TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran will host the first International Scientific Conference on Monitoring and Forecasting Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones this year on October 9 and 10.

The Conference will be held virtually by Iran’s Research Institute of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (RIMAS), with the theme of "Early Warning for Everyone".

The southern coast of Iran along the Oman Sea is affected by tropical cyclones. Meanwhile, tropical cyclones have the capability to generate very large and high waves.

In recent years, as the sea surface temperature has risen with global warming, there has been an increase in the frequency and intensity of these cyclones.

This increase is seen in the Arabian and Oman seas, and with the formation of cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean and the arrival of tropical cyclones in the Oman Sea region, long waves occur along the coastlines of Iran.

In this regard, the country's Research Institute of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences, in cooperation with the Meteorological Organization, will hold the event.

Sahar Tajbakhsh, the head of the Iran Metrological Organization will chair the conference. Behzad Layeqi, the director of the Oceanic and Atmospheric Science Center, will be the administrative secretary, and Mehdi Rahnama, the head of RIMAS, will be the scientific secretary, IRIB reported.

“The main objectives are to synergize and exchange experiences in the field of monitoring and predicting tropical cyclones in the northern Indian Ocean region, and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Tropical Cyclone Program known as (TCP),” IRIB quoted Rahnama, as saying.

Besides, the conference aims to showcase the latest scientific achievements related to climate change and its consequences on the areas affected by tropical storms and to inform the members of the effects and consequences of sea storms.

Also, it will try to find the most appropriate solutions to deal with tropical storms’ economic, social, and environmental effects; their impact on maritime transport, and their coastal and marine uses.

Rahnama added, “Holding this conference will help to develop the necessary infrastructure for the monitoring network, database, and forecasting calculation models, as well as developing the necessary infrastructure for Early Warning Systems.”

Lecturers from China, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, and Oman have announced their readiness to deliver speeches virtually, as well.

Tropical cyclones

Although tropical cyclones as a natural phenomenon maintain balance in the cycle of nature, they pose a threat to human civilization in coastal areas.

Forming over warm tropical oceans, tropical cyclones have strong winds of at least 64 knots (74 meters per hour). Producing violent winds and torrential rains, these cyclones can cause enormous damage and huge loss of life in coastal areas.

In view of this, in 1972, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) jointly established an intergovernmental regional body, associated with the WMO Tropical Cyclone Program.

The first session of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 1973.

The main objective of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones is to promote measures to improve tropical cyclone warning systems in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, including dissemination of technical information on tropical cyclones research and forecasting operations to mitigate the socio-economic impacts of tropical cyclone-related disasters.

MT/MG