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Journal Volume 52 Number 5 September/October 2018 The International, Interdisciplinary Society Devoted to Ocean and Marine Engineering, Science, and Policy State of Technology Report 2018
JournalJouVolume 52 Number 5 September/October 2018
The International, Interdisciplinary Society Devoted to Ocean and Marine Engineering, Science, and Policy
State of Technology Report 2018
C O M M E N T A R Y
Blue Economy of India and TechnologyInitiatives II
A U T H O R SMalayath Aravindakshan AtmanandMTS Member, MTS India SectionRamasamy VenkatesanMTS Member, MTS India Section
MallavarapuVenkata RamanamurthyGidugu Ananda RamadassRamalingam Kirubagaran
Narayanaswamy VedachalamMTS Member, MTS India Section
National Institute of OceanTechnology, Ministry of EarthSciences, Chennai, India
A B S T R A C T
With land-based resources depleting fast, sustained harvesting of oceanresources with an appropriate trade-off between economic growth, social needs,and the health of the ocean environment is essential. India, with an over 7600-km-long coastline, an exclusive economic zone of 2.3 million km2, and seeking extensionfor additional 560 km, has initiated blue economic policies for leveraging the growthof the national economy. The first part of the paper presented in the OCEANS’18 conference in Kobe discussed the technology initiatives to harness the vast livingand nonliving blue economic resources in India, including deep-ocean minerals,hydrocarbons, renewable energy, ocean desalination, and bioprospecting. This paperdescribes the activities carried out related to the activities undertaken by the NationalInstitute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in the areas of coastal protection, cyclone andtsunami early warning systems, coral habitat observations, sustainable fishing, andnumerical studies carried out to understand the influence of natural gas leaks ondeep-ocean ecology.Keywords: coastal protection, early warning, coral, fishing, natural gas leaks
late policies and strategies toward anintegrated approach (United Nations
deep-ocean mineral and hydrocarbonexploitation, requires proper estimation
Introduction
Oceans, with an estimated assetvalue of US$24 tri l l ion and anannual value of goods and services ofUS$2.5 trillion covering fisheries,transport, tourism, hydrocarbons,minerals, renewable energy, and bio-resources are a promising strategicfrontier for water security, food security,and economic growth. Subsequent tothe foundations of the 2012 Rio+20United Nations conference on sustain-able development and the Goal 14 ofthe Global Sustainable Development2030 announced in 2015 toward thesustainable development of oceanresources, the Indian Ocean Rim Asso-ciation (IORA) blue economy dialoguewas held in Goa during August of 2015.The Goa declaration stressed the needto identify the thrust areas of the blueeconomy, which are to be placed onthe national strategic focus. The IndianGovernment ’s apex think tank,National Institution of TransformingIndia, has started discussions to formu-
General Assembly, 2017; Life BelowWater: Why It Matters, 2016). Theaim is to leverage India’s blue economicpotential to be on par with other majornations including the United States,China, and the European Union,whose blue economies are estimatedto be about US$1.5 trillion, US$1 tril-lion, and US$0.5 trillion, respectively(FICCI Task Force, 2017). The pillarsessential for transforming the tradi-tional “Ocean and Marine Economy”to a “Blue” or “Sustainable” economyrequires appropriate governance in sus-tained utilization of the ocean, coastaland marine economies, vision, tech-nology, management, monitoring,and time-bound regulatory reforms.Hence, the fast emerging blue economyparadigm of India, which includesfishing aquaculture, ocean renewableenergy, tourism, ocean commerce, and
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of the size of the opportunity, natureof risks involved, identification ofsustainable ocean asset investment,investment framework, and scalingup the capital investments of the blueindustries. India, with its geostrategicstatus as a maritime nation with along coast line, is a key member inthe IORA intergovernmental organi-zation, comprising 21 member statesand nine dialogue nations aimed atstrengthening regional cooperationand sustainable development withinthe Indian Ocean region. Discussionshave been initiated with the IORAstates including Mauritius, Seychelles,Bangladesh, Thailand, and SouthAfrica, which have already enactedblue economy policies (IORA, 2015).
With blue economic activitiesincluding extraction of nonlivingresources, harvest of living resources,
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ocean commerce, and tourism in theuptrend, these economic activitiesshould be in balance with the long-term capacity of ocean ecosystemsto remain resilient and healthy (Fig-ure 1). Hence, marine ecosystemman-agement with appropriate technologiesare essential formonitoring ocean health,likely natural hazards to the coastline,and threats to sensitive marine ecologicalsystems such as beaches, fish stocks,coral reefs, and mangrove forests, whichare recognized as natural capital assets.
