GUWAHATI, Jan 28 - Gauhati University is in the last leg of setting up a global research hub, which will be able to provide information on the impact of global warming, besides providing advance indication of adverse weather condition and earthquake, in this part of the globe.
Billed the Stratospheric-Tropospheric Radar Centre, the over Rs 30-crore unit has been established by the GU physics department under the guidance of Prof Minakshi Devi. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Mumbai-based Union government-run Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering and Research, Assam government and the GU authorities are supporting this first system of its kind in the entire northeastern region.
Section-wise testing of the system is almost completed and it is expected to be in operation by February-end.
The centre will monitor high-resolution wind data from the earth surface to 30 km above it with point one (0.1) metre per second wind resolution. The centre will provide vertical and horizontal wind shears, which will be very good indicators of the development of thunderstorm of different types.
It will further make possible thunderstorm and thunderstorm precursor modelling, and help in earthquake prediction over this seismically active zone of India. Depending on the magnitude of the earthquakes, it will be able to provide precursors of earthquake in the areas falling between Myanmar and Nepal and may collect such precursors even from the places located in China and Japan, said Prof Minakshi Devi.
Monsoon prediction may also be possible in the Northeast with the help of the system being developed in the form of this centre, along with the required model.
With its 576 active antennae apertures, covering an area of 100 square metres, coupled with equal number of trans-receiving modules, it will be able to obtain the above information. Its antennae area is protected by an electromagnetic shield.
Its antennae radiation pattern is electronically steerable to collect the exact wind information at different directions. The facilities of the radar centre will be open for all research activities, said Prof Devi.
She informed that at present around 20 people are involved with the project and more people would be involved in it in the days to come.
The State government has already sanctioned seven posts of scientists and engineers for the radar centre and an equal number of posts of scientists and engineers are expected to be sanctioned shortly. It will also help in human resource development in the areas of hardware development and high-mode computer software development, among others, said Prof Devi.
