Searching fish in the oceans is now easier, thanks to Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Searching fish in the vast depths of the Arabian
Sea and the Bay of Bengal will now be much easier with the city-based
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services getting a
state-of-the-art ground station to receive data in real time from
Oceansat-2.

Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Vilasrao
Deshmukh and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy formally inaugurated
the ground station on Monday. Thus far, Incois has been obtaining
oceanographic data from the ground stations of the Indian Space
Research Organisation. Transmission of data from Isro's ground centre
to Incois has been delaying the process of issue of potential fishing
zone advisories.

Now that Incois has its own ground station directly linked to the
Isro's Oceansat-2, it will transmit data on fishing potential zones in
real time. As many as one lakh fishermen have been receiving the
Incois data that helps them in easier search of fish in the seas.

"Incois advisories reduce the search time for fish in the seas by
about 60 per cent, besides increasing the profits to fishermen by two
to four times. Less search time helps in reduced usage of diesel by
fishing boats and thus less pollution," Vilasrao Deshmukh said.

As the Oceansat-2 passes over the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal it
provides real time data to the ground station, he said adding that the
ocean forecast by Incois, which is valid for five days, not only helps
fishermen but also the Navy and the Coast Guard.

The Oceansat-2 ground station at Incois could cover an area of 5000 km
diameter circle cover the seas on either side of the country and
generate images of chlorophyll, suspended sediment and aerosol optical
depth from the Ocean Color Monitor (fitted to the satellite) in real
time. The ground station will help in improving the timelines in
issuing potential fishing zones advisories by directly acquiring it
from the satellite during the overhead passage.

The net annual benefit to fishermen due to scientific identification
of potential fishing zones by Incois is of the range of Rs 34,000
crore to Rs 50,000 crore. The new ground station will further increase
the revenue, Deshmukh said. The 7.5 metre diametre antenna system
attached to the ground station could also be used to receive data from
satellites launched by Isro in future to study the oceans.

Multi-hazard vulnerability maps: Coastal belt will now be more protected from tsunamis and cyclonic floods

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Coastal belt will now be more protected from
tsunamis and cyclonic floods as the city-based Indian National Centre
for Ocean Information Services (Incois) is all set to come out with
multi-hazard vulnerability maps that pinpoint the exact areas to be
submerged in case of natural calamities.

"We know that coastal areas are vulnerable to tsunamis, cyclonic
floods and storm surges. But we do not know what are the areas that
will be submerged. Using the latest digital technology we are now
mapping the entire coastal belt. This will help us know the exact
localities that will be affected in case a natural disaster hits the
coast. Using the maps, we can take precautionary and safety measures
to prevent loss of life," said Incois scientist Dr RS Mahendra.

He said Incois is now ready with maps of Tamil Nadu and Andhra coasts.
Incois is now busy securing data on the coastline of other States and
once the process is completed, the high digital elevation model maps
will be available for use. The maps will be on a resolution of
1:1,00,000 scale and will focus on all vulnerable areas.

In case of highly vulnerable areas along the coast with high
population density, Incois will come out with special 3-D GIS maps,
which will be even more accurate and highly informative. The mapping
will consider all coastal hazards arising from seal level rise,
coastal erosion, wave action, storm surges and tsunamis.

In Andhra Pradesh the highly vulnerable areas are the Krishna and the
Godavari delta. Coastline between Machilipatnam and Nellore is mostly
low-lying and  is vulnerable to oceanogenic hazards. In case of
Machilipatnam town there's no elevated areas. "The exact area and the
population to be affected on the coastline will be known once the maps
are ready. For instance, in case of Nellore district 1708.36 sq km
area fall under multi-hazard zone," he said.

The Incois team used parameters like historical storm surge heights,
future sea level, future shoreline and high resolution coastal
topography to identify vulnerable areas. The coastal population is
under threat due to future storms, erosion and accelerated sea level
rise. "The Incois maps will become vital tools for coastal disaster
management during an event and to take suitable decision on the future
developments," Dr Mahendra added.

NGRI study debunks age-old theory of seawater intrusion in Krishna and Godavari delta

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Aug 1: Scientists at the city-based National Geophysical Research Institute have debunked the age-old theory that the sea water is intruding into the Godavari-Krishna delta through ground water channels and turning it saline.
There has been a hue and cry by farmers and environmentalists over reports of intrusion of sea water into the delta regions of the Godavari and the Krishna rivers. Godavari and Krishna deltas are agriculturally important as they together make up the rice bowl of South India.

But now NGRI scientists point out that there's no intrusion of sea water through ground water channels. NGRI experiments have shown that the presence of salinity in ground water in the delta regions is due to "in situ" factors i.e the area was originally part of the sea millions of years ago.

