New Delhi, Aug 28 (KNN)  Indian and UK scientists will come together to work in new research projects to improve forecasts of the South Asian monsoon, according to UK's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey.

Davey is currently in the country with the British Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, according to an official release.

“The Drivers of Variability in the South Asian Monsoon research programme will receive combined funding for around UK pounds 8 million from the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences and the UK Met Office. This builds on a flourishing research partnership between the UK and India, which has already seen over UK pounds 150 million invested in research between the two nations,” the release said.

The summer monsoon provides 80 per cent of annual rainfall to around a billion people in India. Forecasting the precise timing and location of the rains is vital to the region’s economy, which is dominated by farming, and for managing its increasingly pressured water resources. Last year, the monsoon advanced particularly rapidly over northern India, causing devastating damage while, in 2009, prolonged breaks led to a severe shortage of rainfall and poor harvests. 

The Drivers of Variability programme will examine the monsoon’s physical processes through a large-scale observational campaign. It will use the UK’s BAe-146 atmospheric research aircraft and ocean gliders, and Indian research ships to gather fresh data on the region in more detail than ever before.

This programme will improve understanding of the physical processes of the South Asian monsoon and their improved representation in weather and climate models.

According to the release, the research will begin in 2015 and is expected to last for between three and five years. Each project will be led by one British and one Indian researcher. The British team is headed by Professor Hugh Coe (University of Manchester), Dr Andy Turner (University of Reading) and Dr Adrian Matthews (University of East Anglia). They will be joined by Indian colleagues Dr S Suresh Babu (Indian Space Research Organisation), Prof G S Bhat (Indian Institute of Science) and P N Vinayachandran (Indian Institute of Science).

Davey also spoke St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai as part of a three-day visit to India.

“Our countries share a strong and growing relationship at the forefront of science and technology, one that aims to improve lives of people.  The monsoon is a hugely important part of peoples’ livelihoods here in India.  It is also a very important part of the global climate system. This major new UK - India research initiative on the monsoon is a great example of how UK and India can work together to tackle global challenges,” he said.

On the other hand, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr Shailesh Nayak said, "I am happy to note that the Indian and UK scientists are collaborating on observational campaigns including the NERC aircraft and modelling efforts to study the complex physical processes of the south Asian monsoon. I am sure this collaboration will facilitate improving the representation of monsoon physical processes in weather and climate models.

Offering his comments, interim head of research at the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council, Ned Garnett said, “We are delighted to be teaming up again with our colleagues at the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India to tackle this important problem.

“Being able to deliver better predictions of the monsoon will be of huge benefit to the people of South Asia and the regional economy, which is of course an important part of the global economy. This programme will bring together complementary skills of UK and Indian scientists in joint projects to address these global issues,” he added.  (KNN/ES)