1G'nY CLIMATE July 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

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LandsLides Disaster Preparedness

Monsoon Worries Landslides

Monsoon and Music-Megh Malahar

an update

Volume 1 Issue 4 July 2015 FREE COPY

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3G'nY CLIMATE July 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

Contents India : Feature

4 Disaster Preparedness

4 Monsoon Worries

6 Landslides

7 News Round-up

7 Indian Ocean Dipole

8 Kharif Crop and Rainfall

9 Monsoon and Music-Megh Malahar

Ghanana Ghanana Ghan Garjo Re

Baag Laga Dun Sajani Kahan Se Aaya Badre Dukh Bhare Din Beta Re

Bhaiya Lapak Jhapak

10 Corona : An Optical Marvel

10 Conference Alert

Six Storms in Pacific: 12th July 2015

Dear readers,

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube have revolutionized the ways in which we communicate with each other and or with larger audience. Events taking place in any part of the world is on social media almost

instantly. On top of this we have a large number of 24X7 news channels competing with each other for breaking news almost every minute. This has done good that no important event which affects society goes unreported. Pitfall of instant news is that its shelf life is very limited. News remains in focus if it is able to generate TRP and in the process many important events get relegated to background. Even panel discussions generate more heat than lights as each channel is to provide instant solution to complex problems. Many a times,experts are cornered by anchors to express their views without having access to full details. What we require is a balance of latest news related to weather and serious analysis of its impact on safety and well being of the people and the economy.

GnY Climate plans to make full use of social media to collect weather, water, climate and hazards related news from the remotest part of the country, which is not normally available from existing network of observation and communication. We are enthused with overwhelming response from readers and support from experts. To keep GnY Climate readers updated with the latest weather events and forecasts we have started a section on daily Weather Updates. We also are encouraging weather enthusiasts and nature lovers to become Weather Journalist and report weather events of their area. In due course, we will have a short online learning programme for Weather Journalists, so that they could better comprehend the nuances of weather reporting.

Since Weather and Climate Sciences have immense socio-economic value, it is equally important that Weather and Climate Scientists understand importance and relevance of their work and develop services and products for the benefit of society. GnY Climate will have analysis of the impact of weather and climate on Agriculture, Water, Health, Energy, Transportation,and Disasters. Scientists also need to promote weather and climate sciences by sharing the findings of their research work in simple language with students and general public. GnY plans to have a panel of experts to provide guidance to students and young researchers. We seek support of experts to make this endevour success.

Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Dr. Ajit Tyagi, Former Director General, India Meteorological Department, New Delhi.

Advisor's Desk

4 G'nY CLIMATEJuly 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

IndiaIs

sues

Floods in Mumbai, Uttrakhand, Gujarat, Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya in the month of June this year are grim reminders of the major disasters of the recent past; Jammu and Kashmir (September, 2014), Gujarat (September, 2014), Assam and Meghalaya (2014), Uttarakhand (June, 2014) and Mumbai (July 2005), and trailer of many more to come in future.

Natural hazards are very much a part of the earth system and cannot be wished away. The worry is about the frequency and severity with which natural hazards are turning into disasters. Disasters claim a large number of lives and cause huge economic loss. There is a worldwide consensus that climate change is going to increase the severity and frequency of natural hazards and if not managed will affect the safety and wellbeing of a large section of the population.

This brings disaster preparedness as a major mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction. It calls for a paradigm shift in the planning process of disaster management; from rescue, relief and rehabilitation to preparedness.

Early Warning System (EWS) has emerged as a core component of Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness. It needs to be understood that EWS is much more than just forecasts and warnings of hazards. There are many examples wherein the absence of effective EWS, accurate forecasts and warnings did not lead to mitigation and preparedness on ground. A EWS should have the following four operational components to be effective: Observation, detection, monitoring, analysis, forecasting and

development of hazard warning messages; Assessing potential risks and integrating risk information into

warning messages;

Monsoon in India always comes along surprises. Be its onset, advance or intra seasonal variability, monsoon rainfall is known to exhibit variability in space and time. As a result, many a times we have some parts of the country reeling under floods while some other parts face drought like situation. The last two weeks werent any different. After sound rainfall in June 2015 associated with two depressions, one over Bay of Bengal and the other over Arabian Sea, and early advance of monsoon over North India, a general weakening of monsoon from June 26 to July 9 over most parts of the country except east and northeast India was observed. (Figs. 1 and 2).

