1. Spatio-temporal rainfall trends in the Ganga River basin over the last century: understanding feedback and hydrological impacts.
- Author
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Swarnkar, Somil, Prakash, Shivendra, Joshi, Suneel Kumar, and Sinha, Rajiv
- Subjects
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WATERSHEDS , *FLOOD risk , *HYDROLOGY , *MONSOONS , *PLANTS - Abstract
The Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) characterizes the hydrometeorological variability across the north Indian region and contributes more than 75% of the annual rainfall during the monsoon (June–September) season. In the present study, we analysed the long-term monsoon rainfall for the Ganga River basin to investigate its spatio-temporal variability. A statistically increasing (10 to 17 mm/year; p < 0.05) trend has been observed in ISM rainfall for the mountainous region since 1980, accompanied by increased temperature. We further note that high, very high and extreme rainfall events are also increasing, enhancing the flash flood risk in the mountainous region. In contrast, the ISM rainfall in the alluvial region is observed to be statistically decreasing (−5 to −20 mm/year; p < 0.05) with the combined influence of reduced vegetation. These findings provide valuable insights into the variations in regional hydrology of the Ganga River basin caused by natural and anthropogenic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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