MoES in Lok Sabha: Mission Mausam to strengthen monsoon science, climate research and weather forecasting

What happened (Lok Sabha statement on Mission Mausam)

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) reported in a Lok Sabha written reply that Mission Mausam is designed to strengthen monsoon science, climate research and weather forecasting. The statement links improved forecasting and climate resilience to better modelling, stronger observation systems, higher computing capacity, and wider dissemination of forecasts and warnings.

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, stated that Mission Mausam supports an integrated framework to: strengthen climate modelling and satellite observations; expand atmospheric research and numerical weather prediction; and improve understanding of changing monsoon patterns and associated extreme weather events, including extreme rainfall.

Background: why mo​​nsoon forecasting needs stronger science and observations

MoES cited research showing changes in monsoon-related rainfall extremes over the Indian region. The government statement refers to studies that reported: an increase in the frequency of deep convective clouds, and more intense short-duration extreme rainfalla rising trend in the frequency and magnitude of extreme rain events, and a decreasing trend in the frequency of moderate events over central Indialong-term changes in low cloud across India based on Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) assessments

The statement also notes research on how human-induced global climate change affects regional climate and monsoons over the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Ocean and the Himalayas, carried out by MoES scientists.