RAINFALL VARIABILITY AND CHANGE, AND ITS IMPACT IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYA

Vishwambhar Prasad Sat ()
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Vishwambhar Prasad Sat: Department of Geography and Resource Management, School of Earth Sciences, Mizoram University (A Central University), Aizawl – 796004, India

Earth Sciences Malaysia (ESMY), 2024, vol. 8, issue 1, 70-78

Abstract: The variability and change in rainfall conditions have become a potential future threat, manifesting several adverse impacts on nature and society. This study examines rainfall variability and change and its impact in the Western Himalaya. Rainfall data, obtained from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune) for the period 1845-2006, has been analyzed by Mann-Kendall Test and descriptive statistics to describe the evolution of the minimum, maximum, and mean rainfall patterns for monthly, annual, decadal and seasonal periods. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has divided the Western Himalaya into four rain seasons – (1) January and February; (2) March, April, and May; (3) June, July, August, and September; and (4) October, November, and December. Therefore, the data were analyzed based on these seasons. This study depicts high rainfall variability and change in terms of average decadal, annual, seasonal, and monthly rainfall. Rainfall variability is high in the monsoon and winter seasons. The monsoon season spanning for five months now reduced to three months with high intensity of rain. It can be observed from the data that in 1901, the average annual rainfall was only 1000 mm whereas in 1950 it was 3600 mm. The similar situation was noticed in the recent past. Similarly, the rainfall by western disturbances in December and January has been shifted to February and March with low intensity. This has resulted in low crop production and productivity and high geo-hydrological disasters. Furthermore, it also has an impact on the types and distribution of biodiversity resources.

Keywords: Rainfall variability; average rainfall; impact; trends; Western Himalaya. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zib:zbesmy:v:8:y:2024:i:1:p:70-78

DOI: 10.26480/esmy.01.2024.70.78

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