India, US ink deal to improve weather, monsoon forecasts

Indian and American bodies have signed an agreement on monsoon data analysis and cooperation to improve weather forecasts in the region.

The agreement was signed by India's National Institute of Ocean Technology Director G A Ramadass and the US Assistant Administrator for Research and Acting Chief Scientist Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday.

As a result of this, the two bodies would enhance technical cooperation in the development of the Research Moored Array for African-Asian-Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction (RAMA) and the Ocean Moored buoy Network in the northern Indian ocean (OMNI) for improving weather and monsoon forecasts between NOAA and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The agreement is a follow up to the memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and NOAA last October for Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences.

The MoU was signed by India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Dr Neil A Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Acting Administrator, NOAA.