A review of synchronization of extreme precipitation events in monsoons from complex network perspective

Abstract

Monsoon precipitation is the critical source of freshwater for some of the world’s most densely populated areas, yet extreme precipitation events in these regions present significant risks, including devastating floods and damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Recent events, such as the severe flooding and landslides during the 2023 North India monsoon and the 2022 Pakistan floods,11For example, https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/09/01/pakistan-flooding-crisis-climate-change-governance/ and https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/10/india-floods-new-delhi-rain-record-deaths (last assessed 30 September 2024). underscore the pressing need to better understand and predict these hazards. While the science of monsoons has been studied for decades, with theories centered on global dynamics and moist energy budgets to explain the zonal mean state of monsoon and factors leading to regional differences, one key theme of all these analyses is the spatiotemporal variability of rainfall from the dry to wet seasons. A key challenge is understanding and predicting extreme rainfall incidents during monsoon seasons to help mitigate dire undesired consequences.