Indo-Norwegian agreement for ocean forecasting system

Hyderabad, Jan 24 (UNI) Aiming an ocean modelling and data assimilation system for the Indian Ocean, an agreemet 'TOPAZ Indian Ocean forecasting system' was signed by Norwegian and Indian partners here today.

According to a release, the system was developed by Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) and Univesity of Bergen (UoB), both from Norway and Nansen Environmetal Research Centre India (NERCI), Kochi and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad.

The agreemet was signed by Director INCOIS Sailes Naak, Director internatinoal relations NERSC Lasse H Pettersson, Director NERCI board N R Menon and Rector UoB Sigmund Gronmo.

Under the agreement, the developmet and validation work of the TOPAZ Indian Ocean forecasting system would progress jointly in Bergen, Kochi and Hyderabad. The objective of the system was that it should be operational at INCOIS for forecasting the Indian Ocean.

Then INCOIS should forecast ocean parameters such as fish stocks, ocean state and tsunami for societal and economic benefit, the release added.

Currently the TOPAZ system was in operation for the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and now it had also been implemented for Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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