• Monsoon trough over the Central India, which comprises of monsoon core zone (MCZ), is one of the important components of regional climate system.
• Detailed atmospheric measurements in MCZ wherein synoptic-scale disturbances (lows and depressions) often pass during monsoon were overdue.
• Considering this importance, an Atmospheric Research Test bed in Central India (ART-CI) is established by IITM, MoES at Silkheda (50 km NW of Bhopal) for better understanding on processes governing monsoon convection.
• ART-CI will have an extensive set of remote-sensing and in-situ instruments that will provide continuous observations of convection, clouds, precipitation, soil moisture, radiation, microphysics to capture major modes of variability.

A unique facility with all collocated measurements relevant to convection, clouds, precipitation and land-atmosphere interactions over core monsoon zone is envisaged and efforts are underway for its establishment in phased manner.

1. To establish an Atmospheric Research Testbed in Central India (ART-CI) for better understanding on processes governing monsoon convection and land-atmosphere interactions over the monsoon core region and to measure relevant meteorological parameters using the state-of-the-art observational systems.
2. To organize intense observational campaigns along with weather prediction model runs for testing hypotheses and to improve physical parameterizations in the models related to convection and land surface processes. There is an urgent need to understand more on monsoon convection, its diurnal variation and land-atmosphere interactions.
3. Outreach, Training and Dissemination of ART-CI data sets. The testbed will be made into an international facility for intense observational campaigns and testing physical parameterization schemes including sensitivity runs. The data will be used to test/validate/constrain numerical model in improving predictions of intense convective storms, high impact mesoscale weather events which are predominantly observed over this region and have major societal implications. The data collected at this facility will be shared for research to national/international scientific community within the data policy of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

1. 100 acres of land acquired from Govt of MP in Silkheda village, Sehore District (50 km north west of Bhopal)
2. Boundary wall and main entrance gate construction completed for 100 acre campus and fencing work is under progress.
3. 33kV HT power sub-station construction under progress. Erection of external poles to main tapping point including overhead lines have been completed.
4. Dual-pol C-band Doppler Weather Radar is set up in June 2021 and has been operational since then.
5. In addition, Microwave Radiometric Profiler, Disdrometer, Ceilometer and Micro Rain Radar were also installed and operational. 

Project Director:  G. Pandithurai, Sc-F

Scientists

• T. Libin, Sc-E
• MCR Kalapureddy, Sc-E
• S.M. Deshpande, Sc-E
• S.K. Das, Sc-E
• K. Chakravarthy, Sc-E
• S.M. Sonbawne, Sc-E
• Ambuj Jha, Sc-C

Project Scientists

• Y. Kolte
• V. Murali Krishna
• V. Anil Kumar
• Shridhar Kumar
• Sushanta Kundu
• Navneet Ranjan
• Yang Lian