About Simplifying Science
Simplifying Science is Asar’s strategic science communications programme, bridging the gap between rigorous climate research and the communities most at risk. India produces world-class climate science – but findings rarely reach farmers, labourers, health practitioners, and policymakers in the languages they speak, through the media they trust. Through this programme, Asar partners with researchers and institutions to translate complex scientific findings into accessible, evidence-grounded narratives, disseminated across regional media in multiple Indian languages.
About This Campaign
This campaign is built around a landmark study – Anatomy of Moist Heatwaves in India During the Summer Monsoon Season – published in Climate Dynamics (Vol. 64, 2026) and led by Dr. Akshay Deoras, National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, UK. Co-investigators include researchers from the University of Leeds, the UK Met Office, and IITM Pune. The study draws on 84 years of atmospheric data (1940–2023).
Three key findings:
- India’s summer monsoon is the primary driver of moist heatwave occurrence – controlling both location and timing
- A single large-scale weather pattern can raise moist heatwave likelihood in northern India by 125%
- These events can be forecast up to four weeks in advance, enabling preparedness across health, energy, and public systems
Moist heatwaves are more dangerous than dry heat because high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating – disabling the body’s primary cooling mechanism and accelerating heatstroke, even at moderate temperatures. Public awareness of this threat remains critically low.
The full study is available open access: Anatomy of moist heatwaves in India during the summer monsoon season | Climate Dynamics | Springer Nature Link
Reach
43 stories · 6 languages · 27 print · 15 online · 1 social/video
Total estimated reach: 53–59 million*
SimplifyingScience_Coverage Report_v3.pdf (2.5 MB)
Based on ABC circulation data and IRS readership surveys (2019–2022)