NIOT proposes to develop integrated observation systems in open ocean environment to fine-tune weather forecasts

The proposals will be implemented under Mission Mausam, a ₹2,000-crore initiative recently approved by the Union Cabinet, to enhance the country’s weather observation and forecasting services

The National Institute of Ocean Technology, Pallikaranai, will develop integrated observation systems to observe open ocean environment and improve weather predictions, particularly during extreme weather events.

In a step towards developing in situ observations to fine-tune weather prediction models, the Institute which comes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, proposes to deploy an integrated system wherein doppler weather radars would be mounted on the NIOT’s indigenously-developed moored buoys.

The proposals would be implemented under Mission Mausam, a ₹2,000-crore initiative recently approved by the Union Cabinet, to enhance the country’s weather observation and forecasting services.

NIOT’s director Balaji Ramakrishnan said, “We now have weather radars on land. But there is a lack of such observations in open ocean to measure rainfall intensity, especially during cyclones and extreme weather events.”

The mid-ocean sensors would help observe various weather parameters, including wind pressure, temperature gradient, to improve the numerical weather model predictions. These observations and data would be shared with various stakeholders across the country, including India Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, that would be incorporated for weather forecasts, he said.

The Institute would also integrate lidar sensors with moored buoys to measure vertical wind speed profiles in the open ocean environment. These systems would be able to provide observations of wind profile for a height of 300-400 metre in the atmosphere. This would help weather forecasts on temperature during summer too.

The NIOT now has a network of about 20 moored buoys in the ocean. The team is working on the number of instruments and spatial domain for deploying the observation system, Mr.Ramakrishnan said.

NIOT also plans to use its indigenous underwater acoustic measurements to demonstrate intensity of rainfall that falls on the sea’s surface. Moreover, customised underwater drones, which are now being used for seawater samples, are proposed to be used for open ocean and atmospheric observations. The drones that would collect data on various parameters, including salinity variation and ocean water temperature, would help understand prevailing weather conditions.

Published - September 18, 2024 08:41 pm IST