CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has partnered with Finnish Meteorological Institute to establish ‘VAYYU’- Virtual Research Centre on Aerosol-Meteorology Interactions, Himalayan Atmosphere-Cryosphere Interactions, and Urban Air.
A statement said the centre will advance simulations and state-of-the-art atmospheric observations to understand how aerosols influence regional hydro-climate, Himalayan snow and glacier melt, and air quality in Indian megacities. A memorandum of understanding was signed in this regard.
VAYYU builds on two major joint initiatives. The `10 million CryoSCOPE project, funded by the European Union, SERI (Switzerland) and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences, operates a supersite in Kargil to study atmosphere-cryosphere-hydrosphere processes and aerosol-driven glacier melt.
The Research Council of Finland-funded CO-ENHANCIN project has enabled a Rs 5 crore urban observatory at IIT-M’s satellite campus in Chennai, equipped with advanced aerosol analysers, lidar profilers, eddy-covariance flux towers, rain radar and sky imagers to investigate land-atmosphere interactions and aerosol-cloud-rain dynamics.
The collaboration strengthens Indo-Finnish cooperation in climate science, urban sustainability and environmental modelling. By combining IIT-M’s expertise in atmospheric modelling and engineering solutions with FMI’s strengths in aerosol science and weather prediction, VAYYU aims to deliver robust climate-risk assessments and policy-relevant tools for sustainable development.