Trends and variability of monsoon and other rainfall seasons in Western Himalaya, India

Abstract

The local hydrological, agricultural and economic activities heavily depend on micro-level rainfall. Therefore, this study examines trends and variability of rainfall in Uttarakhand state of western Himalaya, India. The season and station-wise results of this study differ from India level results. The annual rainfall declined in high altitudes. Similarly, the monsoon rains declined in high altitudes and increased in low altitudes, whereas winter rainfall show mixed trends. The variability of monsoon rainfall was lowest for all stations and seasons, while the winters show low variability. Inter-seasonal variability is recorded highest in plains and lowest in high altitudes.

Spatio-temporal analysis of trends in seasonal vegetation productivity across Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayas, 2000–2014

“…6) could be attributed to the changes in temporal patterns of precipitation, particularly, the late onset of monsoon season and the shift of peak rainfall period from mid July to mid August during the study period (Singh & Mal, 2014;WMD, 2008). In particular, areas under dominant rainfed agriculture the annual cropping cycle could be potentially affected by the late onset of monsoon season (Kelkar, Narula, Sharma, & Chandna, 2008).…”

“…Uttarakhand receives a mean annual rainfall of 1546 mm, of which more than twothirds is during monsoon season (JuneeSeptember). The spatial distribution of rainfall shows marked spatial variation due to steep altitudinal gradient from south to north (Singh & Mal, 2014) which also controls the distribution of vegetation types. Western Himalayan alpine shrubs and meadows occupy areas with elevations between 3000 m and 4800 m, and areas above 4800 m are nonvegetated.…”

Climate Change and Dynamics of Glaciers and Vegetation in the Himalaya: An Overview

“…Contrary to monsoonal rains, winter precipitation shows an increasing but statistically insignifi cant trend; it has been above average during the period 1991-2006 (Bhutiyani 2016a , b ). Guhathakurta and Rajeevan ( 2008 ) found regional inhomogeneities with increasing winter precipitation in Himachal Pradesh and decreasing winter rates in Jammu and Kashmir and in Uttarakhand during 1901. Singh and Mal ( 2014 highlighted spatially varying trends of precipitation in Uttarakhand and confi rmed negative trends of annual precipitation and monsoonal rainfall at higher altitudes, while winter precipitation shows mixed trends (see also Mishra 2014 ).…”

Climatic Variability and Land Use Change in Kamala Watershed, Sindhuli District, Nepal

“…The Sindhuli Gadhi station is the nearest station to the watershed. The missing rainfall values were filled by averaging method [23]. For example, average of total rainfall of 1985 and 1987 was done to fill the missing value of 1986.…”