eNews

#03 2024

Exploring future collaboration with climate observations and research groups in India

By Dr Warren Joubert, Landscape Scientist for Meteorology and Atmospheric Composition, EFTEON

During April 2024, SAEON participated in a research exchange visit to India, hosted by the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology’s Center for Climate Change Research. Warren Joubert, from EFTEON, accompanied a delegation led by Jongikaya Witi, Chief Director Climate Change Monitoring and Evaluation of the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

The purpose of the visit was to interact with the Indian climate change monitoring group, visit observational infrastructure at various locations, discuss challenges and lessons learned in establishing the Indian observation network, and explore potential collaborative opportunities between the countries.

Atmospheric Research Testbed Facility of the Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology in Bhopal, India.

Research stations and laboratory tour  

The delegation visited two of the main research stations – the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) facility in north-central India (Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) and the research laboratory at the western peninsular region (Pune, Maharashtra, near Mumbai). The ART, situated on a remote 100-acre site, is a purpose-built research facility equipped with a dual polarisation C-Band doppler weather radar, a 72-m lattice tower, a one-kilometre runway for research aircraft and multiple laboratories for atmospheric composition analysis.

The site is situated between artisanal wheat farming communities, elevating its importance in a country with 45% of its labour force in the agricultural sector. The relatively new (since 2023) state-of-the-art facility’s main purpose is to understand cloud processes linked to the country’s Monsoon Core Zone. In addition, the site will have an extensive set of remote-sensing and in-situ instruments that will provide continuous observations of convection, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture and radiation microphysics to capture major modes of variability.

Exchange visit team along with the host, Yogesh Tiwari of the IITM, at the C-Band doppler weather radar dome.

A Microwave Radiometric Profiler, Distrometer (rain droplet speed and size), Ceilometer (height of clouds and the boundary layer) and Micro Rain Radar are also operational at the site. During the visit, researchers presented their current research projects along with a demonstration of the scientific equipment used for their research.

Black carbon instrument (right) situated in the atmospheric chemistry laboratory (left) at the testbed facility.

The research laboratory situated in Pune, has the mandate of developing an Earth System Model and to make regional climate projections, in addition to work on paleoclimatology and atmospheric chemistry, greenhouse gas measurements and meteorological fluxes. The research facility was established in 2009, particularly to address the adverse impacts of climate change on ecosystems, agricultural productivity, water resources, the socioeconomy and sustainability.

The greenhouse gas laboratories house multiple greenhouse gas instrumentation and instrument data loggers.

A 72-m lattice tower containing meteorological and flux (eddy covariance) instrumentation at multiple heights on the tower. It also contains an air-sampling intake line at various heights on the tower.

Cavity ring down spectroscopy instruments measuring greenhouse gas concentrations and isotopes.

After a site visit to their research tower at Sinhigad Fort (where a greenhouse gas sampling container is housed), a seminar series was held where several researchers presented their work. This ranged from paleoclimate research using tree rings and cave deposits, to micrometeorological atmospheric flux research.

Researchers presented their ongoing projects.

The presentations ranged from paleoclimate research to micrometeorological flux experiments in various locations on the Indian subcontinent. Nine flux tower sites are located at various ecological regions around the country.

A tour of the research laboratories highlighting multiple state-of-the-art instrumentation – from laser-based spectroscopy for greenhouse gases and isotope mass spectrometry for paleo-research to cosmic ray neutron counters for soil moisture fluxes.

Take-home message and lessons learned  

A final comment on the exchange visit is that it opened the door for collaboration between Indian and South African climate observations and research groups. With South Africa’s ambitions to develop and expand the bottom-up inventories and monitoring of greenhouse gases, it is enlightening to see these efforts in other developing countries with similar research ambitions.

For instance, India has already developed an Earth Systems Model, which includes the atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial biosphere, whereas South Africa is in the process of developing such a model. In addition, an observational network is essential for ground-truthing modelling efforts. SAEON is well-positioned to support such observational ambitions through our observational networks throughout the country.  

Cultural engagement 

During the visit, delegates were also treated to some sightseeing activities. We visited the State Museum and Cultural Museum (Bhopal), the oldest Buddhist temple (Sanchi Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the Udaygiri Caves, which date back to the third to fifth century and contain some of the oldest surviving Hindu temples and iconography in India. In Pune, we visited Sinhagad Fort in the Sahyadri Mountains, situated on a hill about 1 317 metres above mean sea level, built in the 17th century.

Sinhagad Fort has been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670. Some of the information available about the fort suggests that it could have been built 2 000 years ago. In recent history, it played a vital role in India’s freedom struggle. Bal Gangadhar Tilak used the fort as a summer retreat. It is here where Mahatma Gandhi had a historic meeting with Tilak after his return from South Africa.

Dr Warren Joubert (left) at Sinhagad Fort with colleagues from IITM.

Warren at Taj-ul-Masjid, the largest mosque in India (Bhopal). The exact year when construction was started is unclear but is estimated to be 1871.