Current Affairs - Awards and Honours - Discussion

IIT Bombay Associate Professor Karthikeyan Lanka was selected for the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award 2026 in the Earth Sciences category. His research focuses on ecohydrology, satellite remote sensing and land-atmosphere interactions. He has used data from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission to study soil moisture and its influence on the Indian monsoon. Lanka also developed India’s first operational subseasonal agricultural drought forecasting system in collaboration with the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre. The system provides weekly drought forecasts at a 9-kilometre spatial resolution with lead times of up to four weeks.