Ashesh Prosad Mitra. 21 February 1927 — 3 September 2007

Abstract

Ashesh Mitra was a world-leading pioneer of studies of the ionosphere, the troposphere and the Earth's atmosphere. He devised methods for studying the impact of solar flares upon the electron density of the various layers of the atmosphere, particularly of the D-region, which can strongly disrupt radio communications. He set up the Indian national monitoring programme of these disturbances. His interests developed to span all aspects of atmospheric physics, both experimentally and theoretically, including atmospheric chemistry, the ozone hole and the detrimental effects of global warming owing to man-made industrial activities. He was held in the highest regard by his colleagues and by politicians, including Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who appointed him director-general of the Indian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. On the international scene, he was a very active and much respected radio scientist, becoming president of the International Union of Radio Science.