Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) inaugurates Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (C-ART) at Andhra University

Key facts

• The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, established the Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (C-ART) at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.
• The Open-Field Observatory of C-ART was inaugurated on 1st May 2026 by Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• This testbed is a key component of the Mission Mausam initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) aimed at enhancing observational network and model prediction.
• Instruments installed at the site include an impact disdrometer, 2-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD), 3D printed Automatic weather station (3D-PAWS), conventional AWS, and eddy covariance tower.
• The C-ART will serve as a national user facility to improve early warning systems for cyclones and extreme weather, supporting disaster management.