The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 18, 2026, through online mode. The MoU has a duration of more than fifty years and aims to establish a Climate Observation Station at ARIES, Devasthal as part of the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON).
This collaboration falls under the Mission Mausam initiatives of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and focuses on promoting research on climate change through long-term observations of climate variables. The BCON station will monitor meteorological parameters, climate-active trace gases including greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers, atmospheric chemistry, and soil moisture observations.
The location at ARIES, Devasthal, was selected because it is a high-altitude hilltop offering a unique environment for advanced atmospheric observations. Its relatively pristine setting provides ideal conditions for capturing baseline atmospheric features, studying greenhouse gases, tracking the transport of climate-relevant pollutants, and understanding climate processes dynamics over the Himalayan region.
BCON is a national observational initiative conceptualized and implemented by IITM under the Ministry of Earth Sciences to develop a long-term, high-precision climate monitoring framework across India. The network aims to create a robust national database that supports the detection of long-term trends, advances climate change research, and strengthens India's capacity for climate assessment and evidence-based policy development. The high-accuracy datasets will also provide critical validation and benchmarking for Earth System Models, including India's first ESM, the IITM ESM, enabling more accurate simulations of Indian climate change and enhancing future climate projections.
The MoU was signed by Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao, Director of IITM, and Dr. Manish Kumar Naja, Director of ARIES, Nainital. Other participants included Dr. Suvarna Fadnavis, Dr. Yogesh Tiwari, and senior scientists from Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR), IITM, along with Dr. Umesh Kumar Dumka and Dr. Priyanka Srivastava from ARIES, Nainital.