Guwahati: Two meteorologists from the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Meteorological Centre in Shillong will participate in the 46th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (46-ISEA), scheduled to begin in November 2026, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Scientific Assistants Partik Kumar and Dheeraj Chaudhary will represent the Shillong centre during the expedition. They will be deployed at India’s year-round research stations, Maitri and Bharati, where they will operate and maintain essential meteorological observatories in the polar region.
Ahead of their departure, the Meteorological Centre in Shillong organised a formal farewell ceremony on October 27, 2026. Addressing the gathering, centre head Thangjalal Lhouvum highlighted the significance of their assignment in advancing climate research.
Lhouvum noted that observations collected in Antarctica play an important role in understanding global climate change. He also urged the scientists to follow established safety protocols while working in the region’s extreme environmental conditions.
The expedition is managed by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), based in Goa. The mission continues the IMD’s involvement in Antarctic scientific research, which began with India’s first polar expedition in 1982.
Data gathered by Kumar and Chaudhary is expected to contribute to international research and modelling efforts focused on climate variability and global weather patterns.