Green house gases (GHG) concentration variations over Indian region by in situ measurements

A high end GHG measuring laboratory has been established in IITM and near-continuous records of pCO2 ([CH4]) are being measured over the last 6 years. The GHG data provide insight about the causative mechanisms that control their variability

This CCCR team was also involved in aircraft based GHG’s observations over India during the year 2014, and 2015. In-situ GHGs monitoring instrument was used on the aircraft platform , which successfully monitored atmospheric CO2, CH4, CO, H2O concentrations vertical and horizontal profiles over the Ganga basin (in 2014), and over Maharashtra and Arabian Sea (in 2015).

Identification of the sources and sinks of GHG from observations of GHG fluxes over network of Indian stations covering different ecosystems

Measurements of CO2 and H2O fluxes at a deciduous forest in Assam , evergreen forest in Darjeeling, and at the aqueous environment of the Pichavaram mangrove indicate that the deciduous and evergreen forest ecosystems act as a net sink of CO2 during the summer-monsoon season. On the other hand the aqueous Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem appears to act as a source of CO2 to the atmosphere, apparently driven by anthropogenic activities (shrimp production).

Proxies of past monsoon climatic variations through dendroclimate studies

Tree ring analysis of Cedrus deodara D.Don from Western Himalaya (India) have enabled climate reconstructions during the past few centuries

Reconstructed past rainfall variability using isotopic analysis

Speleothems from Kadappa caves, Andhra Pradesh dated during ~ 1200 BC - 300 AD (approx 1500 years) at near annual resolution

Estimated past atmospheric CO2 levels using tree-ring cellulose δ13C.