"The coastal area between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam from the sea coast to the railway line (Chennai-Kolkata) all along was once part of the Bay of Bengal. The sea receded millions of years ago exposing the land up to the coastal ridge, which incidentally is now the railway line. The salt content that's present in the ground water was deposited when sea was originally present," said Dr VVS Gurunadha Rao, deputy director, Ecology and Environment Group, NGRI.

The NGRI team conducted "delta oxygen 18" tests to rule out that the salinity in the ground water is due to sea water intrusion. "If water samples are enrichment with oxygen 18 molecules, it shows that the source is the sea. But we found the tests negative. Oxygen 16 molecules were present in abundant number, indicating that the salinity is due to in situ factors, and not due to intrusion of sea landwards," Dr Gurunadha Rao pointed out.

The salinity in the delta regions was originally 10,000 mg per litre but because of the network of irrigation canals and the two major rivers flowing, the salinity has come down to 6000 mg per litre. The salinity levels in ground water in the delta will further down over a period of time, he added.

The NGRI scientists also encountered thick marine clays up to thickness of 20-25 metres from the surface. There may be some encroachment of sea water into freshwater zones and infiltration during tidal fluctuation through mainly  Pikaleru drain, and to some extent rarely through Kannvaram and Vasalatippa drains in the downstream area.

The study was taken up to clear the misunderstanding about the sea water intrusion as the presence of sea water in delta leads to impairment of the quality of the freshwater aquifers. The study area in Godavari delta covered about 250 square km. A network of 32 observation wells was established in the area for monitoring water level and water quality assessment. 

Rise in sea levels along the Indian coasts: Sea water levels go up by 1.30 mm per year on average

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, July 28: Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Kochi and Chennai are facing long term threat of sea invasion as the average sea level in these cities has been going up by 1.30 mm per year.
Data collected by the city-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services shows that the trend of mean sea level rise varies from 1.06 mm to 1.75 mm per year in the Indian Ocean that includes the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Analysis of data of 113 years in case of Mumbai reveals that the increase in mean sea level is 1.20 mm per year while data for 54 years in Kochi shows an increase by 1.75 mm per year.
In Visakhapatnam historic data for 53 years shows a net sea level rise by 1.09 mm per year. Diamond Harbour (Kolkata), which has data for 55 years, shows an average increase in sea level by 5.74, the highest for any sea-side city in the Indian Ocean. The rise has been attributed to increase in sea surface temperatures. The annual mean sea surface temperature has risen by 0.31 degrees C, 0.40 degrees C and 0.24 degrees C per decade in Mumbai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam respectively.
According to Incois officials, the increase in sea levels pose severe threat to the life and economy of the East and West coasts as 26 per cent of the country's population live within 50 km from the shoreline. Most of the coastal areas are low lying and vulnerable to oceanogenic hazards like tsunamis and storm surges, besides sea level rise.
Incois, which has now emerged as a major tsunami research and prediction hub in the Indian Ocean rim, monitors the levels in the sea through its active Argo floats deployed at dozens of locations. It also banks on satellite data of earth's gravity field.
Besides rise in mean sea level, there has also been an increase in the annual mean tidal level in Kochi, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. Kochi registers the highest trend of 1.3 mm/year, followed by Visakhapatnam (0.97 mm/year) and Mumbai (0.8 mm/year). The mean tidal level trend values were worked out on the basis of data available since 1878 in case of Mumbai, 1939 in Kochi and since 1937 in case of Visakhapatnam.
According to official records, among the seasonal trends, the highest trend of 1.8 mm/year has been found at Kochi during the pre-monsoon season. The fluctuations in sea level from one season to other is the lowest at Mumbai and highest at Visakhapatnam. The annual mean sea level has a rising tendency at Mumbai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam with Kochi registering the maximum rising trend of 1.3 mm/year.
Incois officials warn that increase in sea levels will lead to loss of habitat land and bio-diversity, ground water and soil contamination, and damage to important ecosystems including sea-grass, mangroves and coral reefs. Sea-level rise disturbs the food cycle and redistribution of energy, thus causing economic loss to coastal zones.

