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Global Warming May Explain India's Extreme Storm Rise
Washington (AFP) Nov 30, 2006 A rise in the number and strength of "extreme" rainstorms in central India could be linked to global warming, a new study in the journal Science said Thursday. Five Indian meteorologists studied the rise in frequency of extreme rainstorms -- those which deliver more than 100 millimeters (3.94 inches) in a day -- in central India over the past five decades. While they said that average annual rainfall has generally gone unchanged, there was a 10 percent increase each decade in the number of heavy rainstorms (more than 100 millimeters a day) and a doubling over the five decades of very heavy storms (more than 150 millimeters a day). They said further that the four largest storms in each June-September monsoon season have intensified on average by 10 percent in the 1950-2000 period. While the scientists did not focus on the cause of the trend, they suggested that global warming could be a key factor. The intensification of storms, they said, "is related to a trend in large-scale moisture availability, which is in turn due to a gradual warming of the sea surface temperature" in the tropical Indian Ocean during the monsoon season. "The observed trends suggest enhanced risks associated with extreme rainfall over India in the coming decades," they concluded. The study was led by BN Goswami of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, and the other four researchers were all with the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences in Bangalore. The study will appear in the December 1 edition of Science.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Learn about Climate Science at TerraDaily.com A world of storm and tempest Water News - Science, Technology and Politics
Scientists Want To Solve Puzzle Of Excess Water Vapor Near Cirrus Clouds
Seattle WA (SPX) Dec 01, 2006A number of researchers in recent years have reported perplexing findings of water vapor at concentrations as much as twice what they should be in and around cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere, a finding that could alter some conclusions about climate change. |
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