Oceans play a big role in studying climate change and weather forecasting patterns. Ocean state forecasts are also helping in identifying potential fishing zones, water currents and high waves useful for the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and marine zones across the coastlines.
Following the deadly tsunami more than a decade ago in the Indian Ocean, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO coordinating ocean observations, research and ocean services among the 150-odd member countries gave a clarion call for developing capacity building among stakeholders.
Asia, Africa to benefit
India, three years ago, had offered to set up manpower training centre for the benefit of countries around the Indian Ocean rim (26 from Asia & Africa) and the Rs. 100-crore International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOocean) is getting ready to function from July next here.
Located on the campus of Earth Science System Organisation (ESSO) - Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), also designated as the National Tsunami Early Warning Centre, new buildings to house labs, auditorium and hostels is currently under construction although short-term courses of a week to 10 days had commenced in 2013.
“Courses are for students interested in operational oceanography, staff of oceanographic centres and government departments involved in marine activities as also administrators involved in hazard related warnings and forecasts. We are sending proposals to recruit 13 faculty members so that we can offer diplomas, post-graduate courses and research activities,” explains INCOIS Director S.S.C. Shenoy.
The INCOIS is providing institutional support, expert teaching staff and allowing it to conduct training programmes on its facility. “We have already done more than 19 courses in the last three years and from the next academic year, once we have the buildings ready we can start full-fledged courses in collaboration with the University of Hyderabad”, he says. The ITCOocean has already tied up with Norway’s Nansen Scientific Society and the Research Council for collaborative efforts in teaching modules and research. The new centre intends to help scale up the Indian Ocean Global Observing System (IOGOOS) and International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) besides Tsunami warning.
Chips in B. Muralidhar Rao, Consultant, INCOIS: “Countries want to know more about oceans because of climate change and economic interests in studying the marine resources, understanding monsoons, etc. We need sufficient manpower to interpret the enormous amounts of data generated through the research vessels on the ocean and our observation posts. Our upcoming centre aims to bridge that gap”.
