ARCTIC REGION

Arctic Council

• Eight nations — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Sweden and the United States — make up the Arctic Council.
  
  
• India has the status of ‘Observer’ member — 12 other countries have such a status — in the Arctic Council and participates in several meetings that are mostly themed around research. Beyond science, India also expects business opportunities.
  
  

Significance

• Arctic weather influences the Indian monsoon and hence has been of interest to Indian researchers for decades.
  
  
• Climate change and the melting of ice caps imply changes to the Arctic weather.
  
  

Activities by India

• India has had a research base in the region since 2008 and also has two observatories.
  
  
• India now has a single station, Himadri, in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, where research personnel are usually present for 180 days. India is in the process of procuring an ice-breaker research vessel that can navigate the region.
  
  
• India has sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic since 2007 and runs 23 active science projects.