(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) Scintillometer

(NOVEMBER-2025)

Recently, a scintillometer was installed at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu.

It is an optical instrument that measures heat and moisture exchange between the land surface.

It operates by transmitting a light beam between two fixed points.
Minute, rapid fluctuations in the beam caused by turbulent air known as scintillations are analysed to estimate heat transfer from the land to the atmosphere.
It was installed recently in an existing suite of sensors at the TRRI Critical Zone Observatory (CZO).

It was established under Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) with support from the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), became fully operational in 2022.
It is one of three such observatories in India and the only one in Tamil Nadu.
Main Instruments at about Critical Zone Observatory Site: Automatic Weather Station, COSMOS soil-moisture sensor, pan evaporimeter and eddy-covariance tower.

The site records weather parameters, soil moisture and direct air–surface fluxes; the scintillometer now provides direct estimates of sensible heat flux.
These observations improve estimates of evapotranspiration, soil moisture and local microclimate, directly supporting irrigation planning and local forecasts.
The observatory will generate long-term datasets on meteorological, canopy and hydrological parameters for the Cauvery delta.
Advantages: These are crucial for managing water and crops in this climate-sensitive agricultural region.
It would strengthen climate-resilient decision-making in the Cauvery delta.