University of Calcutta

Research

Research Scholars :

Research Fellows under GOI supported Projects

Ph. D. Degree Awarded from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences

Projects :

Research support :

Research Area

Major activities :

Careers in Atmospheric Sciences in General : There are many different career paths that can be followed in atmospheric science. Below is information on possible career paths for Master’s and Doctoral students. In addition to the listings below, the candidates gain many cross-over skills relevant to other industries including programming and the ability to analyze large data sets. The students also acquire a great background for teaching in the earth system sciences. 

Career Paths in Meteorology and Climate Sciences : Broadcast meteorology, Meteorologist for the National Weather Service, Research positions at IMD, IITM, CAS IITD,  CORAL IITKgp CUSAT, IISER, Pune, DAS CU, IITB, NEERI, IIST, NARL, CAOS, SAC, ISRO, PRL, NPL, NRSA, NOAA, NASA, DoE, DoD, DoA, NCAR, FSU, etc
Weather analyst for industry, commerce, airlines, government, alternative energy companies, Military weather officer, Renewable Energy Forecasting, Private weather prediction firms, Airline/Boeing Meteorologists, Research in different aspects of weather and climate change sciences, Analyst for environmental impact studies, Climate Positions in State and Local Governments,  Climate/weather derivatives -- taking seasonal prediction information and using it for business Reinsurance industry (risk management for natural disasters), Climate observations/monitoring – jobs with NASA, USGS, NOAA Alternative energy companies (e.g., wind power, solar power analysis)

Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality Career Paths : Air Quality Forecasting and Monitoring for regional  Puget Sound Clean Air Agency), state (e.g. Department of Ecology Air Quality Program), and federal governments  (e.g. EPA), Air Quality Consulting, Environmental Consulting
Analytical Instrumentation, sales, marketing, and R&D; there are small businesses that cater to air quality, monitoring, but also opportunities at larger companies that are selling tools for Environmental Monitoring generally.
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) – e.g. Clean Air Task Force, Graduate school, Research

Career of Some Students Mastered from the Department

Participation in National Research Programme

STORM - Severe Thunderstorm: Observation & Regional Modeling Severe thunderstorms are important weather phenomena which impact on various facets of National activities like Civil and Defense operations, particularly Aviation, Space Vehicle Launching, Agriculture, in addition to this, its damage potential to life and property. They occur over different parts of India during different seasons. Forecasting pre-monsoon thunderstorms in peninsular, northeast, and northwest India, particularly, over Gangetic West Bengal and in winter over the Sub-Himalayan belt is a prime necessity. Although thunderstorms belong to cloud scale or meso scale systems, the large-scale or synoptic scale atmospheric processes control their genesis. As no detailed studies were available on this phenomenon, the Atmospheric Scientists of India realized that intensive research both, experimental as well as theoretical have to be undertaken to understand the genesis, development, morphology and dynamics of thunderstorms with a view to develop indigenous modelling capability for its improved prediction in India.The Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India has launched a National Programme on Severe Thunderstorm: Observational & Regional Modeling (STORM) in 2006. The Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Calcutta has been identified as a Lead Institution for DST Supported National Programme “STORM”. Prof. Sutapa Chaudhuri, an executive member of STORM - PIC, has been empowered to conduct the First Pilot Field Experiment – 2006 in collaboration with IMD, IAF & IIT Kharagpur. Twenty three publications in peer reviewed journal and two PhD came out of this project. Total outlay of the project was about Rs. 74 lakhs.

Setting up the Centre of Excellence in Climate Sciences (CCS), CU

The changeable climate and unusual or extreme weather are of great public concern which has drawn increased attention in recent decades to understand their causes, yet there are often conflicting messages from scientists about whether such extremes can be linked to climate change.
There is clear evidence that climate has changed as a result of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, and some aspects of extremes have changed consequently according to the IPCC fifth Assessment Report (AR5) followed by adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in UNDP’s Strategic Plan in September 2015 and climate change agreement under the UNFCCC in Paris, December 2015.
However, with natural variability playing a substantial role in individual events and given the complexities of the weather and climate processes involved, many challenges still need to be overcome to authoritatively assess how climate change has affected the potency and prospect of individual extremes.
To build research strengths and maintain a sustained flow of quality science into our national climate change agenda and India’s international response there is need to launch a strong, well-coordinated program in regional level to address climate science and extreme weather events in an interdisciplinary mode.
Keeping this in view, a proposal was submitted by Prof. Sutapa Chaudhuri to the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta to set up a Centre of Excellence in Climate Sciences (CCS) in the University of Calcutta, as a new programme, under the National Mission Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC) implemented by DST, Ministry of Science & Technology.
The Proposal has been approved by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and a fund was provided to Prof. Chaudhuri for organizing an inception Workshop for the same. An International Workshop on Climate Extreme: Observation, Analyses and Modeling was organised during 27 – 28 February 2017 for the inception of the Centre of Excellence in Climate Sciences.
One of the goals of the proposed Centre of Excellence is to foster the development of scientific methods that can be applied to explain the underlying physical processes causing extreme events and to place the event and associated processes in a historical context of climate variability and change. Sci­entific methods will be used to evaluate proposed mechanisms for how extreme weather may change in a warming world.
The vision of the proposed centre is to empower the State of West Bengal to mitigate the inevitable variability in climate and extremes and enhance the resilience and adaptation through research.
The mission is to understand the complexities of earth’s climate, monitor and assess its changes and study the implications of these changes to humanity. It would propagate sustainable and pragmatic development agenda backed by scientific research for ensuring a healthy climate in the State of West Bengal.

Additional information :

Awards & Appreciations
Awarded DSc in Atmospheric Science

Prof. Sutapa Chaudhuri was awarded the D. Sc. degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Calcutta in Atmospheric Science in the year 2014.

Received Best Paper Awards

News & Media Publicity

Participation of Research Fellows in National & International Conferences in India & Abroad

Administrative Staff