Indian Ocean Tsunami Drill

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Come October 12 and thousands of people living in tsunami-prone villages in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and 25 other countries in the Indian Ocean rim will be evacuated to safety. Tsunami sirens will be switched on in thousands of habitations, ships sailing in the Indian Ocean will be kept on high alert and governments of 28 nations will exchange scores of tsunami warning messages.
Of course, there will not be any tsunami in the Indian Ocean that day The evacuation of people is part of the "controlled drill" or mock exercise - Indian Ocean Tsunami Drill - to be taken up by the International Oceanographic Commission to find out if the nations in the Indian Ocean rim are really prepared when a tsunami actually hits the region.
In India the exercise will be kept secret and only officials of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi, besides those of the National Disaster Management will be aware that it's going to be a "fake tsunami alert".
The local police and district authorities will jump into action to move people to safer places even as scores of email and fax messages are exchanged among the member countries of Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System. This is the first time that a tsunami mock drill will be conducted in the Indian Ocean, where earthquakes of larger magnitudes are likely to trigger tsunamis. About three dozen tsunami centres including tsunami sensors in the Indian Ocean will exchange the data to find out if they are prepared for any eventuality.
In the last mock drill conducted in 2009 in India, the "tsunami warning" was not taken to the level of people. It was between tsunami warning centres and officials. This time the common people, who will be affected in case of tsunami, will be involved in the exercise, of course keeping them in the dark that it's a mock drill. There will be physical shifting of people this time.
"On October 12 we are taking up the Indian Ocean Tsunami Drill. It is on this day all the tsunami centres in the member countries will become fully operational and exchange the data. The Hyderabad centre will
analyse the data received from these countries and it will in turn issue bulletins. Australia and Indonesia will join India to provide tsunami warnings for all countries in the Indian Ocean," said  Dr Tummala Srinivas Kumar, head of the tsunami warning centre in the city. 
He said the IOTWS is more advanced than the Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning Centre. It will be put to test on October 12. The State-of-the- art warning centre for tsunami in Hyderabad now detects the location
of earthquake, assesses its capability in the generation of tsunami and informs the likely threat of tsunami in the shortest possible time, New service is being added to this as a Tsunami Warning Services for the
Indian Ocean rim countries.
India faces tsunami threat if an earthquakes hits any part of the Indian Ocean between Indonesia and the East Coast. On the West Coast, there's a threat if earthquakes hit the Karachi-Gujarat area.

Exclusive Economic Zone: India's EEZ to increase to three million sq km

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad: India will soon have exclusive economic rights over an additional one million sq km in the seas surrounding it with the city-based National Geophysical Research Institute and the National Institute of Oceanography providing the much-needed scientific evidence.

At present India enjoys exclusive economic zone that extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast in the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian sea and the Indian ocean. The total area will go up to three million sq km, increasing the EEZ by almost one-third. This in other words means the economic benefits, including gas hydrates and natural resources hidden in the seas, the country will reap will be 33 per cent more than that of the present.

With the two premier scientific research institutes coming out with scientific evidence, India can now lay claim on an area that extends up to 350 nautical miles. This will add another one million sq km of legal continental shelf to the country. The scientific data was submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at the United Nations (CLCS) recently.

Exclusive economic zone is an area that extends into the sea from the coastal line over which a nation has privilege over exploitation and exploration of the natural wealth. Once the CLCS clears the proposal, India will have exclusive economic rights up to 350 nautical miles from the coast.

"The country will have economic rights that the exclusive to us, not only in the sea bed but also in the sub sea bed. The rights include fishing, exploration of natural and mineral wealth including crude oil and gas hydrates. The sea treasure in an area up to 350 nautical miles will belong to India," said Dr Anil Kumar Chaubey, senior geophysicist at NIO.

Dr Chaubey was part of the scientific team that submitted evidence to the CLCS in New York. "We gave evidence with regard to water depth, sediment thickness below the sea belt and the kind of material available in the Deep," he told this correspondent.

This important work has helped India in providing the science behind its claim to extend the present EEZ. The scientific team presented details on the partial boundaries of India on the northern sides - eastern and western offshore regions for which India made its continental shelf submission to the UN.

The evidence will now be placed to the sub-commissions consisting of experts in the field and UN will then consider their recommendations for final decision, Dr Chaubey said.

