Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas

About Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas:

• It showcases the vast potential of ocean energy resources encompassing marine meteorological (solar and wind) and hydrological (wave, tide, currents, ocean thermal, and salinity gradients) energy forms.
• It identifies areas with high potential for energy generation and will serve as a reference for policymakers, industry and researchers for harnessing the rich energy resources available in the Indian EEZ.
• INCOIS prepared the annual, monthly, and daily energy estimates of ocean energy components following standard methods that can be visualised through a WebGIS interface at 5 km grid resolution.

Key facts about the INCOIS

• It was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO).
• Mandate: To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.
• Activities:
  • It provides round-the-clock monitoring and warning services for the coastal population on tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc. through the in-house Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
  • It provides daily advisories to fisher folk to help them easily locate areas of abundant fish in the ocean.
  • Short-term (3-7 days) Ocean State Forecasts (waves, currents, sea surface temperature, etc.) are issued daily to fisher folk, the shipping industry, the oil and natural gas industry, the Navy, the Coast Guard, etc.

Q1. What is an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?

Ans. The concept of EEZ was adopted through the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is an area of the ocean extending up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) immediately offshore from a country’s land coast in which that country retains exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources.

Source: Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services unveils ‘Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas