Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya

The Himalayan region, due to its fragile ecology, is extremely vulnerable to even small perturbations in climate that might not only affect the pristine ecosystems but also the socioeconomic sectors across the mountain arc. In this study, we analyzed the climate variability and trends of change in p...

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Main Authors: Javaid M. Dad, M. Muslim, Irfan Rashid, Zafar A. Reshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-07-01
Series:Ecological Indicators
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21003551
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author Javaid M. Dad
M. Muslim
Irfan Rashid
Irfan Rashid
Zafar A. Reshi
author_facet Javaid M. Dad
M. Muslim
Irfan Rashid
Irfan Rashid
Zafar A. Reshi
author_sort Javaid M. Dad
collection DOAJ
description The Himalayan region, due to its fragile ecology, is extremely vulnerable to even small perturbations in climate that might not only affect the pristine ecosystems but also the socioeconomic sectors across the mountain arc. In this study, we analyzed the climate variability and trends of change in precipitation and temperature for Kashmir Himalaya between 1980 and 2017. Investigations were carried out for six meteorological stations located within Kashmir valley. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test was used for significance of trends in precipitation and temperature data on monthly, seasonal, and annual scales, while Sen’s non-parametric estimator of the slope was used to estimate the magnitude of trend. The results obtained indicate that the Kashmir region receives about 72% annual precipitation from Western Disturbances (WD) and 28% from Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). The influence of ISM was higher towards south Kashmir, while north Kashmir was mostly influenced by western disturbances. The contribution of ISM to total rainfall recorded a 10% increase for the time series. With noticeable inter-station variations, our results indicate statistically significant positive trends for both TMax (p < 0.05) and TMin (p < 0.01) across Kashmir valley. The station-wise deviation of observed temperature with the lapse-rate projected temperatures for 5 stations also showed deviation. On an annual scale, the TMax and TMin for the region have increased by 0.035 °C and 0.022 °C, indicating that increase is more in the case of TMax. Analysis of precipitation revealed a non-significant positive trend, with an annual increase of 0.4 mm a−1. Insignificant increasing trends were also observed during autumn, winter, and spring. On contrary, non-significant decreasing trends in precipitation were observed during summer. The station-wise precipitation variations were more evident for Kokernag and Qazigund which recorded increasing precipitation (p < 0.01), while Srinagar, Kupwara, and Pahalgam did not show any significant trend, and Gulmarg recorded a decreasing trend for precipitation. This shifting pattern in precipitation could have serious environmental implications that will greatly influence the food security and ecological sustainability of the region.
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spelling doaj.art-2b683b7d4b4b47519dfa7666a45b3a682022-12-21T21:33:04ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2021-07-01126107690Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir HimalayaJavaid M. Dad0M. Muslim1Irfan Rashid2Irfan Rashid3Zafar A. Reshi4Department of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India; Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaDepartment of Environmental Science, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaDepartment of Botany, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, India; Corresponding author.Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaDepartment of Botany, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal Srinagar 190006, Jammu and Kashmir, IndiaThe Himalayan region, due to its fragile ecology, is extremely vulnerable to even small perturbations in climate that might not only affect the pristine ecosystems but also the socioeconomic sectors across the mountain arc. In this study, we analyzed the climate variability and trends of change in precipitation and temperature for Kashmir Himalaya between 1980 and 2017. Investigations were carried out for six meteorological stations located within Kashmir valley. The non-parametric Mann–Kendall test was used for significance of trends in precipitation and temperature data on monthly, seasonal, and annual scales, while Sen’s non-parametric estimator of the slope was used to estimate the magnitude of trend. The results obtained indicate that the Kashmir region receives about 72% annual precipitation from Western Disturbances (WD) and 28% from Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). The influence of ISM was higher towards south Kashmir, while north Kashmir was mostly influenced by western disturbances. The contribution of ISM to total rainfall recorded a 10% increase for the time series. With noticeable inter-station variations, our results indicate statistically significant positive trends for both TMax (p < 0.05) and TMin (p < 0.01) across Kashmir valley. The station-wise deviation of observed temperature with the lapse-rate projected temperatures for 5 stations also showed deviation. On an annual scale, the TMax and TMin for the region have increased by 0.035 °C and 0.022 °C, indicating that increase is more in the case of TMax. Analysis of precipitation revealed a non-significant positive trend, with an annual increase of 0.4 mm a−1. Insignificant increasing trends were also observed during autumn, winter, and spring. On contrary, non-significant decreasing trends in precipitation were observed during summer. The station-wise precipitation variations were more evident for Kokernag and Qazigund which recorded increasing precipitation (p < 0.01), while Srinagar, Kupwara, and Pahalgam did not show any significant trend, and Gulmarg recorded a decreasing trend for precipitation. This shifting pattern in precipitation could have serious environmental implications that will greatly influence the food security and ecological sustainability of the region.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21003551Climate variabilityKashmir ValleyMann–Kendall testPrecipitation trends
spellingShingle Javaid M. Dad
M. Muslim
Irfan Rashid
Irfan Rashid
Zafar A. Reshi
Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
Ecological Indicators
Climate variability
Kashmir Valley
Mann–Kendall test
Precipitation trends
title Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
title_full Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
title_fullStr Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
title_full_unstemmed Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
title_short Time series analysis of climate variability and trends in Kashmir Himalaya
title_sort time series analysis of climate variability and trends in kashmir himalaya
topic Climate variability
Kashmir Valley
Mann–Kendall test
Precipitation trends
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21003551
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