ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH TESTBED:
Why in the news?
India inaugurates ART-CI, an Atmospheric Research Testbed, to study monsoon dynamics for better rainfall forecasts and agricultural planning.
About the Importance of the Monsoon Core Zone(MCZ):
- The MCZ, crucial for Indian agriculture, experiences 70% of the country’s annual rainfall during the southwest monsoon season.
- Central India, spanning from Gujarat to West Bengal, relies heavily on rain-fed cultivation, especially for Khanf cultivation.
- It serves as a natural laboratory for meteorologists to study Indian monsoons, correlating all-India rainfall performance with rainfall received in the region.
About Atmospheric Research Testbed:
● IITM’s ART-CI at Silkheda studies monsoon convection. ● Features remote-sensing instruments for continuous observations. ● Aims for international collaboration and weather model improvements. About Introduction to ART-CI: ● ART-CI, inaugurated in Silkheda village, Madhya Pradesh, is India’s Atmospheric Research Testbed focusing on weather parameters within the Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ). ● Developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a cost of Rs 125 crore, it spans 100 acres and houses 25 high-end meteorological instruments. ● Managed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, it aims to observe and analyse ground-based and on–site weather phenomena during the southwest monsoon season. |