Ocean State MonitoringBecause of the unique geography,
more than 95% of major globaltropical cyclones (TC)-based disastershave taken place in South Asia, withthe frequency of intense cyclones onthe uptrend, due to climate change(South Asian Disaster KnowledgeNetwork, 2009; Unnikrishnan et al.,2011). The Indian maritime zone,which is dominated by a range ofeconomic activities, has been peren-nially plundered by the fury of TC.Moreover, the tsunamigenic zonesin the Andaman-Sumatra trench (Bayof Bengal) and the Makran coast(Arabian Sea) pose an ever-present tsu-nami threat to the long coastline. TheIndian Ocean observational networkestablished by the Ministry of EarthSciences under the Indian Ocean
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Observation System is configuredfor real-time and delayed-mode coastaland offshore observations, facilitatingdata assimilation and real-time valida-tion of the operational nowcast/forecast of the ocean variables in andaround the Indian Seas. The networkcomprises offshore and coastal-locatedmoored surface buoys, acousticDopplercurrent profile moorings, deep-oceanwave buoys, coastal wave rider buoys,equatorial current meter moorings,and tsunami buoys for deep-sea water-level measurements. Also part of thenetwork are Argo profiling floats,
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drifters, gliders, ship-borne observa-tions such as expendable bathythermo-graphs, expendable conductivity/temperature/depth profiling system,automatic weather stations, wave mea-surements from ships, conductivity-temperature-depth data, land-basedhigh-frequency radars, and coastaltide gauges. In addition, the networkincludes the National Institute ofOcean Technology (NIOT)-operatedResearch Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysisand Prediction mooring network andthe Ocean Moored Buoy Networkfor Northern Indian Ocean buoys net-works (Ravichandran, 2015). To date,the moored data buoys are deployed inmore than 650 locations (Figure 2)ranging from coastal waters to thedeep ocean, spanning between 63°Eto 93°E and 6°N to 20°N for collectingmeteorological, water surface, and sub-surface parameters, as well as tsunamiwater level data. The collected dataare transmitted to the NIOT MissionControl Center located at NIOT in
FIGURE 1
Concept of the sustainable blue economy (Life Below Water: Why It Matters, 2016; FICCI TaskForce, 2017).
FIGURE 2
Moored surface buoys deployed in Indian waters (Venkatesan et al., 2013).
Chennai and to the Indian TsunamiEarly Warning Center (ITEWC) atthe Indian National Centre for OceanInformation Services (INCOIS),Hyderabad (Venkatesan et al., 2013).
The tsunami buoys are mooredat strategic locations close to theAndaman-Sumatra subduction faultin the Bay of Bengal and Makranfault in the Arabian Sea (Figure 3).During a tsunami event, the sea leveldata inputs from tsunami buoys serveas critical input to the ITEWC prerunscenario database, which computes thetsunami travel times and wave run-upwave heights, which are essentialfor the timely generation and dissemi-nation of tsunami advisories. TheITEWC has been serving as the pri-mary source of tsunami advisory forIndia and as a tsunami service provider
for the entire Indian Ocean region(Srinivasa Kumar et al., 2016).
During the past two decades, theIndian moored buoy networks, whichwere matured to Safety Integrity Level 4of on-demand safety reliability withappropriate healthiness monitoringinterval, have detected more than41 cyclones and 11 water-level changeevents associated with tsunami waves(Figure 4) (Venkatesan &Vedachalam,2018). The data acquired during vari-ous events served as important inputsto various agencies, including the Indi-an Meteorological Department, andthe scientific observations were usedfor understanding Indian Oceandynamics for improved modeling ofthe evolution of seasonal monsoonsand cyclones. The supercomputerPratyush established at the Indian
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Institute of Tropical Meteorology inPune and the National Center forMedium Range Weather Forecastingin Noida augments India’s capabilityto improve weather and climate fore-casting services (Venkatesan, 2017).
Shore Line ProtectionHealthy coastal ecosystems provid-
ing protection from natural hazards,coastal erosion, and rising sea levelsin low-lying and exposed delta regionsare essential for interruption-free blueeconomic activities. Coastal erosiondue to cyclone events and anthropo-genic activities degrades the coastalinfrastructure and livelihoods, thusaffecting prime coastal land and tour-ism. Coastline-specific solutionsbased on the sedimentation processand littoral drift are undertaken invarious Indian ports by NIOT foreffective erosion control. In Kadalur-Periyakuppam village near Chennai,submerged shore parallel offshoredikes of 200-m lengths made ofgeosynthetic material filled with finesand are being installed over 1.2 kmin order to protect the beach fromsevere erosion, which affected theshoreline during the recent TC (Fig-ure 5) (Kiran et al., 2015). The Indian
FIGURE 3
Strategic placement of the tsunami buoys.
FIGURE 4
Water-level change during the 2015 tsunami event.
FIGURE 5
Dike laying off Kadalur Periyakuppam.
