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.
Rationale
The overall objective of this Winter School is to educate students and researchers to gain an improved understanding of the atmospheric and ocean circulation and variability in the Indian Ocean which is unique among all the oceans and its response to the monsoon system. The impacts of sea level changes and also increased incidence of algal blooms have profound effect on the ecosystem of the region. All this can be studied by the integrated use of numerical modeling and data assimilation through satellite remote sensing and in situ measurements.
The winter school would focus on the following 5 themes:
1. The Monsoon systems
The annual heating/cooling of the Asian continent, the meridional gradient of tropospheric heating and the associated monsoon circulation are the most important aspects of atmospheric circulation. Almost half of the world's population live in areas affected by the Asian summer monsoon, and even slight deviations from the normal monsoon pattern can have great impact on agricultural production, water availability and hydroelectric power generation to name a few. Against the backdrop of rising global surface temperature, the stability of the monsoon rainfall remains to be a puzzle to the scientific community.
2. Indian Ocean circulation
The Asian monsoon influences the currents in the North Indian Ocean, while the atmosphere’s anticyclonic circulation influences the circulation in the South Indian Ocean. Recently, the Indian Ocean has been discovered to have a much larger impact on climate variability than what previously thought of. Changing winds and currents in the Indian Ocean during the 1990s have contributed to the observed warming of the ocean during this period. Understanding the cause of this warming and predicting its future evolution are major challenges to the scientific community, as the ocean warming is tied into a much larger global cycle of events. Also the warming of the Indian Ocean has impact on the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) through teleconnection between the low and high latitudes.
3. Sea level change
Global average temperature and sea level have increased, and precipitation patterns have changed in the past 50 years. As the earth warms, glaciers and ice sheets melt, releasing fresh water into the oceans. In addition as the water warms it also expands adding to the problem. The Greenland Ice sheet contains enough freshwater to raise global sea levels by 7 m, it is currently responsible for the increase of global sea level of 0.3-0.5mm/yr out of the total of 3mm/year. Most of the world’s largest cities containing millions of people lie at or very close to sea level and will therefore be affected by the rising sea level in this century.
4. Algal blooms
The change in SST and level of nutrients have increased the frequency of algal blooms in the marine environment. Some of these algal blooms are harmful to life in one way or other. The exact mechanism by which the harmful algal bloom formation is triggered is still not completely understood. The increase in the frequency and severity of the harmful algal blooms world-wide calls for attention by the scientists.
5. Technology
The monitoring of the fast evolution of the global environment is essential to assess the anthropogenic effects on the Earth system and to predict its expected responses. Numerical models and Remote sensing technology are essential for analyzing system dynamics and the responses to anthropogenic forcing.
The winter school would try to furnish an in-depth analysis of the above mentioned themes by way of invited talks by expert scientists from India and Norway.
The Winter School is funded by the Nansen Scientific Society and Nansen Centre, Bergen, Norway and the venue is Cherai beach resort, Cochin.
The Winter School will have tutorial sessions on Ocean/Climate Modeling, Ecosystem Modeling, Data Assimilation in Ocean Models, SAR Data Analysis, Radar Altimetry, Coastal Radar Applications and Ocean Colour Applications.
Interested research students/early career scientists (below the age of 35 years) may download the application form and send the filled-in application to
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before 31 December 2009.
Important dates
Application deadline : 31 December 2009
Intimation of acceptance : 10 January 2010
Registration deadline : 20 January 2010
Registration
Upon intimation of acceptance, the selected applicants should send the registration fee of Rs. 1000/- by Demand Draft drawn in favour of Director, Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India) payable at Cochin before the deadline.
The registration fee includes participation in all technical sessions, accommodation, food and banquet dinner.
Student Travel Grant
Limited travel grants (Railway 3T A/C) shall be provided to those who do not have institutional support, on recommendation from the concerned supervisor.
Organizing Committee
| 1. Prof. Ola M. Johannessen (Chairman) |
4. Mr. Lasse H. Pettersson |
| 2. Prof. N.R. Menon (Co-chairman) |
5. Dr. K. Ajith Joseph |
| 3. Ms. Bente E. Johannessen |
6. Dr. N. Nandini Menon |
Click here to Download the Application Form
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