Nansen Environmental Research Centre, India (NERCI), a non-profit research center within Environmental, Climate and Energy research among the Nansen Group of institutions, in connection with its 10th anniversary, announces the conduct of an International Winter School (residential program) on "INDIAN OCEAN: CHALLENGES IN METEOROLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY" from 8th February (Monday) 2010 to 12th February (Friday) 2010 at Cherai Beach Resort, Cochin.
NERCI organized a Regional Climate Change Workshop at Cochin in Association with Nansen International Remote Sensing Centre, St. Petersburg, Russia on 8-9 October 2009.
The goal of the workshop was to catalyze new initiatives in India and Russia for collaboration to advance regional climate change research, assessment, data and information sharing, training and coordination between scientific communities of two countries.
Indo-Norwegian agreement on developing operational ocean forecasting for the Indian Ocean.
An agreement was signed on 18January,2008 in Hyderabad at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services between Norwegian and India partners. The aim of the cooperation is to develop an operational ocean modelling and data assimilation system for the Indian Ocean the TOPAZ Indian Ocean forecasting system.
The parties from Norway are the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center (NERSC) and the University of Bergen (UoB), both in Bergen , Norway , and from India the Nansen Environmental Research Centre India (NERCI) in Kochi , Kerala and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad . The agreement was signed by Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Director INCOIS, Mr. Lasse H. Pettersson, Director international relations NERSC, Prof. N.R. Menon, Director of the Board NERCI and Sigmund Grønmo, Rector UoB (in absence). Dr. Laurent Bertino Co-Director of the Mohn-Sverdrup Center at NERSC, Research Director Dr. K. Ajith Joseph from NERCI and INCOIS staff were present at the function. The agreement on cooperation has been initiated by Professor Ola M. Johannessen, Founding Director of NERSC and Dr. Shailesh Nayak.
The Mohn-Sverdrup Center for Global Ocean Studies and Operational Oceanography at NERSC in Bergen has been developing the operational TOPAZ ocean forecasting and data assimilation system during more than 10 years. The TOPAZ system is based on the HYCOM ocean circulation model and advanced ensemble methods for assimilation of satellite data and in-situ observations in the model in order to reduce the uncertainties of the forecast. Currently the TOPAZ system is in operations for the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans and has also been implemented for the Indian and Pacific Oceans . It is used in nested mode for high-resolution modelling in several regional seas, including the Gulf of Mexico , the South China Sea , the Agulhas Current and the Barents Sea .
The TOPAZ Indian Ocean system has been implemented, assessed and used by a group of scientists in Bergen and Kochi . Under the agreement signed today, the development and validation work of the TOPAZ Indian Ocean forecasting system will progress jointly in Bergen , Kochi and Hyderabad . The goal of the agreement is that the TOPAZ Indian Ocean forecasting system should be used operationally at INCOIS for operational forecasting for the Indian Ocean , including nested higher resolution models for the coastal regions in both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea .
The Nansen Scientific Society in Bergen has initially supported the cooperation through the donation of a three years scholarship and travel expenses for two Indian Doctoral (Ph.D.) Candidates at INCOIS to be visiting NERSC and the University of Bergen during three months per year. INCOIS will support the national stipends during the three years for the two Candidates. The agreement will also be the foundation for an extensive scientific cooperation and exchange of scientists and additional Ph.D. Candidates.
Contacts :
Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Director INCOIS, Phone: +91 9441013377.
Lasse H. Pettersson, Director International relations, NERSC, Phone: +47 93223563
Prof. Ola M. Johannessen, Founding Director, NERSC, Phone: + 47 90135336
Dr. K. Ajith Joseph, Research Director, NERCI, Phone: + 91 9447325564
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