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Climate Change in the Northwestern Himalayas

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Dynamics of Climate Change and Water Resources of Northwestern Himalaya

Part of the book series: Society of Earth Scientists Series ((SESS))

Abstract

The paper examines the magnitude of warming in Northwestern Himalaya during the period from 1866 to 2006. The analyses of the temperature data show an average rate of increase of about 1.1 °C/100 years during this period. Warming effect is particularly significant during the winter season. Winter temperature has shown an elevated rate of increase (1.4 °C/100 years) than the monsoon temperature (0.6 °C/100 years), due to rapid increase in both, the maximum as well as minimum temperatures, with the maximum increasing much more rapidly. Statistically significant decreasing trends (at 95 % confidence level) in the monsoon and overall annual precipitation during the study period are indicated. In contrast, the winter precipitation has shown an increasing but statistically insignificant trend (at 95 % confidence level). Rising winter air temperatures have caused decreasing snowfall component in total winter precipitation on the windward side of the Pirpanjal Range. The studies also indicate reduced the duration of winter by about two weeks in the last three decades. Role of anthropogenic activities influencing climate change in last three decades can not be ruled out.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Defence Terrain Research Laboratory, Metcalfe House, Delhi, India

    Mahendra R. Bhutiyani

Authors
  1. Mahendra R. Bhutiyani
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Correspondence to Mahendra R. Bhutiyani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Watershed Processes & Management, G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, Almora, India

    Rajesh Joshi

  2. Watershed Processes & Management, G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development, Almora, India

    Kireet Kumar

  3. Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

    Lok Man S Palni

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Bhutiyani, M.R. (2015). Climate Change in the Northwestern Himalayas. In: Joshi, R., Kumar, K., Palni, L. (eds) Dynamics of Climate Change and Water Resources of Northwestern Himalaya. Society of Earth Scientists Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13743-8_8

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