KOCHI: The Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research (ACARR) at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) will officially be dedicated to the nation by Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, here on July 11.
A fully indigenous and state-of-the-art system, it is capable of measuring wind profiles in the altitude range of 315 m to 20 km. The Centre has listed it under its ambitious ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The radar enjoys the advantage of being located at the gateway of the monsoon region. It could soon be used to accurately predict the onset and variability of the Indian summer monsoon through continuous monitoring of monsoon circulation. In addition, a prediction on heavy rainfall events, occurrence and evolution of thunderstorms, and turbulence studies can be accurately done using the radar.
The radar can also help aircraft operations through dissemination of information on lower-level turbulence and horizontal wind gradient. It has been designed to be operated round-the-clock for 20 to 25 years, and it can make significant contributions to studies on climate change.
