New Delhi, Oct 3 : The newly developed Sound Detection and Ranging (SODAR) facility, developed by the CSIR-Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI), Bhopal, will enhance India's weather forecasting capabilities.

The indigenous technology was inaugurated recently in India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi.

'The initiative is very significant in terms of strengthening the indigenisation of Indian technology for serving the society,' said Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG CSIR and Secretary, DSIR, who joined the event virtually.

At the event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between CSIR-AMPRI and IMD.

'The MoU between CSIR-AMPRI and IMD is very promising,' said Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

'The SODAR unit of AMPRI will add value and provide additional data for better forecast of the weather,' added Dr. M. Mohapatra, DGM, IMD.

The purpose of this MoU is to enhance collaborative research work between CSIR-AMPRI and IMD in climate and environmental studies with emphasis on scientific and societal challenges related to weather, climate variability, forecasting, and disaster risk reduction.

The MoU facilitates the sharing of SODAR system data across various locations for forecasting, validation, and research initiatives.

'This collaboration between CSIR-AMPRI and IMD is expected to generate significant advances in the field of meteorology, climate science and environmental studies, benefiting both research communities and the nation as a whole,' said the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In a paper published in the Indian Journal of Pure & Applied Physics, the CSIR-AMPRI researchers described SODAR as an active ground-based remote sensing system, which is used to determine the lower-atmosphere wind profile and temperature structure. SODAR can detect turbulence parameters in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) from a distance, and can be used for wind profiling.

SODAR, with its significantly enhanced capability, is expected to be a futuristic remote sensing device with several uses in the near future. SODAR is also effective in protecting the environment

/IANS