Earth Sciences: Understanding
the Earth
CSIR carries out application-oriented research on earth resources and natural
hazards assessment. CSIR efforts have helped in understanding the processes
that influence extreme climatic events besides identifying land and offshore
regions for resources. CSIR scientists also investigate disasters and suggest
ways to minimize the damage thereof.
CSIR's Response to Disasters
In case of natural disasters, CSIR is the first to reach out with help.
1991 – CSIR built temporary quake-proof shelters for earthquake affected Uttarkashi
1993 – CSIR-designed pre-cast slabs, planks and joists helped provide shelter to 30,000 families
affected by Latur earthquake
1999 – CSIR produced 40,000 litres of safe drinking water for cyclone-ravaged Orissa
2001– CSIR scientists rushed 30,000 packets of high nutrition food with traditional taste to earthquakehit Gujarat. When affected salt pans turned out brown salt, CSIR scientists provided technology to
manufacture good quality salt
2004 – Following the super tsunami on 26 December 2004, CSIR undertook the largest production of
instant food. Provided 55 tonnes of food equivalent to nearly 1,80,000 meals and drinking water
through reverse osmosis and electrodialysis techniques to various tsunami hit areas, including
Nagapattinam and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
2008 – CSIR rushed to provide sweet drinking water in flood-hit Bihar, particularly the worst affected
district Madhepura, producing over 40,000 litres of water every 10 hours
CSIR – Caring for India's past, present and future
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CSIR
Significant Developments
Palaeomagnetic studies of Gondwana land indicate
that India forms a tectonic trio with Madagascar and
Seychelles in the Rodina Supercontinent around 750
Ma ago
First-ever geochemical baseline maps in Cauvery
basin for environmental management
Demarcation of regions of thick sediments in three
blocks for hydrocarbon deposits in the Narmada
Cambay region
Estimation of sea-level rise along the Indian coast
using past tide-gauge records
Neural network model for long-range forecasting of
Autonomous
Underwater Vehicle
(AUV-150)
Can map sea-bed and collect environmental
data, up to a depth of 150 m
Thrust Areas
Indian lithosphere
monsoon rainfall
with a focus on
A framework for seasonal cycle of circulation in the
major Earth
Indian Ocean
processes and
Prediction and early warning of tropical cyclones
resources
Commercializable fog forecasting platform
VSAT network [WAN] for online monitoring of the
forecasting system
seismicity of north-east India
for the waters
Revival of defunct tanks for agriculture in drought
around India
prone areas through Model studies
Science for
Seismic hazard-
Delineation of Lithologic control in arsenic
risk evaluation and
contaminated areas of UP and Bihar using electrical
earthquake
methods
precursor- related
Quantification of pollutants from tanneries and
studies
measures for chromium waste disposal affecting Palar
Basin, Tamilnadu
Assessment of anthropogenic heavy metal in critical
industrial sites around Ghaziabad, Nagpur and
Hyderabad and pesticide pollution of groundwater
India's claim to extend its Exclusive
Economic Zone
INDIAN EEZ
in agricultural fields
Delineation of arsenic contaminated areas using
geophysical methods in parts of Bihar
Identified a role of North India Ocean as a global
mdiator in exporting atmospheric carbon dioxide to
deep oceans
Self governing systems like Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle (AUV), Autonomous Vertical Profiler (AVP) and
Sea-level gauges for data collection
Nationally integrated ballast water management plan
for the major ports of India
Indian Legal Continental Shelf: Contribution of
CSIR-NGRI, CSIR-NIO and others under the programme
of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The claim
(~0.6 million sq km) for the continental shelf has been
submitted to UN
Map Schematic
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