Climate Change Indicators and Spatiotemporal Shift in Monsoon Patterns in Pakistan

Abstract

Monsoon rainfall is the principle source of fresh water essential for agricultural practices and human sustenance in the Indian subcontinent during summer. is study is primarily designed to analyse the extent of rainfall and temperature variations in Pakistan over the northern monsoon belt by using satellite and ground-based observations. e satellite gridded data for rainfall are acquired from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) along with rainfall and temperature data from 15 ground stations of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Data were analysed to identify changes in climatic parameters and spatiotemporal shift in monsoon precipitation in Pakistan. Analysis shows that there is significant correlation between TRMM and PMD datasets. Decrease in monsoon rainfall is observed during the last two decades. A more pronounced decrease is observed in monsoon rainfall during the years 2010-2017, i.e., 17.58 mm/year accompanied by 0.18°C increase in temperature. A southward spatial shift in monsoon rainfall occurrence (rainfall ≥2.5 mm/day) is observed while an eastward shift in moderate to heavy monsoon rainfall is identified. is study may be helpful for an agricultural country like Pakistan which is heavily dependent on monsoon rainfalls for assessing the impacts of changing monsoon season and to adapt towards changing climate.

Rampant Increase in Cases of Mucormycosis in India and Pakistan: A Serious Cause for Concern during the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

“…24 The concurrent rise in cases of mucormycosis in India and Pakistan could therefore be possibly attributed to similarities in their climate. 25 Contaminated water used in humidifiers, the use of industrial oxygen, unsterilized medical equipment, and prolonged use of the same masks and tubes is also strongly believed to cause mucormycosis. 26 An unhygienic environment, poverty, and lack of living standards, which have been further worsened due to lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19, may also have played a role in this fungal outbreak in India and Pakistan.…”

Short Communication: Addressing Vulnerability of Agriculture Sector to Climate Change in Pakistan

“…Agriculture contributes about 20% towards Pakistan's Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and is adversely affected by changing climate (Akram and Hamid, 2015). Shifts in rainfall pattern, rising temperatures, drought, floods and glacial retreats are the indicators of climate change in Pakistan (IPCC 2014;Safdar et al, 2019). The population of Pakistan is expected to reach 350 million by 2050 and to feed this population, country will require 40 million tons of * Corresponding author: amir.boku@gmail.com wheat and 10 million tons of rice (Kugelman and Hathaway, 2010).…”

Observed and Predicted Precipitation Changes in Pakistan Using Ground Observations, Satellite Data and Model Projections with Special Focus on Winter and Pre-Monsoon Precipitation

“…Rapidly changing climate puts an important in uence on precipitation in various parts of the world, as rainfall patterns are affected by changing climatic parameters like greenhouse gases and temperature, which ultimately may manifest in extreme events of either ooding or drought (Cubasch, Voss and Mikolajewicz, 2000 Safdar et al, 2019). Pakistan, in lieu of being located in South Asia is projected to be one of the most vulnerable and worst hit counties by the dire consequences of climate change, reasons being the geographical features and reliance on agriculture and natural resources for livelihoods (Islam, Sultan and Afroz, 2009).…”

“…In India, the largest country of South Asia, almost one-third of total annual precipitation falls in winter (December, January and February) through east-ward moving extra-tropical winds system called 'western disturbances' (Dimri et al, 2016) whereas summer monsoon rainfall system, the most important rainfall system which affects Indian sub-continent from June to September, is a component of global circulation system which also assists in regulating the temperature of Earth (Safdar et al, 2019). Similarly, annual precipitation received in Pakistan can also be divided into two main seasons, monsoon precipitation in summer months and winter precipitation, extending from December to February (Salma, Rehman and Shah, 2012).…”

“…Similarly, annual precipitation received in Pakistan can also be divided into two main seasons, monsoon precipitation in summer months and winter precipitation, extending from December to February (Salma, Rehman and Shah, 2012). Various studies over South Asia and Pakistan have reported that rainfall in monsoon has declined after 1970s (Ashfaq et al, 2009;Annamalai et al, 2012;Loo, Billa and Singh, 2015;Roxy et al, 2015;Ali et al, 2019;Safdar et al, 2019) whereas winter-spring precipitation needs to be investigated for any patterns and trends.…”