Dinesh C Sharma: Journo who reported on Climate Change from Arctic!
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 5 Apr 2009:
What remains a first for Dinesh C Sharma — Science Editor of the Delhi based Mail Today, who was one of the dozen international science journalists that got an opportunity to travel to the Arctic with a scientific expedition team, last year – may not be the last for an Indian journalist.
“It is because, alongside issues like alternate sources of energy, effects of climate change would, invariably consume too much newsprint in the days to come,” said Sharma, who also gave a lecture about his experience at a seminar organised by the Indian Science Writers’ Association, Uttarakhand Chapter.
As part of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) system study’s expedition team, which included 70 international researchers, Sharma reported extensively about the effects of climate change from aboard a Canadian icebreaker called CCGS Amundsen in the Canadian Arctic.
“My actual 10-day trip started from Inuvik -- Planet Earth’s last habitation on the Northern region -- in June 2008. From there, we flew to Cape Parry. Again, from there, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter took us to Darnley Bay aboard the CCGS Amundsen,” said Sharma, adding that summer time day temperature (he did not witness any night during his stay there) stood at minus 3 degree Centigrade.
Expedition’s purpose:
The expedition team, which was organised in collaboration with Canada Foundation for Innovation and other International Institutions like World Federation of Science Journalists, was given the task of collecting water, air, ice and snow samples including a specimen of the Arctic ecosystem like fish, zooplankton, etc.
“The idea was to study the impact of climate change on them,” said Sharma, who was the only journalist selected from South Asia to get a get first hand experience of global warming in the region, where it is happening at a faster pace i.e Arctic region.
Experiences
“Personally, as a science journalist, this was a first hand experience of looking at the impact of global warming in the North Pole – where supposedly the ice never melts during summer, but where I got to see the opposite.”
Apart from this, Sharma, who has also authored some scientific books, during the course of his short stay, experienced some weird things as well.
“The strangest experience that I would never forget in my life is walking in ankle deep water, beneath which there was a hard mass of ice on the Arctic Sea,’ recalled Sharma, adding that he also got to witness all days and no nights there. “The view of the midnight sun was the most beautiful sight in the Arctic. There was also the sight of the icebreaker making its way through the hard surface of the ice and leaving a trail of bubbles… "
Talking about the researchers on board Amundsen, he said, “They were very professional, who apart from research scientists, also doubled up as expert underwater divers to collect samples from inside waterholes left by seals.”
Science communication
“During my interaction with researchers, what I have observed is that unlike Indian scientists, their European counterparts are very media savvy,” said Sharma, while suggesting that Indian scientists too, should emulate the same.
“The reason is that people have a right to know about all that goes on in government owned science labs. Scientists, after all, use taxpayers’ money for their research,” he reasoned, opining that they should not confine themselves to writing in scientific journals alone.
“Ironically, science communication is at a nascent stage in India. If you want proof, just compare the NASA website with ISRO, you will find the difference.”
“In fact, you would find more information about Chandrayan on the NASA website than ISRO’s site,” he added, stating that media persons were also required to be sensitised for effective science communication.
Role of Science journalists
“Since Indian scientists do not like to talk about their inventions, it is incumbent upon the science journalists to understand the issue and highlight the same,” he said, advising science writers to make the reading interesting as well, for wider appeal.
“Among the different issues they can write on are superstitions, for which, media is partly to be blamed for glorifying rituals, etc,” he said, advising journalists to downplay coverage of miracles performed by Babas and Sadhus.
“One should always check the veracity of claims made by these people and should always seek comments of independent scientists/doctors/experts in their story.”
(To read more about his Arctic experiences, one can log on to http://www.arcticindia.blogspot.com/)
http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Feature&article=179
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 5 Apr 2009:
What remains a first for Dinesh C Sharma — Science Editor of the Delhi based Mail Today, who was one of the dozen international science journalists that got an opportunity to travel to the Arctic with a scientific expedition team, last year – may not be the last for an Indian journalist.
“It is because, alongside issues like alternate sources of energy, effects of climate change would, invariably consume too much newsprint in the days to come,” said Sharma, who also gave a lecture about his experience at a seminar organised by the Indian Science Writers’ Association, Uttarakhand Chapter.
As part of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) system study’s expedition team, which included 70 international researchers, Sharma reported extensively about the effects of climate change from aboard a Canadian icebreaker called CCGS Amundsen in the Canadian Arctic.
“My actual 10-day trip started from Inuvik -- Planet Earth’s last habitation on the Northern region -- in June 2008. From there, we flew to Cape Parry. Again, from there, a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter took us to Darnley Bay aboard the CCGS Amundsen,” said Sharma, adding that summer time day temperature (he did not witness any night during his stay there) stood at minus 3 degree Centigrade.
Expedition’s purpose:
The expedition team, which was organised in collaboration with Canada Foundation for Innovation and other International Institutions like World Federation of Science Journalists, was given the task of collecting water, air, ice and snow samples including a specimen of the Arctic ecosystem like fish, zooplankton, etc.
“The idea was to study the impact of climate change on them,” said Sharma, who was the only journalist selected from South Asia to get a get first hand experience of global warming in the region, where it is happening at a faster pace i.e Arctic region.
Experiences
“Personally, as a science journalist, this was a first hand experience of looking at the impact of global warming in the North Pole – where supposedly the ice never melts during summer, but where I got to see the opposite.”
Apart from this, Sharma, who has also authored some scientific books, during the course of his short stay, experienced some weird things as well.
“The strangest experience that I would never forget in my life is walking in ankle deep water, beneath which there was a hard mass of ice on the Arctic Sea,’ recalled Sharma, adding that he also got to witness all days and no nights there. “The view of the midnight sun was the most beautiful sight in the Arctic. There was also the sight of the icebreaker making its way through the hard surface of the ice and leaving a trail of bubbles… "
Talking about the researchers on board Amundsen, he said, “They were very professional, who apart from research scientists, also doubled up as expert underwater divers to collect samples from inside waterholes left by seals.”
Science communication
“During my interaction with researchers, what I have observed is that unlike Indian scientists, their European counterparts are very media savvy,” said Sharma, while suggesting that Indian scientists too, should emulate the same.
“The reason is that people have a right to know about all that goes on in government owned science labs. Scientists, after all, use taxpayers’ money for their research,” he reasoned, opining that they should not confine themselves to writing in scientific journals alone.
“Ironically, science communication is at a nascent stage in India. If you want proof, just compare the NASA website with ISRO, you will find the difference.”
“In fact, you would find more information about Chandrayan on the NASA website than ISRO’s site,” he added, stating that media persons were also required to be sensitised for effective science communication.
Role of Science journalists
“Since Indian scientists do not like to talk about their inventions, it is incumbent upon the science journalists to understand the issue and highlight the same,” he said, advising science writers to make the reading interesting as well, for wider appeal.
“Among the different issues they can write on are superstitions, for which, media is partly to be blamed for glorifying rituals, etc,” he said, advising journalists to downplay coverage of miracles performed by Babas and Sadhus.
“One should always check the veracity of claims made by these people and should always seek comments of independent scientists/doctors/experts in their story.”
(To read more about his Arctic experiences, one can log on to http://www.arcticindia.blogspot.com/)
http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Feature&article=179
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