IF NORMS are broken regularly, they become the new normal. The first fortnight of July set a new normal for the planet’s climate, as records got broken with alarming regularity across continents, impacting over two-thirds of the world population. In some cases, the new records also got broken within hours.
In India, the first sign of it was seen in the northern region around July 6. A western disturbance—a low pressure area that originates in the Mediterranean region and moves towards India—interacted with a monsoon low—a low pressure area the likes of which are the principal rain-bearing systems of India's southwest monsoon. A western disturbance in July is rare because they mostly form in winters; and rarer is its interaction with a monsoon low pressure system. “According to our database, WDs [western disturbances] in July are about 10 per cent as common than during their peak in December/January,” Kieran Hunt, Research Fellow in Tropical and Himalayan Meteorology, University of Reading, UK, tells Down To Earth (dte). The observed frequency of such interactions during July is around half of that in June, says Akshay Deoras, research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, UK. Hunt says climate change is increasing the frequency of western disturbances in May and June, making its rare interaction with a monsoon low pressure system more frequent. This interaction results in extreme rainfall and cloudbursts, causing flash floods and massive landslides. A decade ago, a similar interaction triggered the catastrophic Uttarakhand floods in June that killed over 5,000 people and destroyed infrastructure in the hills. It was the worst flood to hit the Himalayan state.
この記事は Down To Earth の August 01, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Down To Earth の August 01, 2023 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
