According to scientists at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), It is not just the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, even the Maldives islands have an influence on Indian Ocean currents significantly altering the direction and speed to a greater extent.

1. These deep-swirling patterns in the ocean depths were found to be opposite to the surface currents.

About Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS):

2. Activities: 
3. 1. The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), an in-house facility, provides 24/7 monitoring and warning services for the coastal population regarding tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, and other related phenomena.
   2. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has designated the ITEWC as a Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP) to provide tsunami warnings to countries in the Indian Ocean Rim.
   3. Daily advisories are provided to fisher folk, enabling them to locate areas with abundant fish in the ocean, saving both fuel and search time.
   4. Short-term (3-7 days) Ocean State Forecasts, including waves, currents, sea surface temperature, and other relevant data, are issued daily to various stakeholders such as fisher folk, the shipping industry, the oil and natural gas industry, the Navy, and the Coast Guard.
   5. Deploys and maintains a comprehensive suite of Ocean Observing Systems in the Indian Ocean to collect data on various oceanic parameters.
   6. Conducts systematic quality checks and archives all observational, satellite, and other oceanic data at the ESSO-INCOIS Data Centre, making it accessible to students, researchers, and other users.
   7. INCOIS has been appointed as the National Oceanographic Data Centre by the International Oceanographic Data Exchange Programme (IODE) of the IOC.
   8. Generates daily Global Ocean Analysis data using mathematical models and observations, providing initial conditions for ocean-atmosphere coupled models used in monsoon prediction and understanding oceanic processes.
   1. Established a national network (Indian Seismic and GNSS Network (ISGN)) integrating Seismic and GNSS stations, delivering high-quality data for research and operational use.

Additionally, INCOIS serves as the National Argo Data Centre, Regional Argo Data Centre, and the regional data centre and clearing house for the Indian Ocean region for the Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (IOGOOS) Programme.

3. International Involvement:
   1. Permanent Member: Member of the Indian delegation to the IOC of UNESCO and a founding member of the Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (IOGOOS) and the Partnership for Observing the Oceans (POGO).
   2. Capacity Building: Actively engaged in capacity building, student, and researcher exchange programs.
4. Housing International Organizations:
   1. ESSO-INCOIS houses the IOGOOS secretariat and the SIBER International Programme Office.
5. Disaster Mitigation:
   1. Providing maritime information and forecasts to member countries through the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia.

FAQs:

Q: What is the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)?

• The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
• The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together to protect the health of our shared ocean by coordinating programmes in areas such as ocean observations, tsunami warnings and marine spatial planning.

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