Modelling Permafrost Distribution in Western Himalaya Using Remote Sensing and Field Observations

The presence and extent of permafrost in the Himalaya, which is a vital component of the cryosphere, remains severely under-researched with its future climatic-driven trajectory only partly understood and the future consequences on high-altitude ecosystem tentatively sketched out. Previous studies and available permafrost maps for the Himalaya relied primarily upon the modelled meteorological inputs to further model the likelihood of permafrost. Here, as a maiden attempt, we have quantified the distribution of permafrost at 30 m grid-resolution in the Western Himalaya using observations from multisource satellite datasets for estimating input parameters, namely temperature, potential incoming solar radiation (PISR), slope, aspect and land use, and cover. The results have been compared to previous studies and have been validated through field investigations and geomorphological proxies associated with permafrost presence. A large part of the study area is barren land (~69%) due to its extremely resistive climate condition with ~62% of the total area having a mean annual air temperature of (MAAT) <1 °C. There is a high inter-annual variability indicated by varying standard deviation (1–3 °C) associated with MAAT with low standard deviation in southern part of the study area indicating low variations in areas with high temperatures and vice-versa. The majority of the study area is northerly (~36%) and southerly (~38%) oriented, receiving PISR between 1 and 2.5 MW/m2. The analysis of permafrost distribution using biennial mean air temperature (BMAT) for 2002-04 to 2018-20 suggests that the ~25% of the total study area has continuous permafrost, ~35% has discontinuous permafrost, ~1.5% has sporadic permafrost, and ~39% has no permafrost presence. The temporal analysis of permafrost distribution indicates a significant decrease in the permafrost cover in general and discontinuous permafrost in particular, from 2002-04 to 2018–2020, with a loss of around 3% for the total area (~8340.48 km2). The present study will serve as an analogue for future permafrost studies to help understand the permafrost dynamics associated with the effects of the recent abrupt rise in temperature and change in precipitation pattern in the region.

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Climate Change Observations of Indigenous Communities in the Indian Himalaya

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-20-0077.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 245-257

Author(s):

Vikram S. Negi ◽

Shinny Thakur ◽

Rupesh Dhyani ◽

Indra D. Bhatt ◽

Ranbeer S. Rawal

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Western Himalaya ◽

Warming Trend ◽

Indian Himalaya ◽

Climate Anomalies ◽

Change Perceptions ◽

The Himalaya ◽

Instrumental Temperature

AbstractMountains are important global sites for monitoring biological and socioecological responses to climate change, and the Himalaya has some of the world’s most rapid and visible signs of climate change. The increased frequency and severity of climate anomalies in the region are expected to significantly affect livelihoods of indigenous communities in the region. This study documents the perceptions of indigenous communities of climate change in the western Himalaya of India. The study highlights the power of knowledge and understanding available to indigenous people as they observe and respond to climate change impacts. We conducted a field-based study in 14 villages that represent diverse socioecological features along an altitudinal range of 1000–3800 m MSL in the western Himalaya. Among the sampled population, most of the respondents (>95%) agreed that climate is changing. However, people residing at low- and high-altitude villages differ significantly in their perception, with more people at high altitudes believing in an overall warming trend. Instrumental temperature and rainfall from nearby meteorological stations also supported the perception of local inhabitants. The climate change perceptions in the region were largely determined by sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, and income as well as altitude. A logistic regression, which exhibited significant association of sociodemographic characteristics with climate change perceptions, further supported these findings. The study concluded that the climate change observations of local communities can be usefully utilized to develop adaptation strategies and mitigation planning in the Himalayan region.

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Quantifying the Congruence between Air and Land Surface Temperatures for Various Climatic and Elevation Zones of Western Himalaya

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11242889 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (24) ◽

pp. 2889 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shaktiman Singh ◽

Anshuman Bhardwaj ◽

Atar Singh ◽

Lydia Sam ◽

Mayank Shekhar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Temperature ◽

Land Surface ◽

Extreme Environments ◽

Western Himalaya ◽

In Situ Monitoring ◽

Lapse Rate ◽

Similar Data ◽

Surface Temperatures ◽

Land Surface Temperatures

The surface and near-surface air temperature observations are primary data for glacio-hydro-climatological studies. The in situ air temperature (Ta) observations require intense logistic and financial investments, making it sparse and fragmented particularly in remote and extreme environments. The temperatures in Himalaya are controlled by a complex system driven by topography, seasons, and cryosphere which further makes it difficult to record or predict its spatial heterogeneity. In this regard, finding a way to fill the observational spatiotemporal gaps in data becomes more crucial. Here, we show the comparison of Ta recorded at 11 high altitude stations in Western Himalaya with their respective land surface temperatures (Ts) recorded by Moderate Resolution Imagining Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua and Terra satellites in cloud-free conditions. We found remarkable seasonal and spatial trends in the Ta vs. Ts relationship: (i) Ts are strongly correlated with Ta (R2 = 0.77, root mean square difference (RMSD) = 5.9 °C, n = 11,101 at daily scale and R2 = 0.80, RMSD = 5.7 °C, n = 3552 at 8-day scale); (ii) in general, the RMSD is lower for the winter months in comparison to summer months for all the stations, (iii) the RMSD is directly proportional to the elevations; (iv) the RMSD is inversely proportional to the annual precipitation. Our results demonstrate the statistically strong and previously unreported Ta vs. Ts relationship and spatial and seasonal variations in its intensity at daily resolution for the Western Himalaya. We anticipate that our results will provide the scientists in Himalaya or similar data-deficient extreme environments with an option to use freely available remotely observed Ts products in their models to fill-up the spatiotemporal data gaps related to in situ monitoring at daily resolution. Substituting Ta by Ts as input in various geophysical models can even improve the model accuracy as using spatially continuous satellite derived Ts in place of discrete in situ Ta extrapolated to different elevations using a constant lapse rate can provide more realistic estimates.