Dissemination of timely, reliable and understandable warning messages to authorities and public at-risk;

Community-based emergency planning, preparedness and training programmes focused on eliciting an effective response to warnings to reduce potential impact on lives and livelihoods.Over the period of time, a lot has been achieved in certain

aspects of EWS but much more still needs to be done in many areas. Meteorological services have graduated from general forecasts and warnings to hazard specific warnings. In case of Cyclone warnings, associated impacts with severity of cyclones are also mentioned. Cyclone warnings have become more reliable and have a longer lead time of five days.

Same cannot be said about other weather hazards. Warnings of intense rainfall/cloud bursts arestill not satisfactory. One of the reasons for this is lack of radar coverage over many parts of the country, especially over the Himalayas. Similarly, absence of location and hazard specific risk mapping also act as a deterrent to effective EWS.

While each component of EWS is important, success of EWS lies in political will, budgetary allocation and capacity development at grass root level, as can be seen from the success of cyclone EWSs in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Otherwise, many good EWS plans have remained on paper because of bureaucratic red tapism and for the want of funds even after knowing the fact that every one rupee spent on EWS saves ten rupees by DRR.

It is sad that despite of approved plan schemes, many cities in the country and in the Himalayan region do not have radar coverage for want of administrative approvals and allocation of funds.

The monsoon strengthened after 9th June. This can be attributed to the formation of low pressure over north Bay of Bengal on June 8 and its inland movement and intensification into a depression, over Jharkhand and East Madhya Pradesh. The system did cause good rainfall over east and north India between July 10 and July 13, 2015.

Signs of WorryAfter a well distributed and good rainfall in the month of June, the weakening of overall monsoon and its uneven distribution of rainfall are alarming signs about the health of the monsoon. Weekly progress of all India and regional cumulative rainfall from June 1, 2015 shows a steady decline. (Table A)

DiSaSter PrePareDneSS

MonSoon WorrieS

Fig. 1:

Fig. 2:

5G'nY CLIMATE July 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

Issues As on All East and NW Central Southern Date India NE India India India Peninsula 30th June +16% +1% +31% +23% +19% 6th July 00% -4% +12% -2% -1% 13th July -3% -7% +26% -8% -12%

Rainfall deficiency is startling from July 1 - July 14. All India deficiency was 33%, East and Northeast India - 23 %, Northwest India +12%, Central India -51% and Southern Peninsula 67%.

Bihar, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura reported deficient rainfall on June 30, along with many states in Peninsula and western India including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. Real cause of worry is the forecast of sub normal rainfall in the coming days, which is bound to adversely impact crops and economy.

extended range ForecastNumerical Weather Prediction Models of MoES (NCMRWF, IITM and IMD) and Multi Model Ensembles indicate below normal rainfall over most parts of the country, except northeast India and along the foothills of Himalayas for the month of July.

el nino and Seasonal ForecastThe ongoing El Nio in the east-central Pacific continues at moderate strength. There is a greater than 90% chance that El Nio will continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2015-16, and there is an an 80% chance that it will last onto early spring 2016.

For the July-September period, the climate forecast issued by IRI and NOAA continues to show a strong likelihood of drier-than-normal conditions over Indonesia, northeastern Russia, northeastern South America and parts of Central America and the Caribbean, among other areas.

The model over India shows probability of below normal rainfall over the peninsula and the western parts of the country. El Ninos adverse impact on Indian rainfall in the absence of a positive IOD continues to be one of the major cause of worry this year.

Deficient rain fall in the first half of July (1st to 14th July)All India : - 33%East and Northeast India : - 23%Northwest India : + 12% Central India : - 51%South Peninsula : - 67 %Forecasts for Second half of July : Gloomy

Source: MoES IITM ERPS

Mid-June iri/CPC Plume-Based Probabilistic enSo Forecast

iri Multi-Model Probability Forecast for Precipitation for July-august-Setember 2015, issued June 2015

MMe rainfall anomaly (mm/day)table A.

