India’s maiden winter scientific Arctic expedition Launched

The Honourable Union Minister, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Sh Kiren Rijiju, flagged off India’s first winter scientific expedition to the Arctic from the MoES headquarters in New Delhi on December 18, 2023. Indian scientific expeditions to the Arctic during the winter (November to March) will allow researchers to conduct unique scientific observations during polar nights, where there is no sunlight for nearly 24 hours and sub-zero temperatures (as low as -15 degrees Celsius). This will aid in expanding understanding of the Arctic, especially climate change, space weather, sea-ice and ocean circulation dynamics, ecosystem adaptations, etc., which affect weather and climate in the tropics, including monsoons.