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Issues like climate change and the changing pattern of monsoon may be high on the national agenda,but unless research in oceanography and atmospheric sciences is undertaken,experts feel,even government-aided projects will be delayed. Against this backdrop,the Jadavpur University kicked off perhaps the first-of- its-kind MPhil course in Oceanography and Coastal Management on Monday.
According to SSC Shenoi,the director of Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services,an autonomous wing under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences: There is an acute shortage of scholars in marine and earth sciences. Several posts remain vacant largely due to the absence of multi-disciplinary approach to subjects like oceanography and atmospheric sciences.
Noting that for research in these subjects,a candidate requires knowledge of more than one disciplines,he said: It is difficult to find someone who has learnt mathematics to take up biology. But for developing ecosystem models,we need both the qualifications.
Accordingly,there is a shortage of research scholars for projects like studying of mix water layers in potential fishing sites,understanding tsunami warnings,ocean circulation and ecosystem studies.
Instead of conventional teaching,we must integrate the subject of ocean sciences with other disciplines. The two-year MPhil programme will incorporate a wide variety of sciences,have professors of varied disciplines and will help create manpower for research, said Sugata Hazra of School of Oceanography,Jadavpur University.
We earlier had a PhD programme. Next year we are eyeing an approval from the All India Council of Technical Education for an MTech course on oceanography, he added.
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