From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld News Service

Panaji, Nov 15: Almost fifty years after the first successful International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIEO) which included twenty countries, the researchers are all set to sail again on next edition of the research.

The first IIOE was held between 1959-65 which was first true multinational large scale experiment in the global ocean with 20 countries and 40 ships participating in it.
Dona Paula Goa based National Institute of Oceanography, which is a labouratory of CSIR, will host special symposium between November 30-December 4 wherein the blueprint for the upcoming IIOE would be decided.

NIO website (www.nio.org) has stated that “the Symposium, co-sponsored by NIO, SCOR, and IOC, will provide a forum for marine and related scientists all over the world to present results of their latest research in the Indian Ocean, review the progress made in understanding the unique characteristics of the region and plan future
research to address outstanding issues.”

The Symposium will consist of keynote addresses along with invited and contributed talks on all aspects of Indian Ocean oceanography and related climate science. A complete description of sessions and schedule will be made available on the symposium website.

Details of the IIEO held between 1959-65

India was a very active participant in IIOE and was given, among other things, the responsibility of sorting, identification and maintenance of zooplankton collections. For this purpose, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) established the Indian Ocean Biological Centre (IOBC, 1962-66) at Cochin in cooperation with UNESCO. One of the most important outcomes of IIOE was the transformation of the IOBC into the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) as a CSIR National Laboratory, on the 1st of January 1966. This Institute has since contributed greatly to understanding of oceanographic processes of the North Indian Ocean.