Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has said that Oceansat-2 satellite will help facilitate versatile sea data boosting ocean research segment in the country.

"With this satellite our capabilities has enhanced tremendously. We will be able to collect more versatile data," V Ramaswamy, scientist, Geological Oceanography, NIO, told PTI.

Indian Space Research Organistion's polar satellite launch vehicle carrying India's ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat-2 and six European nano satellites blasted off from SHAR range at Sriharikota on Wednesday.

Although Oceansat-2 is continuation for Oceansat-1, which was launched in 1999, the researcher feels that the additional capabilities to monitor temperature and surface winds will help in predicting various phenomenon in the ocean.

"Oceansat-1 had was providing data only on the ocean colour while rest of the features were not there. The recently launched satellite is equipped with two censors ocean colour monitor (OCM) and KU-Band pencil beam scatterometer. With the ocean colour we can make out primary production of the ocean," Ramaswamy said.

"If the ocean is green that means the more fishes will be there. These zones are high productivity fishing zones, which are recorded and the information is passed on to the fishermen," Ramaswamy said.

He stated that the Oceansat-2 is bit more sophisticated with the equipments which will transmit the data which can be utilized during the various projects undertaken by NIO sponsored by Ahmadabad-based space application centre (SAT).

The researchers expect a major help in the Euphoric zone studies and bio-geo chemical cycles.

Giving an edge over the Oceansat-1 satellite, the recently injected satellite also will aid the scientists in monitoring the dust storms which usually erupt from the west of Rajasthan and countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.

Ramaswamy said that the data collected by this satellite would be passed on to NIO by two agencies--SAT and Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA).