Indian And Finnish Institutes Collaborate To Study Atmosphere And Air Quality

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT‑M) has signed a new collaboration with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) to establish an advanced Virtual Research Centre on Aerosol–Meteorology Interactions, Himalayan Atmosphere–Cryosphere Interactions, and Urban Air — dubbed VAYYU — aimed at deepening scientific understanding of atmospheric processes and air quality.

Under a recently formalised memorandum of understanding, the partnership will combine IIT Madras’s strengths in atmospheric modelling with FMI’s expertise in aerosol science and weather prediction to support cutting‑edge simulations and observational research. The centre will focus on how aerosols influence regional hydro‑climate, the melting of Himalayan snow and glaciers, and air quality dynamics across India’s rapidly growing urban centres.

The VAYYU initiative builds on two major ongoing international collaborations that already link the institutions. The CryoSCOPE project — supported by the European Union, Switzerland’s SERI, and India’s Ministry of Earth Sciences — has established a high‑tech monitoring site in the Himalayas at Kargil to study coupled atmosphere‑cryosphere‑hydrosphere processes and aerosol‑driven glacier melt. Meanwhile, the CO‑ENHANCIN initiative funded by the Research Council of Finland has enabled an urban observatory near IIT‑M’s Chennai campus, equipped with lidar profilers, aerosol analysers, rain radar, and other instruments to observe land‑atmosphere interactions in a tropical coastal megacity environment.

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Officials say VAYYU will enhance Indo‑Finnish scientific cooperation on climate and environmental research, creating a unified platform for modelling, data analysis, and tool development that can be applied to real‑world climate and air‑quality challenges. The collaboration will not only generate scientific insights but also aim to produce policy‑relevant assessments and predictive tools for sustainable development in both India and the wider region.

In addition to research, the partnership emphasises human capital development through faculty and student exchanges, workshops, and specialised training programmes. Researchers and students from both nations are expected to benefit from shared resources, including FMI’s supercomputing infrastructure and IIT Madras’s interdisciplinary expertise in environmental engineering and science.

Leaders from both institutions, along with diplomatic representatives, highlighted that the collaboration represents a milestone in science diplomacy, addressing global challenges such as climate change, urban pollution, and Himalayan environmental dynamics. By integrating modelling, observations, and international expertise, VAYYU is intended to advance climate science and support more effective environmental management strategies at local, national, and regional levels.

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