Bhubaneswar, Sept. 12: The IIT Bhubaneswar will shortly set up an observation centre in Puri to study climate change.

The ministry of earth sciences has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the unit, which is a wing of the proposed innovation centre for climate change.

Titled IITBBS-MoES Centre for Bay of Bengal Observation, the complex will come up on 35 acres at Seepasarubali village in Puri.

“The site is sea facing and convenient for the study of waves and the sea. Moreover, the area has facilities for parking of jetties and boats needed for research activities,” said an official. The observation centre will be the first marine campus to be set up by any IIT in the country and it will be able to predict tropical cyclone, rise in sea level, extreme weather conditions, monsoon variability and regional climate variability,” said the official.

“Such a centre assumes significance, as Odisha continues to be prone to cyclones and erratic weather conditions. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 140 crore, of which the ministry of earth sciences has sanctioned Rs 10 crore in the first phase,” he said.

Besides analysing and disseminating geo-physical data about the ocean, the centre aims to generate highly skilled human resources for research in the fields of earth system sciences and climate change. International institutes such the Scripps Research Institute, University of Southampton and Rutgers University will collaborate with the IIT for research work.