6 G'nY CLIMATEJuly 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

Landslides are one of frequent natural hazards that affect about 15 per cent of the land area of our country. Landslides of different types are frequent in geodynamically active domains in the Himalayan and Arakan-Yoma belt of the North-Eastern partsof the country as well as in the relatively stable domains of the Meghalaya Plateau, Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills. In all, 22 states and parts of the Union Territory of Pudducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are affected by this hazard. The phenomenon of landslides is pronounced during the monsoon period..

Landslides often havedisastrous consequences causing enormous economic losses and affecting the social fabric. The year 2015 witnessed many landslides throughout the country. These include landslides in Kerala, Maharashtra, Sikkim, North Bengal, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Landslides have already claimed about 54 lives this year. In 2005 alone, more than 500 lives were lost due to landslides. Some of the recent major landslides of the country are listed below: 1. July 30, 2014 - Pune, Maharashtra- A landslide occurred in the village of Malin in the Ambegoan taluka of the Pune district of Maharashtra. The landslide occurred early morning when the residents were still asleep. It was caused by a burst of heavy rainfall and claimed at least 134 lives. In addition to the dead, it is an estimated 200 people in 44 houses got buried during the landslide. Rain continued after the landslide which made rescue operations difficult.

Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Roads Organization (BRO).4. July 26, 2005- raigad, Maharashtra- Landslide caused by torrential rains occurred in Dasgoan, 150 km from Mumbai. It claimed an estimated 56 lives in the Raigad district of Maharash-tra. Of these, 32 people were killed in the landslide while 24 others drowned.5. november 2001-amboori, Kerala- In one of the worst natural disasters the state has ever witnessed, 40 people were killed and four others were injured in a landslide that took place in the village of Amboori. The village is 35km away from Trivandram, the capital city of Kerala. 6. august 1998- Malpa, Uttarakhand- Malpa landslide was one of the worst landslides in India. 380 people were killed when a massive landslide washed away the entire village of Malpa. The dead included 60 pilgrims who were on their way to the Kailash-Mansarovar Lake in Tibet.

What iS LanDSLiDe?A landslide, also known as a landslip, is a geographical occurrence that includes a wide range of ground movements. Although the action of gravity is the primary force behind a landslide, there are other factors that affect the stability of a slope. Usually, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to landslips. Generally, landslides require a trigger before being released.

CaUSeS oF LanDSLiDeSA landslide occurs when the stability of a slope changes from stable to unstable. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by many factors, acting together or alone. Natural causes of landslide are as follows: Groundwater pressure acting to destabilize the slope. Erosion of the toe of a slope by river or ocean waves. Weakening of a slope because of saturation by melting glaciers

and snow or by heavy rains. Earthquakes adding loads to hardly stable slopes. Volcanic eruptions.Landslides are also caused by human activities such as: Deforestation, cultivation and construction which destabilizes

the already fragile slopes. Vibration from machinery or traffic. Blasting Earthwork that alters the shape of a slope or which imposes new

loads on an existing slope.

Photo courtesy: Deccan Chronicle

Source: www.ndma.gov.in

IndiaFE

ATU

RE

2. June 16, 2013- Kedarnath, Uttarakhand- A multi-day cloud burst centered on the northern state of Uttarakhand caused disas-trous floods and landslides, becoming the countrys worst natural disaster since the tsunami of 2004. The large scale floods were a result the debris of the building of the dam upstream. The debris blocked the river causing major overflow. The main day of the flood was 16 June 2013. As of 16 July 2013, according to figures provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 5700 people are presumed to be dead, including 934 local residents.3. September 24, 2012- northern Sikkim- At least 27 people died after flash floods and landslides that occurred in the northern region of Sikkim. The victims included personnel from the Indo-

LanDSLiDeS

7G'nY CLIMATE July 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

NDMA-National Disaster Management Authority provides guidelines for landslide management and awareness among people. NDMA guidelines enumerates the landslide education, awareness and capacity building measures. Some of the major issues are enumerated below- An effort in landslide education involves the development of self- training software and self-certification CD- ROMS. The GSI training institute conducts training programmes and sessions on landslide investigation. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (Dehradun), conducts courses in use of remote sensing data for geological hazards.

In shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted vegetation that binds colluviums to bedrock.

Construction, agricultural or forestry activities like logging which changes the amount of water that infiltrates the soil.

LanDSLiDe PrePareDneSS anD PLanningIn India, the preparedness, monitoring and planning of landslide mitigation is the responsibility of complete governmental setup, out of which National Disaster Management Authority is of major concern. NDMA guidelines on landslides state that Indian Meteorological Department and Geological Survey of India have to work together towards planning and preparedness of landslides.

On public platforms,through both digital and print media, no information regarding collaboration for work has been provided.

June 20, 2015: Landslides, reported from different places in Meghalaya, claimed 12 lives.

June 24, 2015: The Mumbai-Pune expressway witnessed landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. No casualties were reported but chaotic traffic situations prevailed for hours.

July 2, 2015: Landslides in Darjeeling took a death toll of 38

people. Reportedly, 23 were missing and many injured. July 3, 2015: Rudraprayag witnessed landslides that caused

damage to the major Haldwani- Ramganar highway. No casualties were reported.

July 7, 2015: Two persons were killed in Uttarakhand due to heavy rainfall. One was reported dead after a landslide hit the area and one more person died while crossing a river.

\What is ioDThe Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon in the equatorial Indian Ocean that affects the climate of South Asia, Australia and other countries that surround the Indian Ocean basin. It is normally characterized by anomalous cooling of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) and anomalous warming of SST in the western equatorial Indian Ocean (WEIO). The IOD is commonly measured by an index that is the difference between the sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the western (50E to 70E and 10S to 10N) and eastern (90E to 110E and 10S to 0S) equatorial Indian Ocean. The index is called the Dipole Mode Index (DMI).

Phases of ioDThe tropical Indian Ocean varies between "positive", "neutral" and "negative" phases of the IOD. A positive IOD period is characterised by cooler than normal water in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and warmer than normal water in the tropical western Indian Ocean. Conversely, a negative IOD period is characterised by warmer than normal water in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean and cooler than normal water in the tropical western Indian Ocean.

impactA positive IOD SST pattern has been observed to be associated with

wet conditions over East Africa and with a decrease in rainfall over parts of central and southern Australia and Indonesia. A negative IOD SST pattern is associated with an increase in rainfall over parts of Indonesia and Australia and lesser rainfall over East Africa.

impact over indiaRecent studies have depict how conditions in the Indian Ocean

can explain a recent weakening in the El Nio-Indian monsoon relationship where positive IOD events cancel out the drought-inducing effect of El Nio.

In particular, when an El Nio event occurs in the absence of a positive IOD, the Indian monsoon tends to break down. Conversely, when a positive IOD occurs in the absence of an El Nio, monsoon rainfall is significantly higher than average. However, when an El Nio event and a positive IOD coincide, normal levels of monsoonal

rainfall tend to occur as it happened in 1997, a year of strong El Nino and positive IOD. A positive IOD therefore disengages the relationship between an El Nio pattern in the Pacific and monsoonal rainfall over India.

The figure below shows the east and west poles of the IOD for November 1997; a positive IOD year.

FEATURE

neWS roUnD-UP: LanDSLiDeS 2015

inDian oCean DiPoLe

8 G'nY CLIMATEJuly 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

FEAT

URE

KhariF CroP anD rainFaLL

The early onset of Monsoon proved to be a boon for the country. With significant rains pouring in, the hope for a good produce increased notably. Observing 16% above normal rainfall in the month of June as compared to 42% below normal last year, the area under kharif crop increased substantially, this year.

inCreaSe in area UnDer KhariF CroPKharif crop is grown extensively in our country; especially in rain-fed areas. The crop, popularly called monsoon crop, is grown in the month of June in line with the onset of monsoon. The kharif season accounts for a large load of production in the country and hence the GDP. The major crops produced in our country in this season are Rice, Pulses, Cereals, Oilseeds, Sugarcane, Jute & Mesta and Cotton. The production of the crops is directly proportional to the amount of rains pouring in.

