Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr. M. Ravichandran Inaugurates Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory in Chennai
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, operating under the 'Mission Mausam' initiative, has established a state-of-the-art Urban Testbed and Aerosol Observatory at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) in Ramapuram, Chennai. Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Ravichandran officially inaugurated the laboratory and the Centre for Atmospheric Science Research and Innovation (CASRI) on 06 May 2026. In a significant move toward academic and scientific synergy, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between IITM and SRMIST in the presence of Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
During his keynote address, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. M. Ravichandran highlighted that the facility houses approximately 15 sophisticated instruments valued more than ₹60 crore. These instruments are designed to track nearly 50 types of atmospheric data, including weather patterns, wind flow, aerosol particles, and temperature variations and emphasized that the integration of this data will lead to much more accurate weather forecasts for the public. Notably, He stated that while Chennai has various weather monitoring tools distributed across the city, this comprehensive observatory is the first of its kind to be established in India.
The Secretary further explained that by analyzing factors such as the size and speed of airborne particles, the transition between sea and land breezes, and the organic or inorganic nature of aerosols, scientists can better predict their specific impacts on the weather. This facility is expected to provide vital short-term data regarding global warming in the region, that will subsequently assist in researching long-term climate impacts.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by several officals, including Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao, Director of IITM; Dr. Thara Prabhakaran, Project Director, IITM; Dr. R.S. Kankara, Director of the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR); Dr. Balaji Ramakrishnan, Director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT); Dr. Sivananda Pai, Head of the Chennai Meteorological Centre; and Dr. R. Shivakumar, Chairman of SRMIST, along with various researchers and faculty members.
Mission Mausam
Mission Mausam was launched in September 2024 by the Prime Minister of India as a major scientific initiative of MoES with a futuristic vision. The mission aims to enhance disaster preparedness through the modernization of observational infrastructure, improving monsoon prediction, and nowcasting and early warning of severe weather. The Mission also focuses on strengthening climate services to support key sectors such as agriculture, water resources, disaster management, aviation, and energy, thereby making India a “Weather-Ready and Climate-Smart Nation.”
The Urban testbed in Chennai will be equipped with about 100 AWS stations covering the urban areas and the suburban transition zones, three additional X-band radar, including a phased array radar for continuous monitoring of the convection and rain bands approaching the city, an aerosol observational facility in the core urban area with in situ measurement of aerosol physical, chemical (cloud forming) properties, vertical profiling of clouds, aerosol, and precipitation at selected locations, wind profiling to capture the dynamical aspects of the sea breeze, land breeze, and thermodynamic profiling at selected locations using instruments such as radiometers, wind profilers, lidars, sodars etc.
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