Best Oral Presentation Award at ECSSPP-2026, presented by the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, awarded to CAS PhD Scholar Mr. Aasif Ahmad Wagay

Mr. Aasif Ahmad Wagay participated in the 3-Day National Conference on "Environment, Climate, and Sustainability: Science, Policy and Pathways" (ECSSPP-2026), jointly organised by the Department of Environmental Science and the Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, held from September 15 to 17, 2026.

The conference served as a multi-disciplinary platform bringing together leading researchers, academicians, policymakers, and scholars to address pressing environmental issues. Key themes spanned environmental pollution, climate change and sustainable development, geospatial environmental monitoring, biodiversity conservation, cryosphere and cold region processes, and disaster risk reduction. The event concluded with a high-level valedictory ceremony addressed by the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, recognizing outstanding contributions across various presentation tracks. 
 
He has been conferred with the Best Oral Presentation Award, presented by the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha.   

Achievement Summary Award Category: Best Oral Presentation Award

Conferred By: Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir  

Presenter: Aasif Ahmad Wagay, Research Scholar, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS), IIT Delhi

Conference Title: 3-Day National Conference on Environment, Climate, and Sustainability: Science, Policy and Pathways (ECSSPP-2026)

Organizers: Department of Environmental Science & Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir, Srinagar

Dates & Venue: 15th–17th September 2026 | Gandhi Bhawan, University of Kashmir, Srinagar
Presentation Title: Impacts of Urbanization on Meteorological Dynamics in Megacities

Brief Description:

The presentation examined how rapid urban expansion and land use/land cover (LULC) changes alter near-surface meteorological parameters and boundary-layer structures across megacities. By substituting natural, vegetated surfaces with impervious built materials, urbanization fundamentally perturbs the net surface energy balance—drastically suppressing latent heat flux while enhancing sensible heat partitioning and ground heat storage. The talk highlighted how these localised thermodynamic perturbations exacerbate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, modulate convective boundary-layer growth, and govern the dispersion and accumulation of urban air pollutants.