The regional centre of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) here has taken up a study on beach profiling from Rushikonda to Fishing Harbour to know reasons for sea recession and strong currents, causing death of those going for sand and wave surfing on the city beaches.
Scientist-in-charge of NIO V.S.N. Murty told reporters on Monday on the occasion of CSIR Foundation Day that they had placed Acoustic Doppler current Profile (ADCP) device at a depth of 100 metres at Rushikonda to measure ocean current records. The initial results are quite informative.
As part of the CSIR Foundation Day celebrations, the laboratories of NIO at Lawson's Bay Colony and China Waltair were thrown open to the public.
Another device was being deployed to study on deep sea current variability in addition to tides and waves. Dr. Murty said the current was changing every fortnight.
Whenever the wind direction was southwards, the current pushes water to the beach and when it is northwards, water goes away from the beach. He said they had plans to study the beach profiling at five locations between Rushikonda and Fishing Habour. NIO would do weekly observation on the beach profiling data, he added. The regional centre here, which is 35-year-old, has made significant contributions in the land-ocean tectonics of Eastern Continental Margin of India and near-shore and coastal studies. NIO is studying Godavari estuary. On industrial consultancy, NIO has successfully implemented three projects from ONGC and a good number of coastal regulation zone demarcation and EIA projects.
At present, it is in the process of establishing a world-class laboratory with foreshore facilities in an area of four acres at Yendada.
