Panaji: Goa-based National Institute of
Oceanography (NIO) has said that Oceansat-2 satellite will
help facilitate versatile sea data boosting ocean research
segment in the country.
"With this satellite our capabilities has enhanced
tremendously. We will be able to collect more versatile data,"
V Ramaswamy, scientist, Geological Oceanography, NIO, said.
Indian Space Research Organistion`s polar satellite
launch vehicle carrying India`s ocean monitoring satellite
Oceansat-2 and six European nano satellites blasted off from
SHAR range at Sriharikota on Wednesday.
Although Oceansat-2 is continuation for Oceansat-1,
which was launched in 1999, the researcher feels that the
additional capabilities to monitor temperature and surface
winds will help in predicting various phenomenon in the ocean.
"Oceansat-1 had was providing data only on the ocean
colour while rest of the features were not there. The recently
launched satellite is equipped with two censors ocean colour
monitor (OCM) and KU-Band pencil beam scatterometer. With the
ocean colour we can make out primary production of the ocean,"
Ramaswamy said.
"If the ocean is green that means the more fishes will
be there. These zones are high productivity fishing zones,
which are recorded and the information is passed on to the
fishermen," Ramaswamy said.
He stated that the Oceansat-2 is bit more
sophisticated with the equipments which will transmit the data
which can be utilized during the various projects undertaken
by NIO sponsored by Ahmadabad-based space application centre
(SAT).
The researchers expect a major help in the Euphoric
zone studies and bio-geo chemical cycles.
Giving an edge over the Oceansat-1 satellite, the
recently injected satellite also will aid the scientists in
monitoring the dust storms which usually erupt from the west
of Rajasthan and countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran
and Iraq.
Ramaswamy said that the data collected by this
satellite would be passed on to NIO by two agencies--SAT and
Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA).
Bureau Report
