Three city students leave for Southern Ocean expedition

Three city students join Southern Ocean expedition to study pollutants and eddies, aiding in understanding environmental changes.

Three city students have left for a Southern Ocean expedition, organised by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa.

Arya P. Kumar and Abel Varghese, research scholars at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos), will analyse the presence of persistent organic pollutants and trace elements in the Southern Ocean, which will help in understanding environmental changes in the polar region.

S. Sayanna Shanavas, a fourth-semester student of the Department of Physical Oceanography at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), is also part of the expedition team.

Around 45 researchers from various research institutions from across the country are part of the expedition, which will last up to 50 days. Sayanna’s research area includes eddies, which focus on studying the swirling water masses. Eddies play a crucial role in distributing heat and nutrients throughout the region.

The scholars embarked on the research vessel S.A. Agulhas from Port Louis, Mauritius, on Monday.