A team from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER ) Bhopal and researchers from leading  Australian universities and research organizations have developed statistical techniques to enhance the accuracy of rainfall predictions in Indian River basins.

 

These methods will mitigate the challenges posed by the erratic nature of rainfall, a crucial factor for India’s agricultural productivity and overall sustenance, according to an IISER statement.

 

The research findings have been published in such  journals as  Hydrological Sciences, the International Journal of River Basin Management and the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies.

 

The research  team includes  Dr Sanjeev Kumar Jha, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, IISER Bhopal, his team of research scholars Dr Nibedita Samal, Dr Ankit Singh, R. Ashwin, and Akshay Singhal  along with Dr Qichun Yang and Prof. QJ Wang from the University of Melbourne and Dr David E. Robertson from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia.

 

 In an earlier study published in 2021, the team used Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) data obtained from a numerical weather prediction model to forecast the flow of water in rivers. This year, the team implemented a statistical model called the Seasonally Coherent Calibration (SCC) model to enhance rainfall forecasts in the Narmada and Godavari River basins. 

 

Dr Sanjeev Kumar Jha emphasized that the collaborative research initiative between IISER Bhopal scientists and their Australian counterparts carries immense potential to revolutionize India’s ability to anticipate and address rainfall-related complexities.

 

 IISER BHOPAL was established by the Ministry of Education (then Ministry of Human Resource & Development), Government of India, in 2008, IISER Bhopal is the youngest of the first five IISERs and is the first IISER to have been declared by the Ministry of Education for project completion.

 

IISER Bhopal is continuously consolidating its position in the National and International rankings and  was placed at rank 4 in India (Academic sector) in the Nature Index Rank 2023.