Abstract
The impact of climate change over Indian Himalaya has received a great deal of attention worldwide. The present study focuses the recent winter climate, snow cover and albedo variability over north-west Himalaya (NWH). We analyze the trends of climate and snow cover variations in past two decades (1991–2011) and compare with the recent years 2001–2014, in three different snow climatic zones of NWH viz. Lower Himalaya (LH), Great Himalaya (GH) and Karakoram Himalaya (KH). The analysis of past two decades suggests that the maximum temperatures have increased and minimum temperatures have decreased in all the three zones of NWH. The trends of winter mean temperatures have been found increasing in LH and GH, and decreasing in KH. The increasing trend in diurnal temperature range (DTR) was observed over all the three zones and attributed to increasing maximum and decreasing minimum temperatures. Significant increasing trends in total precipitation (solid and liquid) were observed in LH and GH, and insignificant decreasing trend in KH. The field observed winter snow albedo of the same period suggest significant decreasing trend in GH and no trend in LH. The snow cover area (SCA) and albedo was monitored using MODIS sensor for the winter period 2001–14. These recent years (2001 onward) analysis suggests that the trends of SCA and snow albedo are insignificantly increasing over NWH. This has been supported by insignificant decreasing winter mean temperatures in all the three zones or vice-versa. These decreasing trend in temperature and increasing trends in SCA and albedo are attributed to recent ‘Hiatus’ in rising winter mean temperatures and thus global warming. The trends of these climatic variations in different periods also support the climate change impact on Himalayan snow cover and glaciers.
Published Version
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