India-US weather tie-up to work on Monsoon forecasts

India and the US 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, GA Ramadass, and the US Assistant Administrator for Research and

Acting Chief Scientist, Craig McLean, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week.

As a result, the two organisations would enhance technical cooperation in developing 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). According to Indian media reports, this is aimed at improving weather and Monsoon forecasts between NOAA and India's Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The agreement follows the memorandum of understanding (MoU) 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.