India has planned to launch an advanced satellite, INSAT-3D dedicated to weather forecasting by the end of this year. The satellite will have six channel imager and 19 channel sounder.
“This satellite will be almost similar to GOES satellites of US. The INSAT-3D data shall provide necessary quantitative products in addition to earth imagery in six channels need for making quality weather forecast,” said the the secretary in the ministry of earth sciences, PS Goel.
The new advanced satellite would provide vertical profiles of temperature and humidity, atmospheric motion vectors, outgoing longwave radiation, quantitative precipitation estimates, sea surface temperature, Himalayan snow cover, snow depth, data on fire, smoke and aerosol.. It will also monitor upper troposphere humidity, ozone layer, fog, vegetation index, flash flood.
“All these data will be used in weather forecasting by conventional methods and most of it would be assimilated in numerical weather prediction models to achieve greater accuracy. Indian Space Research Organisation is also planning to launch Oceansat-II and Meghatropique Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites which will also be used for weather forecasting purposes,” he said.
Goel said that India was ready to exchange weather data with other countries and with South Asian countries in particular. The countries in South Asia have similar geo-climatic condition and the South-West Monsoon system is common to countries in the region. Keeping this in view sharing of relevant weather data is of utmost importance.
Delegates from SAARC (South Asian) countries are discussing the use of satellite products in day-to-day weather forecasting techniques at a four-day workshop which began in Delhi on Tuesday. The workshop is organized by the India Meteorological Department and is being attended by about 16 foreign delegates from SAARC countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, besides a large number of participants from the host country, India.
Under the aegis of SAARC cooperation programme, meteorology was one of the five areas chosen for cooperation. The knowledge and expertise in the related field of meteorology in the SAARC region is shared mostly through participation in the seminars/ workshops hosted by member States time to time.
SAARC Countries have had more than a fair share of weather and weather related disasters. Accurate day to day weather forecasting including early warnings of tropical cyclones, track prediction and associated weather, heavy precipitation, western disturbances, seasonal and long range rainfall prediction, forecasting floods, snow and avalanche are vital for the SAARC Region. The satellite data are very important for accurate forecasting and monitoring of these events especially the cyclones and floods and also other events causing severe disasters, thus proved very useful information in saving lives and property and therefore the economy of the region.
The workshop aims at apprising working scientists/meteorologists of SAARC region with the use of meteorological data and imageries derived from the satellite in day-to-day weather forecasting. INSAT data provides earth cloud imageries in visible, infrared and water vapour bands. In addition, quantitative products such as cloud motion vectors (CMVs), outgoing longwave radiation, sea surface temperature and quantitative precipitation estimates are also derived, which are vital inputs for weather forecasting.