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Polar satellite to monitor the Indian seas

An exclusive polar ocean satellite to collect marine data will be launched in the first quarter of next year, Dr A E Muthunayagam, secretary in the ocean development department, said in Panjim today.

Talking to the media after the inauguration of the international symposium on information technology in oceanography, Dr Muthunayagam said the satellite with two payloads, one on ocean colour and the other on temperature, will derive useful parameters.

Steps are under way to prepare a usage plan for the satellite.

He said the second ocean satellite would be launched four years later with four payloads with more predictive capability.

Apart from this, the department is collecting data by conventional methods like drifting buoys and moored data buoys.

Ocean observations and information services will make oceanographic data and data products available for end-users like meteorology departments to promote interaction between the user agencies and oceanographers, he said.

To monitor the coastal waters, the entire Indian coastline has been divided into eleven segments and 77 institutions under the ocean development department have been put in charge of this activity. The institutions will monitor the pollution levels at sea and send reports to the respective pollution control boards, he added.

UNI

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