The kharif season in India starts in April and ends in October with harvesting of crops. The sowing initiates with the onset of monsoon and ends by the month of July. The area sown under kharif crops can be estimated only by the end of July. Considering cumulative kharif sowing for the past three seasons, i.e., 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, the average area under kharif crop accounts to 7.39 Million Hectares. The present season, 2015-2016, has witnessed sowing of 4.45 Million Hectares, till now.

The data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows the change in area under kharif crops in respect to last season (2014-2015). It reveals that the area under oilseeds and cotton has tremendously increases. Production of rice and jute has not achieved the desired outcome.(Figure below)

area sown under Kharif crop (Lakh hectares)

Change in area under Kharif crop (%)

The previous seasons (2014-2015) cumulative area under kharif crops till July 10 was recorded to be 275.10 Lakh hectares. This year, the area has increased to 445.11 Lakh hectares, which accounts to a 61.80 % increase. The change in area for each crop is also analysed. (Figure below)

With the graph (in the figure above) depicting change in kharif crop area, it is clearly visible that not all the crops have shown positive results. Area under Rice and Jute & Mesta seems to decrease; the area under rice shows a 5 % decrease while area under Jute and Mesta shows 3% reduction.

rainFaLL anD the KhariF CroPThe states growing cotton, coarse cereals and oilseeds received good amount of rainfall in the month of June, resulting in the increase in the sowing area under these crops.

Daily rainfall (mm) for South Peninsula - Monsoon 2015

The rainfall over Maharashtraand Southern Peninsula seem to have taken a halt. After witnessing an early onset of monsoon, the region is now experiencing a comparatively dry spell. The daily rainfall graph from IMD (India Meteorological Department) shows states of the southern peninsula suffering deficient rainfall on most

of the days in the month of July.Aridity outlook from the period July 1-July 15, 2015 shows severe aridity developing over Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Deficient rainfall and severe aridity in the states of Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh from June 26 onwards is creating stress to nascent crops and may affect yield.

Since most of rice cultivation takes place in the states having good irrigation facility, not much of change is seen the area of rice cultivation this year as compared to last year. Shortfall of about 5% was due to lesser rainfall over West Bengal, Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh in the month of June. Area under rice crop is expected to increase with good rains in North, East and Northeastern India in the month of July.

9G'nY CLIMATE July 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

Understanding Weather Phenomenon

MonSoon anD MUSiC-Megh MaLahar

ghanana ghanana ghan garjo reSinger: Ustad Amir KhanMovie: BaijuBawaraYear: 1952

Baiju Bawara was a music centric film. The story centres ona musicians son who ends up challenging the great Tansen to a duel. The song was an instant hit. It was sung by Ustad Amir Khan who was also acted as a music consultant for the film. The movie was also a critical and commercial success and launched the carriers of legendary Indian actress Meena Kumari and Bharat Bhushan. The films bagged music director Naushad only Filmfare Best Music Director award.

Barso reSinger: Khurshid BanoMovie: TansenYear: 1943

The movie was a biopic on the life of the legendary Indian musician Tansen. The music director of the film was Khemchand Prakash and the lyrics were penned by Pandit Indira. Both the leads of the film, Kundanlal Saigal and Khurshid Bano, provided playbacks for ll the songs.

Baag Laga Dun SajaniSinger: KundanlalSaigalMovie: TansenYear: 1943

This song has been sung by Kundanlal Saigal in the meghmalahar raag. The movie is based on the life of Tansen, a musician in King Akbars court. Both the leads sung all their own songs. The movie was a big hit. The music director of the film was Khemchand Prakash and the lyrics were done by Pandit Indira. Kahan Se aayaBadreSinger: K. J. Yesudas and Haimanti ShuklaMovie: Chashme BuddoorYear: 1981

Classic movie that spawned this gem of a song. Sung by K.J. Yesudas and Haimanti Shukla, the song became an instant hit. Lyrics of this evergreen track was penned byIndu Jain and the music composed by Raj Kamal. The film attained cult status over the years.

