Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON) (Ecology, Environment and Climate Change)

Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON) (Ecology, Environment and Climate Change)

Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON) (Ecology, Environment and Climate Change)

Why In News:

IITM (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology) signed an MoU with ARIES (Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences) to establish a climate reference station under the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON) at the ARIES Devasthal campus in the Uttarakhand Himalayas.

What is BCON?

Purpose: BCON is a national observational programme, aiming to generate long-term, high-quality climate datasets across diverse geographical regions of the country.

Regional Focus: Himalayan region - glacier monitoring, snow cover, weather patterns, and climate change impacts.

Key Institutions

ARIES: Located in Nainital, Uttarakhand. Under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Specialises in atmospheric sciences and observational astronomy.

IITM Pune: Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. Under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. India's premier institution for tropical meteorology research.

IMD: India Meteorological Department. Under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Primary agency for weather forecasting.

NCMRWF: National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting. Also, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.