Students throng exhibition on Oceanography in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: On the occasion of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Foundation Day, completing 78 years, the Centre of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) organised an exhibition on Oceanography on Thursday at Regional Centre of National Institute of Oceanography.

The research capabilities of the centre were displayed, which includes Atomic Absorption Spectro Photometer (AAS), Conductivity- Temperature- Depth (CTD), and Sparker System Source Array receptor. The students thronged in good numbers enquired the principal technical officer K Srinivas regarding the mechanism of Sparker System Source Array.

Responding to the questions, Srinivas said, "This system consists of hydro pump, which expands on a specific temperature and it will contract if the temperature is decreased. The sound waves of this equipment are extremely powerful and hence we do not use the system in the presence of aquatic animals like whales, sharks and other marine creature because of high frequency, which might damage their brain cells."

The major instruments exhibited were Conductivity- Temperature Depth (CTD) profiler, Doppler and RCM-7 Current Meters, Echo sounder, Geophysical Equipment- Digital Scan Sonar, Seismic Profiler and Magnetometer, Geological and Water Samplers Atomic Absorption Spectro Photometer (AAS), Laboratories of Biogeochemistry and Surveying Equipment- DGPS and Total System. A short film on various aspects of ongoing oceanographic investigation was also screened.