The Institute also has its extended campus in Ponmudi hills. A fully functional Climate observatory is established there. A lecture complex and a guest house are also in the plan.
The Ponmudi Campus of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) is a satellite campus located on the hilltop of Ponmudi in the Western Ghats. It houses the Ponmudi Climate Observatory (PCO), a facility equipped with state-of-the-art instruments for studying aerosol and cloud microphysics. The high-altitude location of the PCO provides a natural laboratory for research on aerosol-cloud processes.
Campus Map
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Ponmudi Climate Observatory
The Ponmudi Climate Observatory, situated on the Ponmudi hilltop of the Western Ghats in India, is equipped with state-of-the-art field instrumentation for studying aerosol and cloud microphysics. The high-altitude siting of the IIST-PCO on the windward side of the western ghats during the summer monsoon season and often within or beneath the cloud layer offers a natural laboratory for an improved understanding of aerosol-cloud processes.
The IIST Ponmudi Climate Observatory (IIST-PCO) situated on the Ponmudi hilltop of the Western Ghats (PCO, 8.76°N, 77.12°E, 1.0 km AMSL) in India, is equipped with state-of-the-art field instrumentation for studying aerosol and cloud microphysics. The high-altitude siting of the IIST-PCO on the windward side of the western ghats during the summer monsoon season and often within or beneath the cloud layer, offers a natural laboratory for an improved understanding of aerosol-cloud processes in the atmosphere and their accurate representation in climate models using ground-based measurements.
Furthermore, in-house design and development of instrumentation for aerosol studies is a stronghold of IIST-PCO. The observatory is one of its kind in the country, with provisions for balloon-borne experiments in the frontiers of atmospheric science, astrobiology, and space technology development.
Research
Research activities
The Ponmudi Climate Observatory is developed to provide quality-assured aerosol and cloud measurements for their accurate representation in climate models. Our primary research areas encompass:
- Monitoring and characterization of atmospheric aerosols.
- Source apportionment of aerosols
- Model development for assessing aerosol mixing state
- Aerosol's mixing state and its impact on aerosol-cloud interaction
- Impact on the boundary layer processes by aerosols
- Role of elevated aerosol layers on radiation budget
- Aerosol-cloud interaction
Research facilities
Aerosol instrumentation
- In-house designed common aerosol sampling inlet system with flow rate up to 38 LPM
- 6-stage high volume sampler
- 16-channel Optical Particle Sizer (OPS)
- Condensation particle counter
- 7-channel Aethalometer
- 3-channel Polar Integrating Nephelometer
- LIDAR ceilometer with polarization capability
- Sun photometer
Cloud microphysics
- Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) Counter
- Micro Rain Radar (MRR)
- Disdrometer
- All sky imager
Meteorological instrumentation
- Surface radiation monitoring station
- Automatic weather station
Trace gas measurements
- Open Path CO2/H2O Gas Analyzer
- Closed Path CO2 Probe
- CO Analyzer
Balloon launch facility
- Rubber balloon of size 1200-3000 gm with payload carrying capacity of 6 kg up to an altitude of 35 km
- Tethered balloons of volume 9 m² capable of carrying 3 kg payload weight up to an altitude of about
1 km.
Facilities
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How to Reach
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Contact us
PCO encourages research proposals from around the globe and offers the hosting of instrumentation for aerosols, clouds, and gaseous measurements. Our commitment extends to fostering collaborations between academia and industry, aiming to stimulate cooperation and create impactful science and technology partnerships.
Dr P R Sinha
Department of Earth and Space Sciences
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST)
Valiamala P.O.Thiruvananthapuram-695 547, India
Phone No. (Off): +91-471-2568523
Phone No. (Mob): +91 9490422829
e-mail id: prs[at]iist.ac.in
For more queries, Please call
Phone: +91-471-2568713