A team of 20 scientists, along with a key vessel of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are arriving in Goa on Friday, marking their expanding cooperation with Indian scientists in the study of the Indian Ocean.
Subtle changes on the surface and deep below in the western Indian Ocean have significant impact on weather in India in days, and in the United States, two to four weeks later. Jointly collecting data on changes in the current, temperature, salinity and other parameters is a lesser known component of the Indo-Pacific cooperation between India and America.
Global expedition
NOAA’s ship Ronald H Brown is on a global expedition on the lines of a similar ocean expedition 50 years ago and will arrive at Mormugao port, where it will welcome local schoolchildren on board on June 8, the World Oceans Day. NOAA scientists will work with Indian scientists at the Second India-United States Colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy from June 11 to 13.
The phenomenon called the Madden-Julian Oscillation, discovered in the 1970s, starts when water vapour rises out of the Indian Ocean every 30 to 60 days to create a major ocean storm that travels west to east from near the Seychelles off Africa toward India, crosses into the tropical Pacific Ocean and eventually affects weather patterns across America. Scientists are advancing the knowledge of this phenomenon with new tools and models, said Craig McLean, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, who is leading the U.S delegation to Goa.
An expanding network of buoys across oceans that collect and transmit data to satellites is the backbone of this research, he said.
‘Remarkable importance of Indian Ocean’
“El Nino was discovered after putting these buoys in the Pacific Ocean. Then we started going further back and we ended up discovering the remarkable importance of the Indian Ocean. So we had the first international expedition 50 years ago, and now we are in the midst of the second international Indian Ocean expedition,” Mr. McLean said.
“When we talk about the weather in Washington DC two weeks from now, Indian Ocean figures prominently in that. What we do in India helps forecast monsoons in India and weather in other parts of the worlds, including the United States,” said, Dr. Sidney Thurston, who manages Overseas Program Development for NOAA Global Ocean-Climate Observations, and a member of the U.S delegation.
“A third of the world’s population is dependent on the monsoons that form in the Indian Ocean. It is important for India and all other countries to know the patterns of the monsoon. The more we sense the ocean and the further back we go into this chain of events, we are being able to predict not only the next week’s weather, but weeks into the future, and seasonal and even how wet is the next year going to be…That way we increase the accuracy of land weather in India, China, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean Islands..” said Mr. McLean. The studies also help understand changes in climate patterns.
Even fisheries development
American scientists will work with Indian counterparts on development of fisheries also. Dr. Ned Cyr, Director of NOAA Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology said: “India is an important fishing nation, with seven million people dependent on it. Fishing is a challenging vocation, you have to find them first before you catch them and we have to ensure that the fishermen don’t waste their fuel, their time or endanger their lives. Indian agencies are doing this job very well for a while, and we are helping them fine-tune the predictions by adding a few extra parameters.”
“The ability to work with our Indian colleagues has been extremely rewarding to us..We are going India to celebrate the science that we have learnt and plan our future,” Mr. McLean said. The ship will go into Arabian Sea from Goa and scientists from both countries will work together to deploy new buoys. NOAA officials said due to piracy in the region, collection of data in this part of the Indian Ocean had been hindered for nearly two decades now. “We have relationships with other countries also, but with India, it is the first level of engagement. Indian scientists have made immense contribution to the understanding of the Indian Ocean,” Mr. McLean said.
