To ensure speedy and effective response in the event of an oil spill, city-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) intends to put in place an experimental ocean oil spill trajectory prediction system by 2012-13.
“We have developed a model for the oil spill trajectory forecast, based on the details and inputs like location, date and time of the spill, quantity, type of the oil spilled and the prime movers like wind forcing, surface current forcing which are obtained through the Ocean State Forecast (OSF) laboratory of INCOIS,” the Info Services Head of INCOIS, Mr T.M. Balakrishnan Nair, told PTI.
“Now, this model has been integrated with the existing ocean forecast system and is running with inputs from INCOIS.
The output obtained after the execution of the model gives the trajectory of the oil spill,” he said.
INCOIS has already tried out this model at around 10 oil spill incidents in the Indian Ocean region in the past one year, which have been validated, the senior scientist said, adding, “The model is performing well, but we need to carry out more exercises in the coastal areas.”
For carrying out more experiments and validating the predictions, this model will be experimented with tidal currents for better performance under ‘Experimental Ocean oil spill trajectory prediction system’, which will be implemented during 2012-13 in the 12th five-year plan, he said.
“The experimental system will be ready within one year and the fully operational oil spill trajectory system will be ready by 2017,” Mr Nair said.
It is also planned to conduct simulation of oil spill incidents in the last 10 years in the Indian Ocean region.