13. Presentation of Météo-France marine activities in the Indian Ocean

L. Perron   -    RSMC Tropical Cyclone Centre La Réunion, deputy head

1. Regional duties of Météo-France à La Réunion

• The RSMC La Réunion is monitoring 24h/24 the tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean South-West area.

We also organize training sessions for forecasters & conduct research on tropical cyclones (use of AMSU satellite data, climatology of trajectories, implementation of tropical storm surges models, tests of new global and limited area atmospheric models, ensemble forecast)

• GMDSS operational meteorological safety warnings

Issuing Service for Metarea VIII(S), Preparation Service for Metarea VII (cf GMDSS figure 1)



Figure 1: GMDSS Metareas

• Marine pollution within the MPERSS

Meteorological Supporting Service for MPI VII B and MPI VIII C (cf MPERSS figure 2). Skilled forecasters are working on shift 24h/24 and are able to launch upon request the oil spill drift model MOTHY (cf figure 3: oil spill drift forecast, and objects drift forecast). This model has been succesfully tested several times in real cases. This drift model may also help rescue teams to narrow their search to a smaller maritim domain



Figure 2: MPERSS MPI



Figure 3: MOTHY: OCEANIC MODEL FOR OIL SPILL DRIFT FORECAST

2. Our contribution to observations in Indian Ocean:

• Within IBPIO, deployment of 10 to 15 drifting buoys each year with the help of research vessel Marion Dufresne and navy "La Curieuse" and funding of 10 barometers for drifters being deployed under the tropics.

• SHIP meteorological observations from 15 selected ships
• SHIP and BUOYS data quality control by monitoring versus global model analysis
• Meteorological ground stations in Indian Ocean Islands (La Réunion, Juan de Nova, Europa, Glorieuses, Mayotte, Tromelin, Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam), all data sent in real-time to the Global Telecommunications System.

3. Indian Ocean modelisation tools:

• Wave models :
• Global wave model
• long term (168H) ensemble wave forecast over Indian Ocean.

• Atmospheric operationnal models:
• 4D Var global atmospheric model "ARPEGE"
• limited area model "ALADIN Sud-Ouest Ocean Indien"

• Joint projects :

MERCATOR as been launch in 1996 by CNES, CNRS/INSU, IFREMER, IRD, Météo-France et SHOM, in order to:

• Set up an operational oceanographic 3D model
• Increase research, public service and commercial oceanographic applications
• Initialise ocean-atmosphere coupled models
• Contribute to the international experiment GODAE
• CORIOLIS ocean database