News Analysis India

Tag: cyclones

  • After Lanka’s Asani, India’s turn to name cyclone not far 

    Express News Service

    BENGALURU: The formation of tropical cyclones is not new and neither is their naming. But this one – Asani – has caught the attention of many. This is not just because of its movement, the heavy rainfall and the drop in mercury levels. But because of its name. 

    It has been named by Sri Lanka and means Raat (night). That is not all, officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said with the increasing formation of cyclones, India’s turn to name the cyclone, which is fifth in the list, will come soon. 

    As per the World Meteorological Organisation’s National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, 13 countries suggest list of names for cyclones forming in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, which are to be used alphabetically country wise. The list of countries in the panel include – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. 

    “Asani is the first cyclone of this year and as per order, it was Sri Lanka’s turn to name it. The next will be named by Thailand as Sitrang. The next name suggested by India is Tej and it will come fifth in line. But going by the increasing formation of cyclones over the years, the turn of India is not far behind,” a senior IMD official told TNIE. 

  • Scientists devise new technique to detect cyclones earlier than satellites

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Indian scientists have found a promising technique which can help detect tropical cyclones over the Indian Ocean prior to the satellites.

    Early detection of tropical cyclones has wide socio-economic implications. So far, remote sensing techniques have detected them the earliest. However, this detection was possible only after the system developed as a well-marked low-pressure system over the warm ocean surface. A larger time gap between the detection and the impact of the cyclone could help preparation activities.

    Prior to the formation of a cyclonic system over the warm oceanic environment, the initial atmospheric instability mechanism, as well as the vortex development, is triggered at higher atmospheric levels. These cyclonic eddies are prominent features in the vertical atmospheric column encompassing the disturbance environment with a potential to induce and develop into a well-marked cyclonic depression over the warm ocean surface. They could be used for detection of prediction of cyclones.

    A team of Scientists, including Jiya Albert, Bishnupriya Sahoo, and Prasad K. Bhaskaran from IIT Kharagpur, with support from the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under the Climate Change Programme (CCP), devised a novel method using eddy detection technique to investigate the formative stages and advance detection time of tropical cyclogenesis in the North Indian Ocean region. The research was published in the journal ‘Atmospheric Research’ recently.

    The method developed by the scientists’ aims to identify initial traces of pre-cyclonic eddy vortices in the atmospheric column and track its spatio-temporal evolution. They used a coarser grid resolution of 27 km for identification and finer resolution of 9 km to evaluate the characteristics of eddy vortices. The study was conducted with cases of four post-monsoon severe cyclones — Phailin (2013), Vardah (2013), Gaja (2018), Madi (2013), — and two pre-monsoon cyclones — Mora (2017) and Aila (2009) — that developed over North Indian Ocean.

    The team observed that the method could bring about the genesis of prediction with a minimum of four days (~ 90 h) lead time for cyclones developed during the pre-and post-monsoon seasons. Initiation mechanisms of genesis of tropical cyclones occur at upper atmospheric levels and are also detected at higher lead time for pre-monsoon cases, unlike the post-monsoon cases. The study made a comprehensive investigation on the behavior of eddies in an atmospheric column for non-developing cases and compared these findings with developing cases.

  • Centre asks states to augment disaster management preparedness

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday asked all states and union territories to enhance their preparedness for handling natural disasters like heavy rains, floods etc that may arise due to southwest monsoon, at a time when the country is still battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla emphasized on the need of building up capacities and response reflexes to ensure round the clock preparedness to deal with impending disasters.

    Bhalla also advised the states “to make extra efforts to secure all health facilities, oxygen generation plants” from heavy rains, floods or any other impending disaster during the South-West Monsoon.

    Bhalla was presiding over the annual conference of relief commissioners and secretaries of the departments of disaster management of states/UTs. The senior bureaucrat asked both the Central and state agencies to be better prepared amid the Covid-19 pandemic, to minimize losses due to natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes etc.

    Issues linked to disaster preparedness, early warning systems, flood and river/reservoir management, disaster management on-site and off-site plans of the states and Union territories were discussed, the home ministry said, in a statement.

    At the conference, the home secretary released version 4.0 of the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM), developed by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), which the Centre said would be helpful in integration of real-time alerts and warnings from forecasting agencies and their dissemination to disaster management authorities up to district level for disaster risk reduction in the country.

    “The IMD made a presentation on forecasting, warning and dissemination mechanism, response and preparedness measures and their future plans for enhancing capability in the field of disaster management,” read an official statement.The conference was attended by representatives of states and UTs, Central ministries, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Central Water Commission (CWC ), Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), NRSC, GSI, Armed Forces and NDRF.