INDIAN PROGRAMME ON
CLIMATE AND WEATHER OF SUN-EARTH SYSTEM
(CAWSES – INDIA) – 2004 to 2008
CAWSES-International Scenario:
SCOSTEP (Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics) launched a new
international scientific program called Climate and Weather of Sun-Earth System
(CAWSES) during 2004-2008 with a view to link the world’s scientists in a cooperative effort
to study the Sun-Earth system in totality. The main aims of CAWSES are to mobilize the international
solar-terrestrial science community to fully utilize the past, present, and future data; to improve space
weather forecasting; to produce better design of space-and Earth-based technological systems and to
improve our understanding of the effects of solar-terrestrial influences on Global Change. The
CAWSES program would foster a scientific approach to understanding the short term (Space Weather)
and long term (Space Climate) variability of the integrated Solar-Terrestrial environment, and its
effects on society. For details on international CAWSES see website at http://www.bu.edu/cawses
Indian Participation in CAWSES Programme:
ISRO has agreed to sponsor the participation of Indian scientific community in the field in
CAWSES programme (CAWSES-India). Initiated by ADCOS, a programme document on
CAWSES-India has been prepared based on the inputs received from various scientific groups. This
document was finalized after detailed discussion and recommendations made at the national workshop
held at Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), VSSC, Trivandrum during September 2003. Broadly the
CAWSES-India also deals with four themes (described below) identified by CAWSES under
SCOSTEP. The emphasis in the Indian Program is to use the available expertise and facilities to bring
out new results particularly relevant to the low latitude phenomena by imaginatively carrying out
focused campaign experiments, development of models using available data, and theoretical studies.
Interaction between modelers, theoreticians and experimenters is strongly encouraged under
CAWSES-India programme. A brief document on CAWSES-India may be obtained on e-mail from
kusuma@isro.org. In order to coordinate the activity at national level, ISRO has constituted a
steering committee (see Box)
CAWSES-India National Steering Committee (CNSC)
Chairman:
Co-Chairman:
Member Secretary:
Prof P B Rao
Dr S C Chakravarty
Dr Kusuma G Rao
Members:
Prof. R. Sridharan, SPL, Trivandrum
Prof. D.N. Rao, NMRF, Gadanki
Prof. P. Venkatakrishnan, USO, Udaipur
Prof. J.H. Sastri, IIA, Bangalore
Prof. G.S. Lakhina, IIG, Mumbai
Prof. R. Ramesh, PRL, Ahmedabad
Prof. S. Ananthakrishnan, NCRA, Pune
Prof. B.N. Goswami, IISc, Bangalore
Dr. R.S. Dabas, NPL, New Delhi
Prof. P.K. Bhuyan, Dibrugarh Univ,Dibrugarh
Prof. A Dasgupta, Univ of Calcutta, Kolkata
rao_pb@nrsa.gov.in
scc@isro.org
kusuma@isro.org
r_sridharan@vssc.org
profdnrao2001@yahoo.com
pvk@prl.ernet.in
jhs@iiap.ernet.in
lakhina@stelab.nagoya-u.ac.jp
r.ramesh@prl.ernet.in
ananth@ncra.tifr.res.in
goswami@caos.iisc.ernet.in
rajdabas@nplindia.ernet.in
dulib@unidib.ren.nic.in
ashikp@cucc.ernet.in
Following are the four broad themes of the Working Groups (WGs):

Theme 1: Solar Influence on Climate
WG-1 Co-Chairs:
Prof. B.N. Goswami, IISc, Bangalore
Prof. R. Ramesh, PRL, Ahmedabad

goswami@caos.iisc.ernet.in
r.ramesh@prl.ernet.in
Theme 2. Space Weather: Science and Applications
WG-2 Co-Chairs:
Prof. J.H. Sastri, IIA, Bangalore
Prof. P. Venkatakrishnan, USO, Udaipur

jhs@iiap.ernet.in
pvk@prl.ernet.in
Theme 3. Atmospheric Coupling processes
WG-3: Co-Chairs:
Prof. D Narayana Rao, NMRF, Gadanki
Dr. S. Gurubaran, EGRI/IIG, Triunelveli

