A complete understanding of the causes and consequences of global environmental change requires data from across the globe, but key regions such as the Indian Sub-continent and Africa are under-represented in the global efforts to gather such data. The Indian subcontinent, with more than a billion people, has a significant impact on regional and global environment, but is also very susceptible to global environmental change. In a Policy Forum article to be published in Science magazine on Friday, April 13, Dr. P.V. Sundareshwar, an assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, details a plan for an environmental monitoring network for India. He and coauthors unveil a proposal for an integrated system to monitor terrestrial, coastal and oceanic environments across India, called INDOFLUX. The data gathered will be shared internationally to augment global efforts and will also help evaluate current and future environmental changes in the region. During an Indo-U.S. bilateral workshop sponsored by the IndoUS Science and Technology Forum the Department of Science and Technology--Government of India, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and India’s Anna University, scientists from the U.S. and India developed a blueprint and overarching objectives for the INDOFLUX, The Indian government has now earmarked an equivalent of about US $50 Million for the next five years to implement the proposed INDOFLUX. It is anticipated that this effort will enhance bilateral and multilateral collaborative actions towards addressing global environmental change.
Dr. Sundareshwar has broad experience working in various aspects of environmental change and natural resource management. His primary research focus is on ecosystem science and nutrient cycling. He is the State Carbon Scientist and also directs the Biogeochemistry Core Facility on the School of Mines campus, established to help study global environmental and climate change.
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Dr. Sundareshwar and the proposal are also featured in an article by Nature titled, "India Set to Check Environmental Pulse."