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shorelines that are sensitive to erosionare being monitored with measuresinitiated in coordination with therespective local state administration.
The coa s t l i n e o f h i s t o r i c a lPuducherry (formally Pondicherry)on the east coast of India sufferedsevere coastal erosion due to naturalcauses and reorientation of the coastas a result of port breakwaters. Variousmitigation measures including theconstruction of sea walls and groyneswere not effective, and they resulted
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in erosion shifting farther north. Inorder to identify a long-term solution,a pilot beach nourishment projectsupported by numerical studies wasexecuted based on long-term shore-line changes using satellite data andmeasurements taken during variousseasons. The efforts resulted in the for-mation of a wide beach near New Pier(Figure 6).
Based on these encouraging pilotnourishment results, restoration ofthe lost beach all along Puducherry
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City is being undertaken with a pro-posed hybrid solution (Figure 7)involving beach nourishment with0.45 million m3 of sand and tworeefs. The solution, in addition tobeach restoration, will help increasethe life of the nourished beach andminimize the effect of erosion on thenorthern side. The construction of thenorthern reef is in progress (Figure 8),and the construction of the southernreef is planned in the next phase(Prasad, 2017).
Coral Reef MonitoringCorals are diverse shallow marine
ecosystems that grow over geologicaltime scales. They play an importantrole as a habitat for organisms in theirenvirons supporting a vast diversity ofanimal and plant species. An increaseof even 1–2°C above the monthlymean temperature could damage thesymbiosis between the coral andzooxanthalle, leading to coral bleach-ing. During the last few decades, dueto global warming, the genetic heritageof coral ecosystems has been reportedto be at risk. Similar to the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration reef watch program, basedon satellite data, INCOIS providesinformation on the early signs ofincreasing thermal intensity andthe spatial extent of coral bleaching(INCOIS, 2017).
The corals of Andaman Island,which has the richest coral diversity
FIGURE 6
Beach formation near New Pier.
FIGURE 7
Proposed hybrid solution.
FIGURE 8
Construction of the northern reef.
among all Indian reefs, were victimsof thermal stress due to the elevatedtemperatures that resulted in coralbleaching during 1998, 2002, 2005,and 2010. Coral reef surveys were con-ducted at the North Bay, Chidiyatapu,Jolly Buoy, Red Skin and Grub Islandsof the south Andaman district usingthe NIOT-developed Polar/shallowremotely operated vehicle (PROVe)(Figure 9).
PROVe, with the underwaternavigational aids and high-definitionunderwater cameras, was maneuveredin the coral reef habitats. High-resolution visuals of faunal assem-blages, underwater spatiotemporalspectral irradiance characteristics,along with the surface radiance, watertemperature, and salinity, were re-corded (Figure 10). The observations
revealed that most of the coral eco-systems are in the recovery stageresilient stage after major events suchas the 2004 devastating tsunami andthe bleaching events during 2005 and2010. No bleaching signs were ob-served as water temperatures werewithin the temperature tolerancelimit of the coral reef regions in othertropical oceans (Ramesh et al., 2017).
Marine BioprospectingEffective marine bioprospecting is
essential for pursuing human health,offering a sustainable supply of high-quality food, and developing sustain-able sources of energy alternatives toconventional hydrocarbons, newindustrial products, and processeswith low greenhouse gas emissions.At the same time, protection and man-agement of the stressed marine envi-ronment has to be addressed. During2016, the global retail value of certifiedseafood was about US$ 11.5 billion,and global wild catch and aquacultureproduction was 163 MT, with China,India, and Indonesia contributing60%, 6%, and 6%, respectively. Inthe Indian Ocean Region, wild catchincreased from 1 to 12 MT over thepast six decades (Thompson et al.,2017). In India, efforts are undertakento bridge the widening gap betweenthe demand and supply of fish and toincrease the production on par with
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other high-productivity nations. At thesame time, in order to avoid overex-ploitation and to protect the ecosystem,INCOIS provides reliable and timelyadvisories on potential fish aggregationzones for the socioeconomic benefit ofthe fishing communities based on re-motely sensed satellite data. Advisoriesare given to fishermen on a daily basiswith specific references to more than500 fish-landing centers along theIndian coast (ESSO-INCOIS, 2017).
In order to boost the fish aggrega-tion methods based on engineeringtechniques, open-sea cages with moor-ing systems capable of withstandingturbulent seas are developed and dem-onstrated by culturing commerciallyimportant marine finfishes in differentIndian sea conditions. The cages aremade of high-density polyethylenewith diameters larger than 9 m, andmultipoint moorings were designed,developed, deployed, and testedby NIOT in the North Bay in theAndaman Islands, Olaikuda in Tamil-nadu, and Kothachathram in AndhraPradesh, representing fully protected,semiprotected, and open-sea environ-ments, respectively (Figure 11). Thecages have withstood even cyclonicweather conditions (NIOT, 2017).
