IITM, ARIES sign MoU to set up BCON climate station at Devasthal, Uttarakhand
Synopsis
India's two premier atmospheric research bodies — IITM Pune and ARIES Nainital — have formally joined forces to plant a climate monitoring station in the Himalayas at Devasthal, embedding it in the national BCON grid. The site's high-altitude, pristine conditions make it one of India's most strategically placed observatories for tracking greenhouse gases and validating the country's own Earth System Models.
Key Takeaways
IITM Pune and ARIES Nainital signed an MoU on 18 June 2025 to establish a climate monitoring station at Devasthal, Uttarakhand .
The station will operate under the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON) , a national programme under the Ministry of Earth Sciences .
Key variables to be monitored include greenhouse gases , meteorological parameters , short-lived climate forcers , and soil moisture .
Data will validate the IITM Earth System Model and support future climate projections over India.
The Devasthal site's high-altitude, relatively pristine environment makes it uniquely suited for baseline atmospheric measurements in the Himalayan region.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a long-term climate monitoring station at Devasthal in Uttarakhand's Himalayan region under the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON). The agreement was signed online on 18 June 2025 by IITM Director Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao and ARIES Director Dr. Manish Kumar Naja, marking a significant expansion of India's high-altitude climate observation capacity.
What the Partnership Entails
The collaboration is designed to enable sustained, long-term monitoring of critical climate variables at the Devasthal campus, including meteorological parameters, greenhouse gases, short-lived climate forcers, and soil moisture. The site's high-altitude setting and relatively pristine atmospheric conditions make it particularly suited for measuring baseline greenhouse gas concentrations and tracking the transport of climate-relevant pollutants across the Himalayan belt.
The proposed station will be formally integrated into BCON, a national observational programme conceptualised and implemented by IITM under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The network's mandate is to generate high-quality, long-term climate datasets spanning India's diverse geographical regions.
Scientific Value of the Devasthal Site
Situated in the ecologically sensitive Himalayas, the ARIES Devasthal campus offers conditions rarely available at lower-altitude monitoring sites. According to both institutions, the location is ideal for studying climate processes specific to the Himalayan region — a zone that scientists regard as a critical indicator of broader Asian and global climate shifts. This is notably one of the few high-altitude Indian sites to be formally embedded in a national observational grid of this scale.
Data collected at Devasthal will also serve as critical validation input for Earth System Models, including the IITM Earth System Model, improving the accuracy of future climate projections over the Indian subcontinent.
Policy and Research Implications
According to both institutions, BCON data will support the detection of long-term climate trends, strengthen peer-reviewed climate research, and enhance India's capacity for evidence-based climate policymaking. This comes amid growing international pressure on South Asian nations to improve the granularity and reliability of their climate monitoring infrastructure ahead of upcoming global climate assessments.
Scientists from IITM's Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) — including Dr. Suvarna Fadnavis and Dr. Yogesh Tiwari — and ARIES researchers Dr. Umesh Kumar Dumka and Dr. Priyanka Srivastava participated in the online signing ceremony.
What Comes Next
The establishment of the Devasthal station is expected to bolster India's scientific presence in the Himalayan region and contribute data to both national climate assessments and global research efforts. No timeline for the station's operationalisation has been officially announced, but the MoU signals a formal commitment from two of India's premier atmospheric research institutions.
Point of View
But operationalisation timelines and open-data commitments remain unspecified. As global climate assessments increasingly scrutinise South Asian data quality, India needs these stations to be generating verified, publicly accessible datasets — not just signed agreements.
NationPress
4 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BCON climate monitoring station being set up at Devasthal?
It is a long-term atmospheric observation facility to be established at the ARIES campus in Devasthal, Uttarakhand, under the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON). The station will monitor greenhouse gases, meteorological parameters, short-lived climate forcers, and soil moisture in the high-altitude Himalayan environment.
Who signed the MoU and when?
The MoU was signed online on 18 June 2025 by IITM Director Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao and ARIES Director Dr. Manish Kumar Naja. Scientists from both institutions' climate research divisions were also present at the virtual signing ceremony.
What is the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON)?
BCON is a national climate observational programme conceptualised and implemented by IITM Pune under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It aims to generate long-term, high-quality climate datasets across India's diverse geographical regions to support research and evidence-based policymaking.
Why is Devasthal considered an ideal location for this station?
Devasthal's high altitude and relatively pristine atmospheric surroundings make it well-suited for measuring baseline greenhouse gas concentrations and studying climate processes specific to the Himalayas. It offers conditions largely free from urban pollution, enabling more accurate long-range atmospheric observations.
How will the data from this station be used?
Data from the Devasthal station will support detection of long-term climate trends, validate Earth System Models including the IITM Earth System Model, and enhance India's capacity for climate assessments. It will also contribute to global climate research and inform national policymaking on climate change.
