Advanced Weather Monitoring Facility Established at SRMIST Ramapuram

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), a part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has built an advanced Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Ramapuram, Chennai, to build India's capacity for monitoring urban weather and forecast for people.

The Director of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. M. Ravichandran said "It houses nearly 15 sophisticated scientific instruments of more than Rs 60 crore, which are able to monitor about 50 parameters of the atmosphere such as weather patterns, wind flows, aerosols and temperatures". "Combining the information from the readings from all these instruments will significantly increase the reliability of the weather forecast and analysis of the weather and climate of the city, of use to the public". Though various weather monitoring devices are currently available at different points of time across Chennai, the facility is claimed to be first of its kind in India.

Observatory to Strengthen Climate and Air Quality Research

It is also anticipated that it will assist scientists in studying the correlation between atmospheric aerosols and meteorological patterns. After analyzing particles in air for its size, velocity, and chemistry it is possible for scientists to study the effect of organic and inorganic aerosols on rain, temperature and localized weather conditions.

It is also predicted that it will be employed to study and monitor transitions in sea breeze and land breeze patterns, which are very significant to the climate in Chennai. In the short term it is hoped that it will aid in the analysis of local temperature change over time while it is thought it will also assist long-term climatic analysis in southern India.

Mission Mausam: India’s Weather and Climate Preparedness Initiative

Mission Mausam was launched by the Prime Minister of India in September 2024 as a premier scientific program under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The program will equip the country with upgraded weather observation technology, better disaster warning systems and use advanced technologies for accurate prediction. The program focuses on enhancing forecasting for monsoons, now-casting, early warning system of extreme weather, along with enhancing climate services for various other fields like agriculture, water, aviation, energy and disaster management. India will emerge as a "Weather-Ready and Climate-Smart Nation" through this program.

Key Features of the Chennai Urban Testbed

The Chennai Urban Testbed will include around 100 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) spread across urban and suburban areas to monitor changing weather conditions in real time.

The project will also feature:

• Three additional X-band radars, including a phased array radar for continuous monitoring of convection systems and rain bands approaching the city
• An aerosol observation facility located in the urban core for in-situ measurement of aerosol physical and chemical properties
• Vertical profiling systems for clouds, aerosols, and precipitation
• Wind profiling instruments to study sea breeze and land breeze dynamics
• Thermodynamic profiling technologies such as radiometers, wind profilers, lidars, and sodars

These advanced systems are expected to significantly improve Chennai’s ability to monitor extreme weather events, urban heat, rainfall variability, and air quality conditions.