India created an atmospheric testbed near Bhopal. Why so?

In the Sehore district, the  Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India (ART-CI) was launched on March 12. It was at Silkheda, situated over 50km northwest of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, that the country's very first such phase was inaugurated.

The project will be housing over 25 quality meteorological instruments for the purpose of studying cloud processes that are linked to monsoons over the country's Monsoon Core Zone. 

What exactly is the Atmospheric Research Testbed?

The Atmospheric Research Testbed, abbreviated as ART is actually an open-field analytical and observational research program at Silkheda, in the Sehore district of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It is the Ministry of Earth Sciences that founded the facility.

The aim of the facility is to hold ground-based observations on weather parameters. These include wind speeds, temperature, rain, and more. The purpose of the facility includes conducting on-site observations of transient synoptic systems as well.

The purpose of observing and analyzing such systems along with the related cloud parameters will be made to use to create data in high volumes for a very long period of time. Such data can be used to draw comparisons with the weather models at present. This will guide improvements in order to get pitch-perfect rainfall predictions.

The Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) will be made to use to validate a wide array of satellite-related observations as well.

The Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) is set up by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the investment to develop the testbed is Rs 125 crores. The Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) is spread over a wide area of 100 acres. Furthermore, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, is actually in charge of the operations of the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART).

The phases

The very first phase of the program includes deriving measurements based on on-site remote sensing with the help of 25 meteorological instruments. This first phase of the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) program has been started. The second phase will be all about the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) stationing instruments like a balloon-bound radiosonde and a radar wind profiler.

The relevance of such Atmospheric Research Testbeds

An Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) holds great importance in a country like India. Currently, over 45 percent of the labor force of the country is employed in the agriculture sector. Moreover, Indian agriculture at the most is actually rain-fed.

Over 70 percent of India's annual average rainfall of 880mm is accounted for by the southwest monsoon season. Additionally, it is between the months of July and August that a majority of Kharif cultivation is undertaken. At the time of this season, a variety of rain-bearing synoptic systems develop in the regions of the Bay of Bengal. These systems shift westwards over the mainland of India and cross through the Monsoon Core Zone. This leads to great rainfall.

Why is the state of Madhya Pradesh chosen?

The Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) has been set up at Silkheda. This location actually is aligned with a variety of key rain-bearing synoptic systems. Thus, it will help in facilitating direct tracking and monitoring. Moreover, the region chosen for the Atmospheric Research Testbed (ART) is actually free of anthropogenic and many other pollutants. This makes it a suitable site for setting up state-of-the-art meteorological instruments for the purpose of recording data.