Initial observations key to better weather forecasts: MoES Secretary

Ministry of Earth Sciences emphasizes better weather predictions through advanced satellite data and ground monitoring for improved accuracy.

There can be better weather predictions on the land and in the oceans provided the initial observations like dynamics of energy movement, wind at different time scales apart from temperature, humidity and salinity are made making use of satellite data or on ground monitors, said Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Secretary M. Ravichandran on Tuesday.

“If we can monitor how the oceans and the atmosphere are talking to each other, we can have better predictability. If our initial observations are better our errors will also be less. While 90% data is from the satellites, we need fine scale repetitive resolutions from our sensors,” he told a gathering of top scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) here at Pragatinagar.

Similarly, there is a need for better spectrometers for identifying gases in the atmosphere to check pollution levels and the thickness of glaciers in the Himalayas. “We do not know the volume of the water on which about two billion people depend on. We need to know for sustainable usage for which space technology can play a big role,” said Mr. Ravichandran.

Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru Shailesh Nayak too underscored the importance of monitoring wind profiles for improved forecasts for the tropical region. Early warning systems in both the Himalayas and the Western Ghats, potential fishing advisories to include deep sea fishing and species wise stock assessment for sustainable fishing was suggested.

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) director Prakash Chauhan, Space Applications Centre (Ahmedabad) director Nilesh M. Desai INCOIS director T. Srinivasa Kumar and former National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) director Harsh K. Gupta also spoke.