Oceanography (Geography).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Indian & World Geography; Mains GS1
Ocean currents for UPSC: forces that drive them, warm and cold currents ocean-wise, gyres, Indian Ocean monsoon currents, thermohaline circulation and effects.
El Nino for UPSC: normal Walker circulation, El Nino and La Nina, Southern Oscillation Index, ONI, Modoki, Indian Ocean Dipole, impacts on…
Coral reefs for UPSC: zooxanthellae, growth conditions, fringing, barrier reefs and atolls, Darwin's theory, bleaching, acidification, India's reefs and PYQs.
On 14 October 2026 the Centre approved India's accession to the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement. India, a Cooperating Non-Contracting Party since 2022, will become a full Contracting Party. Indian vessels can then fish squids, toothfish, alfonsino and other non-migratory stocks in the SIOFA area and join its scientific and compliance bodies.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SIOFA vs IOTC, India's status, species, UNCLOS references. · Mains GS-III: blue economy and fisheries; GS-II: international agreements.
14 Oct 2026
On 1 October 2026 the Ministry of Mines launched the auction of two offshore mineral blocks in the Andaman Sea, Sewell Rise-01 and West Sewell Ridge-01 off Great Nicobar, for Composite Licence. Together they cover over 1,632 sq km and hold polymetallic nodules and crusts with cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper and rare earth elements.
UPSC angle: Prelims: minerals in polymetallic nodules; location. · Mains: Offshore mining and marine ecology.
1 Oct 2026
On 9 September 2026 ORV Sagar Manthan, an ocean research vessel designed and built by GRSE for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, was launched at Kolkata. Built at about ₹840 crore under the Deep Ocean Mission, it will work even in the Southern Ocean, has a 30-year design life and will replace the 43-year-old ORV Sagar Kanya.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NCPOR, ISA, GRSE.
9 Sep 2026
On 20 August 2026 the Ministry of Earth Sciences released the National Report on Deep-Sea and Distant-Water Fishery Resources of the Indian EEZ, marking the silver jubilee of CMLRE, Kochi. It compiles three decades of surveys across India's 2.37 million sq km EEZ, from over 400 cruises, and maps the twilight zone, deep-sea stocks and biodiversity hotspots.
UPSC angle: Prelims: EEZ; CMLRE location (Kochi).
20 Aug 2026
El Niño conditions that developed in May 2026 are likely to persist from June 2026 to February 2027, with probabilities of 70 to 90 per cent, the Earth Sciences Minister told Lok Sabha on 5 August. The outlook comes from INCOIS's indigenous AI/ML-based ENSO prediction system. He said El Niño is not the only factor for the monsoon.
UPSC angle: Prelims: ENSO, IOD.
5 Aug 2026
The Union Cabinet approved Samudra Manthan, the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, on 31 July 2026. It is a Central Sector Scheme of the Petroleum Ministry with an outlay of ₹84,084 crore up to FY 2030-31. It pays for seismic surveys, 60 deepwater wells, shared offshore infrastructure and a manufacturing zone. The aim: add over 600 MMTOE of reserves.
UPSC angle: Prelims: OALP; sedimentary basins. · Mains: Energy security strategy.
31 Jul 2026