NOAA TEAM VISITS INDIA’S MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES FOR THE FIRST INDIA-U.S. SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM ON EARTH OBSERVATIONS AND SCIENCE

Under the leadership of Dr. Chet Koblinsky, Director of the NOAA Climate Program Office (CPO), a NOAA team visited India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in mid-September. This team was comprised of staff and scientists from across NOAA representing a broad range of disciplines (see text box at the bottom for complete list of participants). The goal of this visit was to meet with MoES Leadership and scientists at several MoES Institutes to discuss Earth observations and science, its societal benefits, and potential areas for collaboration. This visit follows on the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for "Earth Observations and Earth Sciences" by former MoES Secretary, Dr. P.S. Goel and Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret) Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, on April 16, 2008.

A highlight of the visit was the first science colloquium, "Earth Observations and Earth Sciences for Societal Benefits," co-chaired by Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Secretary of MoES, and Dr. Koblinsky held in New Delhi. MoES and NOAA scientists gave presentations and participated in discussions on the development of future projects to enhance Indian Ocean observations, improve monsoon and weather forecasting, and improve climate monitoring and prediction. The colloquium’s overarching theme was how best to work together to improve mutual understanding of these phenomena, and how to share the knowledge gained for societal benefit.

Dr. Venkatachala Ramaswamy, Acting Director of NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, presenting at the colloquium

“This science colloquium, with some of the best scientists from both nations, highlights the state of our knowledge in areas that affect the lives and livelihoods of people in this region and around the world, such as monsoon, climate, cyclones and tsunamis,” said NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.

The colloquium resulted in the signing of three new Implementing Arrangements (IAs) to address specific projects under the MoU — one focused on Climate Monitoring and Prediction System for the South Asian region, another focused on Climate Model and Ocean Assimilation Analyses for the Indian Ocean Region, and the third focused on Development of the South Asian Regional Reanalysis (SARR) to advance Understanding, Modeling, and Prediction of Monsoon Hydroclimate Variability and Change.

These new IAs complement the ongoing Research moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon analysis and prediction (RAMA) effort that was signed concurrently with the MoU in April 2008. RAMA is a new moored buoy array in the Indian Ocean designed for advancing monsoon research and forecasting which, when complete, will consist of 46 deep-ocean moorings across the Indian Ocean basin. Under the newly signed IA, NOAA will provide surface and subsurface moorings to be deployed from research vessels provided by India. This arrangement will accelerate the completion of the RAMA effort, now expected to be 72 percent complete by the end of 2009.

a researcher places a sonar tag on a horseshoe crab

Signing of the project Implementation Arrangements (IAs) between NOAA and MoES

“This colloquium is planned to identify current state of knowledge, identify gap area and plan future activities to improve the existing services to the society,” stated Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Secretary of MoES.

Future plans for joint MoES-NOAA projects include technical and scientific cooperation related to satellite data applications, greenhouse gas measurements, archived tide gauge data, and tropical cyclone forecasting. The MoU and the resulting visit to India were in response to the recognition of the importance of cooperation on the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS).

Participants from both nations felt that the science colloquium was a success and that the NOAA-MoES MOU was a milestone in Indo-U.S. cooperation for Earth Science. Both sides have tentatively agreed to review their progress in the first Joint Committee Meeting in 2009.

For more information please contact:

Sidney Thurston
NOAA Climate Program Office
Phone: +1-301-734-1257
Email: Sidney.Thurston@noaa.gov

CPO would like to recognize all the NOAA staff and invited scientists who participated in the development and success of this visit to India and the Science Colloquium.

Mr. Rene Eppi, Director of OAR International Affairs
Dr. Andrew W. Robertson, International Research Institute for Climate & Society (IRI)
Dr. Venkatachalam Ramaswamy, Acting Director NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)
Dr. Arun Kumar, NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
Jabin Vahora, NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS)
Dr. Shivsharan Someshwar, The International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)
Prof. Sumant Nigam, University of Maryland
Dr. Edward Dlugokencky, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)
Dr. Michael McPhaden, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) - NOAA’s RAMA Chief
Dr. Gabriel Vecchi, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL)
Ms. Hetal Jain, Technical Coordinator to CPO Director
Dr. Sidney Thurston, NOAA-MoES Secretariat and India Mission
NOAA Team Leader, Dr. Chet Koblinsky, Director, NOAA Climate Program Office

NOAA Team Visits India's Ministry of Earth Sciences for the First India - U.S. Science Colloquium on Earth Observations and Science