Anna Mani: The Woman Who Measured India’s Skies
GS PAPER III -SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: Achievements of Indians in S&T
CONTEXT: The National Book Trust has released new book spotlighting Anna Mani’s pioneering research on ozone and pollution in Pune, decades before “climate change” became a recognized scientific and policy concern.
Anna Mani: Trailblazer in Meteorology
Background & Education
- Born in Peermade, Kerala (1918–2001), Anna Mani was one
- of India’s first major female physicists and meteorologists.
- Studied physics at Presidency College, Chennai; trained at Imperial College London; published five crystallography papers under C.V. Raman at IISc Bengaluru.
Meteorological Impact
- Joined Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1948, eventually leading its Instruments Division and earning the nickname “Weather Woman of India”.
- Standardized and locally manufactured over 100 weather instruments, including India’s first pyranometers and sunshine recorders, ending reliance on imports.
Atmospheric Monitoring Initiatives
- Led creation of a nationwide network of solar, wind, and radiation observatories; introduced rigorous WMO-calibration standards and established the Regional Instrumentation Centre, Pune.
- Developed India’s first ozonesonde balloon in 1964, measuring ozone up to 35 km and integrating India into the WMO global ozone mapping network.
Pioneering Ozone & Pollution Research
- Conducted ground-level ozone studies and urban aerosol research, producing data that anticipated modern air pollution science and climate change debates.
- Innovated instrument design—using glass and Teflon for ozonesondes—to eliminate chemical errors, setting new benchmarks for measurement precision.
- Advocated for scientific ethics: “wrong measurements are worse than none,” transforming her Pune laboratory into a national model.
Lasting Contributions & Publications
- Authored “Handbook for Solar Radiation Data for India” (1980) and “Wind Energy Resource Survey in India” (1992), both enduring benchmarks for renewable energy and climate studies.
- Warned about CFC emissions, ozone depletion, and the links between industrialization and atmospheric shifts, anticipating the Anthropocene paradigm in global science.
Legacy & Influence
- Her datasets form India’s earliest and longest continuous record of ozone, solar radiation, and aerosols—now fundamental to climate modelling and policy research.
- Anna Mani’s vision for environmental science and instrument self-reliance continues to anchor Indian and global efforts for atmospheric monitoring and climate policy.