Using these cages, the culture ofseveral marine finfishes, such as theAsian seabass, cobia, pompano, milk-fish, parrot fish, and giant travelly,was demonstrated. The milkfish seeds
FIGURE 9
PROVe in South Andaman coral reef expedition.
FIGURE 10
View of resilient coral reef ecosystems(Ramesh et al., 2017).
IGURE 11
pen-sea cages in Andaman and Olaikuda.
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(5–8 g) were successfully reared to 770 gwithin 260 days in the open-sea cagesat Okaikuda using a formulated diet.A total of 3.5 tons of milkfish was har-vested. The culture of the hatcheryproduced marine finfishes, pompano,and the fast growing cobia were alsosuccessfully demonstrated with a totalharvest of 3 tons in the sea cages atOlaikuda. An average body weight of4 kg was achieved in 8 months incobia from its initial stocking size of30 g with a growth performance of16.5 g/day. In order to minimize thehuge investment for nursery rearingin land-based larval rearing systems, aconcept of nursery rearing of marinefinfish fingerlings in sea cages wasalso demonstrated for the first timeusing seabass seeds, sized from 6 to24 g, within a period of 45 days, witha survival rate of 90% (NIOT, 2017).
Hydrocarbon Leak StudiesWith increasing concerns about
climate change, the increased exploita-tion of deep-ocean natural gas andinterest in the exploitation of methanegas from deep-ocean natural gashydrate deposits are receiving signifi-cant attention. Subsea methane gasreleases can result during deep-oceanwell drilling operations, well headcompletions, and also due to subseaequipment failures during productionprocesses (Olsen & Skjetne, 2016).Performing a quantitative assessmentof the dissolution pattern of methanegas bubbles released into the deep-ocean marine environment during apotential leak is important in order tounderstand the dissolution pattern ofthe rising methane bubble from theleak point, its contribution to atmo-spheric greenhouse gas budgets, andthe effect of dissolving methane interms of the dissolved oxygen for the
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sustainability of biodiversity in thedeep-ocean environment.
As the methane bubbles r isethrough the water column, methaneexchange occurs between the ascend-ing bubble and the ambient seawater,resulting in the dissolution of themethane. During the ascending pro-cess, the bubble size reduces due to dis-solution, but the reducing hydrostaticpressure on the bubble causes it to
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expand. Hence, the bubble dissolutionrate is determined by the depth of thebubble release and the extent to whichthe gas is transported upward. Thesolubility of the methane gas in thewater column is governed by the seawater temperature, the surroundingfluid flow field, and the trajectoryoscillations experienced by the bubbleduring the vertical ascent. Predictingthe dissolution pattern of methanegas bubbles released in deep sea waterwithin the hydrate stability field isfurther challenged by the potentialformation of the hydrate envelope,allowing methane to reach relativelyshallower depths. Precisely under-standing and incorporating thesephysical and chemical processesinvolving dynamically changing ambi-ent conditions into the bubble modelsare necessary to estimate hydrocarbontransport from the methane bubbleleaks into the ocean water column.
A methane gas dissolution model isdeveloped (Figure 12) for assessing thevertical dissolution profile of the meth-ane gas as the bubble ascends throughthe water column. The simulationresults represented (Figure 13) indicate
FIGURE 12
Architecture of the methane bubble dissolu-tion model.
FIGURE 13
Bubble dissolution model studies in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
that methane bubbles with a diameterof 10mm can transport methane gas to650 m from the seabed in the KrishnaGodavari basin on the east coast ofIndia, where increased commercialexploitation is being planned. Resultsalso indicate that about 50% of themolar mass of the released methanecould get dissolved within 40 m ofthe water column from the seafloor(Vedachalam et al., 2017).
ConclusionWith the upcoming integrated ap-
proach, the blue economy is expectedto serve as a growth catalyst for a robustIndian economy envisioned to reachUS$10 billion by 2032. As discussed,with the exploitation of ocean re-sources on the uptrend, the technolo-gies developed for coastal protection,cyclone and tsunami early warningsystems, coral habitat observations,sustainable fishing, and numericalstudies on the deep-ocean natural gaswell head leaks are all essential to theIndian economy, and it is critical tokeep these economic activities inbalance with the long-term capacityof ocean ecosystems in the Indianseas and oceans.
AcknowledgmentsThe authors gratefully acknowl-
edge the suppor t ex tended bythe Ministry of Earth Sciences,Government of India, in fundingthis research.
Corresponding Author:Narayanaswamy VedachalamNational Institute of OceanTechnology, Ministry of EarthSciences, Chennai, IndiaEmail: [email protected]
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