Malayali scientist becomes first from state to reach North Pole

Dr S Bijoy Nandan, dean and scientist emeritus at the Cochin University of Science and Technology's marine sciences department, has become the first Malayali to reach the Geographic North Pole. He was part of the 'Icebreaker of Knowledge' expedition organised by Rosatom, the Russian atomic energy corporation, aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker '50 Let Pobedy' (50 Years of Victory). The team reached 90 degrees North at around 3 pm on August 8 after a 2,500-km voyage through the Arctic Ocean from Murmansk, Russia.

According to New Indian Express, the expedition included 66 talented students aged 14-16 from across the world, selected through a five-level talent hunt. Among the 5,000 global applicants, only 22 were selected. Lucky Rawat, a Class X student from Uttarakhand, was India's sole student representative. Mathrubhumi reports that Dr Nandan is the first Indian expert invited to this international research voyage. During the expedition, he collected water samples and recorded the impact of global warming on the Arctic marine ecosystem, including evidence of depleting ice sheets and increasing aerosols in the region.

The return journey took the team through Franz Josef Land, a Russian Arctic archipelago. Dr Nandan warned that the impact of Arctic amplification on climate change will be reflected in coastal zones across the world, including India. The expedition provided insights into the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global climate system and the Global Conveyor Belt.