Indian researchers take a step towards improving wave forecasts
New Delhi(India Science Wire).
Researchers at the
Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad have
found a method of improving wave forecasts. They have ascertained that certain
phases of boreal summer intra seasonal oscillation or BSISO induce high wave
activity in the northern Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. The finding will help to
improve wave forecasts in the Indian coastal region and help mitigate the
adverse impacts of high waves such as coastal flooding and erosion. It will
also aid better planning of sea navigation routes in the northern Indian Ocean
waters.
Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (BSISO) is the
movement of convection (heat) from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific in
roughly every 10–50 days of the monsoon season from June to September. BSISOs
represent monsoon’s ‘active’ and ‘break’ periods, in which weeks of heavy
rainfall give way to brilliant sunshine before starting all over again. The
active phase also enhances monsoon winds and hence the surface waves.
The team worked with data on Indian ocean waves such as
their height, period, and surface winds over a span of 38 years from 1979-2017.
By using mathematical data analysis models, the research team studied the
relationship between various phases of BSISO and the height of waves in the
Indian Ocean. They found that waves induced by active phases of BSISO are
nearly 0.5 meters higher than those which occur during other phases of BSISO.
The active phases of BSISO occur between June to August which are the monsoon
summer months. “This finding has a great significance in developing seasonal
and climate forecast service for waves and coastal erosion for India. Under the
Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, we will be initiating
work on this very soon”, said DrBalakrishna Nair, Director of INCOIS,
Hyderabad, who led the study. The findings were published in a recent issue of
the journal Scientific Reports.
“Wave forecast advisories based on the BSISO would be more
useful for efficient coastal and marine management”, he added. His team
included DrGangiredlaSrinivas and Dr P G Remya, scientists at INCOIS, Hyderabad
and S Malvika, a masters student at the Cochin University of Sciences and
Technology, Kerala.
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