Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON)

About Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON)

• Nodal ministry:  It is a national observational initiative under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Implemented by: It is conceptualized and implemented by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
• Aim: It is to develop a long-term, high-precision climate monitoring framework to systematically measure key climate variables across India.
  • These include meteorological parameters, greenhouse gases, trace gases, and short-lived climate forcers.
• It will generate high-quality datasets that will help detect long-term climate trends, strengthen climate research and support evidence-based policymaking.
• The data generated through BCON will also help validate and improve Earth System Models, including IITM’s Earth System Model, enabling more accurate climate simulations and future projections for India.

About Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

• Signed between: The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) Nainital.
• Aim: It aims to promote collaborative research on climate change and long-term observations of climate variables.
  • • This includes meteorological parameters and climate-active trace gases, such as greenhouse gases, short-lived climate forcers and soil moisture, etc.
  • It also aims to establish a Climate Observation Station at ARIES, Devasthal, as part of the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON).
    • Climate Observation Station at ARIES, Devasthal will monitor meteorological parameters, greenhouse gases, short-lived climate forcers, atmospheric chemistry and soil moisture to generate long-term climate data.