Changing Temperature and Rainfall Patterns of Uttarakhand

Abstract

Nested in the lap of mighty Himalayas, the Indian state of Uttarakhand is climatologically very sensitive and ecologically fragile. Owing to its natural beauty, religious tone and rich biological succession the state is known as ‘Land of Gods’ and ‘land of austerity.’ However, increasing population pressure is posing a great challenge to the natural harmony of this vulnerable state. During recent years the state has recorded a significant increase in climatological disasters and for that the humanogenic enhancement of regional atmospheric entropy is being seen as the cause. Present paper analyses temperature and rainfall changes that the state has witnessed during the last century. The study is mainly based on the district temperature and rainfall series of 102 years obtained from India Meteorological Department. The analysis reveals that the state has recorded a significant increase in temperature while the volume of rainfall it receives annually, has declined during the course of the last century. The monthly changes show that the state is losing its seasonal contrast, and while winter months are becoming warmer, monsoon months are losing their heat and also the quantum of rainfall.