Dukh Bhare Din Beta re BhaiyaSinger: Shamshad Begum, Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle.Movie: Mother IndiaYear: 1957

The song was not so well received when it was released but later on became a big hit. The song was composed by Naushad and the lyrics were penned by Shakeel Badayuin. Mother India is regarded as one of the greatest Hindi films of all time. Lapak JhapakSinger: Manna DeyMovie: Boot PolishYear: 1954

The song was composed by Shankar and Jaikishan and the lyrics penned by Shailendra Singh. Considered to be among the best social dramas of Indian cinema, the film reveals the sufferings of down trodden children suffer in struggle for living.

(Source: bombaymann2.blogspot.com)

(Source: dailymotion.com)

(Source: youtubemaza.com)

(Source:parallelcinema.blogspot.com)

(Source: dailymotion.com)

(Source: youtube.com)

MeghMalahar is a Hindustani classical raga. The name derives from the Sanskrit word Megh, meaning cloud. It is believed that this raga has the power to bring about rains in the area where it is sung. Legend has it that when Tansen, a prominent Hindustani classical music composer, musician and vocalist from the 16th century,could bring rain by singing this raga. Meghmalahar has been found to increase numerous Bollywood songs over the years. Improvised forms of the raga are prominent in the

following Bollywood tracks: FEATURE

10 G'nY CLIMATEJuly 15-31, 2015 Volume 1 Issue 4

FEAT

URE

Corona : an oPtiCaL MarVeL

ConFerenCe aLert

In meteorology, a corona is produced by the diffraction of light from either the Sun or the Moon by individual small water droplets and sometimes tiny ice crystals of a cloud (or on a foggy glass surface). A corona consists small numbers of concentric colored rings around a celestial object and a central bright aureole. The angular size of the corona depends on the diameters of the cloud droplets - small droplets produce large coronae. For the same reason, the corona is clearest when the size of the droplets is most uniform. Coronae differ from haloes; the latter are formed by refraction (rather than diffraction) from comparatively large rather than small ice crystals.

The corona is the result of scattering of light by particles ranging in size from about 10 m to 100 m. In nature, these particles can be ice needles or cloud droplets. Corona appears as rings of colored light surrounding the luminous source, usually the moon or the sun. These rings are not as large as the rings of the halo, and are usually more strikingly colored.

The classic corona consists of a bright aureole, bluish in the center and brownish on the periphery, surrounded by one or more rings of lesser intensity that are bluish on the inside and red on the outside, passing through green and sometimes yellow on the way. Usually only one ring is visible, but up to three rings have been observed.

Although Corona occurs around the sun often, Corona is

6th annual Conference on Climate Change and Sustain-able DevelopmentDate: July 30 - August 1, 2015Location: Mumbai, IndiaLead organization(s): Tata Institute of Social SciencesLink: www.tiss.edu/

training Programme on agrometeorological tech-niques for risk assessment and Management of extreme eventsDate: Sep 1 Sep 21, 2015Last date of Application: July 30, 2015Location: HyderabadLead Organisations; Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad and Department ofScience and TechnologyContact: Dr Bapuji Rao.Email: bpujiraob2002@yahoo.com

usually observed around the moon, since the moon is easy to look at. Since looking at the sun is uncomfortable, it is necessary to screen off its brilliance when looking for the corona. Welder's goggles can be used. The problem here is the same as in viewing eclipses, and the same cautions are necessary.

Compared to the rainbow and the halo, the corona is a relatively neglected part of meteorological optics. However, it is one of the most frequently observed phenomena of this type, and can furnish intellectual challenge, useful information and visual pleasure.

World Symposium on Climate Change adaptationDate: September 2-September 4, 2015Location: Manchester, UKLead organization(s): Manchester MetropolitanLink: www.haw-hamburg.de/en/wscca-2015.html

third WMo/WWrP Monsoon heavy rainfall WorkshopDate: September 22-September 24, 2015Location: India Meteorological Department, New Delhi Lead Organisations : World Meteorological Organisation and India Meteorological Department.Link:http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/arep/wwrp/new/tropical_meteorology.html

international Conference on renewable energy and Sustainable environment (reSe 2015) Date- August 3 August 5, 2015 Location: Pollachi, Tamilnadu, India Link: http://mcet.in/conference/index.htmlEnquiries:rese2015@mcet.in