On 9 October 2016, the NCPOR established a high altitude research station in Himalaya called Himansh.[15][16] The station is situated above 13500 feet (> 4000 m) at a remote region in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh.[15]
