Weather stations in Sikkim to study weather patterns

Gangtok: The state government has decided to set up 15 automatic weather stations in the state to record daily patterns of weather conditions in the state in order to assess the impact of global warming and climate change.

Data on rain fall, temperature, wind speed and direction and humidity, will be recorded at the automatic weather stations on a day-to-day basis for a scientific study about global warming and climate change in the Himalayan state, science and techonology secretary MA Arrawatia said.

One of the centres have been set up at the Science Centre Marchak in East Sikkim, he said.

Three will be set up at the Rathong glacier base camp to study the impact of global warming on the condition of ice reserves there, the science and technology secretary said.

Arrawatia said that his department was also working on a proposal to set up infrastructure for monitoring the snow cover using satellite technology.