Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) housing the Indian Tsunami Warning Centre here, has not only been giving alerts about the potential tsunamis for about 25 countries across the Indian Ocean Rim but also been providing Sri Lanka down under with daily ocean state forecast services such as wind, wave, swell, currents, sea surface temperatures and others with the help of a dedicated webpage, said Group Director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair.
The forecast is available to the users three days in advance in the form of a map for the region and these are updated daily while location specific forecast products are available for 22 locations most of which are fishing harbours, he said.
The institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) which also provides ‘Algal bloom information services’ shares the data generated with Sri Lanka by monitoring four hot spots in the Indian Ocean, including the coastal waters of North Arabian Sea, Kochi, Gulf of Mannar and Gopalpur, said Mr. Nair.
It is near real time information on the presence of bloom in the north Indian Ocean gleaned from satellite derived sea surface temperatures, chlorophyll, and a derived parameter called ‘Bloom Index’ that is used to disseminate the data along with the nature of phytoplankton species and the size information.
If the bloom is due to the presence of green or red Noctiluca it is classified as ‘harmful’. If the bloom is dominated by diatoms, then it ‘non-harmful’. The area is designated under ‘watch’ if the sector has more than 50% bloom pixels, and it is a ‘warning’ sign when the area has more than 75% bloom pixels. The status of each sector is displayed by a colour code (green for normal, yellow for watch and red for warning), he explained.
Increasing frequency of algal bloom is a major concern due to its ill effects on fishery, marine life and water quality. The targeted users are fishermen, fishery resource managers, researchers, and others. The bloom information also complements the Potential Fishing Zone (PFA) advisories, pointed out the scientist.
INCOIS monitors water temperatures too around the coral reefs in the seas with the help of satellite imagery to issue a Coral Bleaching Alert System. Special algorithms help keep a tab on the stress levels of corals due to unusual warm water to provide warnings for tourism and research purposes.
Coral reefs are called ‘rainforests’ of the seas are diverse underwater ecosystems held together by calcium carbonate structures (Coral polyp) secreted by corals. Corals are animals though they may exhibit characteristics of plants and are often mistaken for rocks. They occupy just 0.1% of ocean area, but support 25% of all marine species hosting a huge variety of plants and animals and protect many young fish species, informed INCOIS Director T. Srinivasa Kumar.
Near the beaches
Scientists also monitor the water quality near the beaches checking for temperature, salinity, oxygen, oxygen saturation, alkalinity, pH levels , etc., plus also the pollution and algae growth to inform the authorities concerned to take appropriate action as it could give crucial information for the tourism industry, he added.
