C-ART Weather Testbed Inaugurated at Visakhapatnam
Why in the news
A new weather-research facility, the Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (C-ART), was inaugurated on 1 May 2026 at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam. It supports the Mission Mausam push for stronger weather observation.
Key facts
- Inaugurated by: M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Partner institute: Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
- Scheme: Mission Mausam.
- Rank: third testbed of its kind in India, first on the East Coast.
- Instruments: Doppler Radar, Wind Lidar, Wind Profiler.
Purpose
The testbed is meant to support research on coastal weather systems, atmospheric change and climate studies. Reports say it aims to sharpen forecasts, especially for monsoon convection and extreme events, and to help early warning for disasters such as cyclones. It has already captured data from a recent thunderstorm.
Exam angle
- Link the facility with Mission Mausam and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Remember the location: Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (East Coast).
- Know the tools: Doppler Radar, Wind Lidar and Wind Profiler.