profdnrao2001@yahoo.com
gurubara@vsnl.com
Theme 4: Space climatology
WG-4: Co-Chairs:
Dr. R.S. Dabas, NPL, New Delhi
Dr. Harish Chandra, PRL, Ahmedabad
rajdabas@nplindia.ernet.in
hchandra@prl.ernet.in
The proposals were invited and submitted to the respective co-chairs of the WGs with copies to
Chairman, CNSC and Member-Secretary, CNSC at the given addresses
Dr. Kusuma G. Rao
Member Secretary,
CAWSES-India National Steering Committee,
Space Science Office,
ISRO HQ, Bangalore – 560 094
Tel: 22172077/23416271
Fax: 23419190
E-mail: kusuma@isro.org
More 25 research proposals under different themes were approved by CNSC
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SUMMARY ON SCIENCE ACTIVITIES UNDER CAWSES-INDIA
THEME-4 : SPACE CLIMATOLOGY
Under CAWSES Theme–4 the following activities are going on with different groups in
the Country which are approved by NSC.
1. Studies on low latitude space Climatology with ground based Ionosphere –
Thermosphere measurements.
2. Climatology and modelling of the F region over Indian equatorial and Low
latitudes based on data from ionosonde network
3. Study of Sun-Earth interactions using VHF scintillation
4. An Integrated approach for the investigation of the Equatorial Ionosphere
thermosphere system using different ground based experimental techniques at the
magnetic equatorial location of Trivandrum
5. Analysis & modeling of the Indian Ionospheric electron Content.
6. Space Climatology of upper ionosphere using VHF scintillation and VLF Whistler
mode
7. Ionospheric Modeling for short and long term predictions of F-region parameters
over Indian zone (NPL- Published in JGR-08-in press)
8. Space weather impact on equatorial and low latitude F-region Ionosphere over
India. (NPL- Published Annales Geophysicae-06)
9. Equatorial and low latitude spread F irregularity characteristics over the Indian
region and their prediction possibilities (NPL-Published in JASTP-07)
Note: In addition to above, one of the important contribution is the digitization of
20-40 yrs of past Ionosonde data by NPL/ISRO under CAWSES from a network of
Indian stations which is being distributed to the users for different applications.
List of Publications Under CAWSES by NPL, New Delhi Group.
1. R. S. Dabas, Kavita Sharma, Rupesh M. Das, N.K. Sethi and A. K. Mishra,
‘Ionospheric modeling for short and long term predictions of F-region parameters
over Indian zone’J. Geophys. Res. 113(2008) –doi:10.1029/2007JA012539,2008.
2. N.K. Sethi, R.S. Dabas, Yogesh Ninawe ‘foF2 variability over New Delhi during
different solar cycle conditions and comparison with IRI-2001 model’ Adv. Space
Res. (2007), 40 (2007) 855–860
3. R. S. Dabas, Rupesh M. Das, Kavita sharma, S.C. Garg, C. V. Devasia, K. S. V.
Subbarao, K. Niranjan and P. V. S. Rama Rao, ‘Equatorial and low latitude Spread F
irregularity characteristics over the Indian region and their prediction possibilities’ J.
Atmos. Solar Terr. Phys.69 (2007), pp685-696.
4. R. S. Dabas, Lakha Singh, S. C. Garg, Rupesh M. Das, Kavita Sharma and V. K.
Vohra, ‘Growth and decay of a post-sunset equatorial anomaly at low latitudes:
control of ExB, neutral winds and daytime electrojet strength’, J. Atmos. Solar Terr.
Phys. 68 (2006), pp.1622-1632.
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5. R. S. Dabas, Neerja Sharma, M. G. K. Pillai and A. K. Gwal, ‘Day-to-day variability
of equatorial and low latitude F-region ionosphere in the Indian zone, J. Atmos. Solar
Terr. Phys.68 (2006 ) pp 1269-1277..
6. R. S. Dabas, Rupesh M. Das, V. K. Vohra and C. V. Devasia, ‘Space weather impact
on equatorial and low latitude F-region Ionosphere’ Annales Geophysicae, 24 (2006),
97-105.
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