Dev Raj Sikka, the former director of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, who first proposed a link between the El Nino phenomenon and the Indian monsoon, died of a cardiac arrest at age 85.
Six out of 10 El Nino-years have been associated with below-normal rainfall over India.
Former Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) director Dev Raj Sikka, known as the ‘monsoon man’ for his role in helping scientists develop better prediction systems for India’s rainy season, died on March 19.
Sikka was honoured with the lifetime achievement award by the Indian Meteorological Society (IMD) in December 2016 in recognition of his contribution to Indian meteorology spanning over six decade.
Born in Jhang Maghiana (western Punjab) in Pakistan Sikka joined the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1954 before moving to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, from where he retired as its director.
Sikka became known for his work on the prediction of monsoon - notoriously erratic in the subcontinent - and tropical meteorology, including extreme weather events.
Dev Raj Sikka was the force behind the Monsoon Mission, an India-UK scientific collaboration that aimed at setting up the infrastructure and man-power to improve the prediction at all-time scales.
This mission enabled the meteorologists to predict perfect seasonal and extended range prediction system. It also helped to predict better short and medium range prediction system.
Sikka was also chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) committee on climate change, and chairperson of the Research and Advisory Council of the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast.
CSIR: Know More- Established: 26 September 1942
- Chairman: Prime Minister of India
- Director General: Dr. Girish Sahni
- Staff: 17,000 - contain over 4000 active scientists, over 12000 technical/ support personnel and over 5000 students.
