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Indian Ocean Needs El Nino Network Like Pacific
Perth - Nov. 16, 2000 "Better climate prediction for the nations around the Indian Ocean would improve the lives of billions of people," says the Chief of CSIRO Marine Research, Dr Nan Bray. Patterns in the Indian Ocean which influence the strength of regional rainfall have an impact on two thirds of the world's population, according to climate researchers meeting in Perth, who are calling for an international monitoring system. Australian, Indian and Malaysian rural production would benefit significantly from the development of an ocean observing system identifying global climate signals similar to El Nino, says Dr Bray. The system would be similar to the array of instruments in the Pacific Ocean which predicted massive changes in ocean conditions leading up to the last major El Nino in 1997. According to climate scientists studying the Indian monsoon system, the multi-million dollar network would indicate changes for regional rainfall months ahead. In Perth for the Oceans and Climate 2000 international conference, Prof Peter Webster, (University of Colorado), and Prof Sulochana Gadgil, (Indian Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and the Indian Institute of Science), are calling for international support for an ocean-wide observation network of moored and drifting instruments in the tropical Indian Ocean. In the Indian Ocean, the network would help predict the strength of key rainfall events such as the Indian monsoon, which govern sustainability in Indian food production and influence winter rainfall across southern Australia. India's Department of Ocean Development has established a small regional trial network of meteorological-ocean buoys, which will be complemented by a series of Argo drifting floats, similar to those deployed by CSIRO in the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia. More than 60 per cent of Indians depend on agriculture for their livelihood, and recently there has been widespread concern at decreased production. "There are large fluctuations in the annual food grain production in response to the variability of the monsoon. "Sustained observations of the critical atmospheric and oceanic variables over the equatorial Indian ocean is an essential pre-requisite to understanding the development of cloud buildup and large scale monsoon rainfall," Prof Gadgil says. Prof Gadgil discovered how the monsoon is maintained by the northward movement of clouding over the equatorial Indian Ocean. She has been involved in an Indian observational experiment on the Bay of Bengal and the Monsoon BOBMEX in 1999. Prof Webster, who has led international oceanographic research cruises in the Indian Ocean involving Australian and US researchers, says the way the upper ocean and atmosphere interact is the best indicator for predicting variations in rainfall and climate. "There seems to be a strong connection between processes occurring in the upper 100 metres of the Indian Ocean and, for example, how much winter rain falls in southern Australia," he said. A series of currents in the Indian Ocean has been linked to a basin-wide shift in sea temperatures, winds and rain. Known as the Indian Ocean 'Dipole', it affects the frequency of storm systems. Earlier this year Dr Nan Bray, called for the evaluation of a climate observing system which could indicate changes for regional rainfall months ahead. "We think the Indian Ocean effects are predictable because ocean currents are involved, and currents are more predictable than weather," she says. Almost 100 scientists from 10 countries are participating in the Oceans and Climate 2000 Workshop on Sustained Observations of Climate in the Indian Ocean. The conference is sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the West Australian Government, the Federal Department of Industry, Science and Technology and CSIRO. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Dirt, rocks and all the stuff we stand on firmly
Environmental Damage Threatens Human Health
Bangkok (AFP) Dec 9, 2005Environmental damage threatens human health and may have contributed to the spread of new diseases like bird flu and SARS, the World Health Organization said in a report Friday. |
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