HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, July 16: Tezpur University and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune have entered into a significant partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday. The objective of this collaboration is to assess the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide in Kaziranga National Park. The MoU signing ceremony took place in the virtual presence of Kiren Rijiju, the minister of Earth Sciences, and Dr M Ravichandran, the secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
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The collaboration between Tezpur University and IITM Pune will focus on research areas related to the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases and energy. It will involve the observation of various meteorological and bio-meteorological parameters such as rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, radiation, soil temperature, and soil heat flux. This data will be collected using advanced techniques like Eddy Covariance and other systems.
Dr Nirmali Gogoi, a faculty member from the department of Environmental Science at Tezpur University and the project coordinator, highlighted the significance of studying carbon dynamics in forests. Forests are generally known to absorb more carbon than they release, making them important carbon sinks to mitigate human-induced carbon dioxide emissions. However, with the impact of global warming, the capacity of forests to absorb carbon may decrease. This research collaboration aims to explore and understand these changes in carbon exchange in Kaziranga National Park.
Expressing enthusiasm about the partnership, Prof Shambhu Nath Singh, the vice chancellor of Tezpur University, stated, “We are delighted to join hands with IITM Pune in this crucial research endeavour. Through this collaboration, we hope to contribute to the development of sustainable conservation strategies.” The MoU signing ceremony witnessed the presence of Dr R Krishnan, the director of IITM, and Dr Biren Das, the registrar of Tezpur University, in addition to the minister and secretary.
