Satellite Remote Sensing: Operational Ocean Observation & Forecasts (3-day)
Mauritius is a small island state with a large ocean territory - an Exclusive Economic Zone of approximately 2.3 square kilometres spread across the south-west Indian Ocean. This is a restless stretch of sea: shaped by the South Equatorial Current, rich in swirling eddies, and crossed each summer by tropical cyclones. Understanding what the ocean is doing, day to day, matters for safety at sea, for the fishing communities who depend on it, and for protecting our coasts and reefs.
The Mauritius Oceanography Institute operates an operational forecasting service which turns satellite observations and ocean models from the European Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) into clear and up-to-date maps for our own waters. Each map shows conditions now and a forecast for the next three days.
The maps cover four ocean zones - Mauritius, Rodrigues, St Brandon (Cargados Carajos) and Agalega - each extending roughly 30 nautical miles from the coast, the band of sea where most activities and risks are concentrated.
The links below open interactive maps for each region, displaying data for sea surface currents, salinity, significant wave height, temperature anomalies, and chlorophyll-a (Ocean Productivity). The maps show how the ocean evolves from the date the maps are generated through the next three days. Placing the cursor over any point on the map will give its exact value.
The forecasts are produced by the Mauritius Oceanography Institute from CMEMS satellite and model products. Currents, salinity and waves are provided at about 9 km resolution, sea surface temperature at about 5 km, and chlorophyll at about 4 km.