Automated Underwater Vehicle: Maya to unravel secrets of Seas

August 4, 2008
By Syed Akbar
India's latest autonomous underwater vehicle, Maya, is all set to unravel the secrets hidden beneath the Deep and in the murky depths of rivers, lakes and natural tanks. Developed by the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography, Maya, has been successfully tested for oceanographic studies, marine biology, water quality studies in fresh water reservoirs and dams and environmental monitoring of coastal waters and estuaries.
The country's first indigenously built autonomous underwater vehicle is now all set for large-scale commercial production. Scientists at NIO have utilised Maya for various studies and after successful results, they decided to transfer the technology to entrepreneurs.
Maya is a simple-looking yet sophisticated robot that's capable of passing on the secrets hidden in the unfathomable depths of oceans and seas. World-wide there are only 58 AUVs and NIO's successful testing of Maya has pushed India in the select league of nations with advanced technology in ocean sciences and technology.
According to senior scientist Desa Elgar, Maya is essentially made up of three parts. The first part is the free flooding nose cone of the vehicle, which houses the scientific sensors. This nose cone is swappable and is application specific. The second part is the sealed aluminium hull called the Core Pressure Unit, which contains the batteries, electronics, vehicle sensors, actuators, communication
systems and the electronics. The third part is called the tail cone and is
used to house the propulsion device.
Maya is rated for 200 mts depth operations and is capable of diving to different programmed depths and maintaining control of motion at those depths. It can follow mission paths that are pre-programmed.
Safety features enable the vehicle to return to the surface in case of hardware failure. The missions for the vehicle are loaded through a radio frequency link.
The AUV was used in different environmental settings including the Idukki reservoir in Kerala and a coastal station in the Arabian sea.
"Our experience in this project has confirmed the potential of small AUVs to work in confined spaces and in the open ocean, and as we have experienced, to discover unexpected processes in the ocean," said Elgar Desa. The vehicle was developed by R Madhan, P Maurya, G Navelkar, A Mascarenhas, S Prabhudesai, S Afzulpurkar and S
Bandodkar, besides Desa.

What are AUVs?

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles are essentially propelled robot platforms with on-board computers, power packs and vehicle payloads that enable automatic control, navigation and guidance of the vehicle.
They are used to acquire data from onboard sensors to sense physical, biological and
chemical properties in the ocean, in lakes, in estuaries, rivers, and dams. AUVs are novel to the extent that they can be programmed to dive and to maintain control at any given depth layer in a water body, to navigate by changing course at a chosen depth, to follow seabed terrain, and when a mission is accomplished to return ‘home’.
"A number of oceanographic problems need data acquisition without disturbing the environment. Shipboard profiling and towed instruments packages and samplers in such cases disturb the layer and can introduce errors in measurements. There are situations and places where divers are at risk and in these cases AUVs and Remotely Operated Vehicles equipped withappropriate sensors, power packs, and propulsion capability are able to address these problems to a large extent," the NIO team said.
In the case of Maya, NIO scientists have fitted Maya with sensors for oxygen, chlorophyll, conductivity, turbidity, temperature and depth.
The vehicle was programmed to dive to different depths in a staircase pattern up to 21 mts, and in the second mission at 1 mt depth up to 4 kilometres of continuous operation. It successfully collected data in the missions.
A single underwater motor is used to propel Maya. Two stern planes and a single rudder control diving and heading manoeuvre respectively.
The nose section on Maya is removable and different sensors can be fitted onto it for specific mission at sea.
Maya is designed to receive commands from shore and also send data over high-speed radio link. Underwater navigation uses the Doppler Velocity Log and a dead reckoning algorithm that estimates position below surface. Surface navigation is based on global positioning system.
"Maya has many applications in oceanography. It can collect standard oceanographic data in confined areas, carry out shallow water bathymetry using acoustic methods, detect blooms with the help of optical radiometers, and also work as a test platform for new sensor technologies," the NIO scientists said.

Ice melt in Arctic sea worries scientists, oceanographers

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, Sept 27: The sudden spurt in melting Arctic sea ice is now worrying scientists even as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is busy finding reasons for the ice decline.

Though the Arctic sea ice has been melting for decades, it is for the first time that it has shrunk to its lowest in 29 years. Satellite and remote sensing data gathered by NASA reveals that there has been a sudden speed-up of ice melting process of late. The sea ice decline has gone below the minimum level set by oceanographers two years ago. NASA has been closely monitoring the sea ice melting phenomenon since 1979 and now it is busy working on the reasons for the sudden speed-up vis-à-vis what it means for the future of the human planet.

Space scientists attending the 58th international astronautical congress here are discussing the havoc the melting Arctic sea ice would cause to human, plant and animal life on the earth. If the ice decline increases further, it will hurry up the process of submergence of several islands in the world even while changing the geography of the coastline in several countries.

According to NASA scientists, the sea ice has been melting at around 10 per cent a decade for the past 29 years. "But the 2007 minimum, reached around September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38 per cent lower than the climatological average. Compared to the record low in 2005, the extent and area are 24 per cent and nearly 26 per cent lower this year, respectively. This year, the amount of ice is so far below that of previous years that it really is cause for concern. The trend in decreasing ice cover seems to be getting stronger and stronger as time goes on," says senior NASA scientist Josefino C Comiso.

Scientists attribute this phenomenon to rapid changes in climate. "The implications on global climate are not well known, but they have the potential to be quite large, since the Arctic ice cover exhibits a tremendous influence on our climate. It really is imperative that we try to understand the interactions between the ice, ocean and atmosphere. And satellites hold the key to developing this understanding."