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Regional Climate Model Simulations of U.S. Precipitation and Surface Air Temperature during 1982–2002: Interannual Variation

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli4129.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 218-232 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Jinhong Zhu ◽

Xin-Zhong Liang

Keyword(s):

Regional Climate Model ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Interannual Variation ◽

Climate Model ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Phase Relationship ◽

Surface Air Temperature ◽

Department Of Energy ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Interannual Variations

Abstract The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5)-based regional climate model (CMM5) capability in simulating the interannual variations of U.S. precipitation and surface air temperature during 1982–2002 is evaluated with a continuous baseline integration driven by the NCEP–Department of Energy (DOE) Second Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project Reanalysis (R-2). It is demonstrated that the CMM5 has a pronounced downscaling skill for precipitation and temperature interannual variations. The EOF and correlation analyses illustrate that, for both quantities, the CMM5 captures the spatial pattern, temporal evolution, and circulation teleconnections much better than the R-2. In particular, the CMM5 more realistically simulates the precipitation pattern centered in the Northwest, where the representation of the orographic enhancement by the forced uplifting during winter (rainy season) is greatly improved over the R-2. The downscaling skill, however, is sensitive to the cumulus parameterization. This sensitivity is studied by comparing the baseline with a branch summer integration replacing the Grell with the Kain–Fritsch cumulus scheme in the CMM5. The dominant EOF mode of the U.S. summer precipitation interannual variation, identified with the out-of-phase relationship between the Midwest and Southeast in observations, is reproduced more accurately by the Grell than the Kain–Fritsch scheme, which largely underestimates the variation in the Midwest. This pattern is associated with east–west movement of the Great Plains low-level jet (LLJ): a more western position corresponds to a stronger southerly flow bringing more moisture and heavier rainfall in the Midwest and less in the Southeast. The second EOF pattern, which describes the consistent variation over the southern part of the Midwest and the South in observations, is captured better by the Kain–Fritsch scheme than the Grell, whose pattern systematically shifts southward.

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Net Ecosystem Exchange of CO2 in Deciduous Pine Forest of Lower Western Himalaya, India

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources8020098 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 98 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nilendu Singh ◽

Bikash Ranjan Parida ◽

Joyeeta Singh Charakborty ◽

N.R. Patel

Keyword(s):

Carbon Cycle ◽

Carbon Balance ◽

Net Primary Productivity ◽

Carbon Sink ◽

Net Ecosystem Exchange ◽

Western Himalaya ◽

Pine Forest ◽

Environmental Controls ◽

Carbon Release ◽

The Himalaya

Carbon cycle studies over the climate-sensitive Himalayan regions are relatively understudied and to address this gap, systematic measurements on carbon balance components were performed over a deciduous pine forest with an understory layer. We determined annual net carbon balance, seasonality in components of carbon balance, and their environmental controls. Results indicated a strong seasonality in the behavior of carbon exchange components. Net primary productivity (NPP) of pine forest exceeded soil respiration during the growing phase. Consequently, net ecosystem exchange exhibited a net carbon uptake. In the initial phase of the growing season, daily mean uptake was −3.93 (±0.50) g C m−2 day−1, which maximizes (−8.47 ± 2.3) later during post-monsoon. However, a brief phase of carbon release was observed during peak monsoon (August) owing to an overcast condition. Nevertheless, annually the forest remained as a carbon sink. The understory is extensively distributed and it turned out to be a key component of carbon balance because of sustained NPP during the pine leafless period. Temperature and evaporative fraction exhibited a prime control over the seasonal carbon dynamics. Our observations could lend certain useful insights into the application of coupled climate-carbon cycle models for the Himalaya and ecological functions in the region.

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Predicting forest soil temperatures from monthly air temperature and precipitation records

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x93-313 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 23 (12) ◽

pp. 2521-2536 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Xiwei Yin ◽

Paul A. Arp

Keyword(s):

Forest Soil ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Soil Layer ◽

Soil Surface ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Hydrologic Model ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Freezing And Thawing ◽

Area Index ◽

Clear Cutting

A process-oriented forest soil temperature model, FORSTEM, is presented. FORSTEM considers vertical heat conduction as well as freezing and thawing, and it lumps the effects of forest canopies on soil surface temperature with the surface heat transfer coefficient. It runs in conjunction with the forest hydrologic model, FORHYM. FORSTEM and FORHYM input is limited to (i) air temperature; (ii) precipitation and its snow fraction; and (iii) descriptive site information (latitude, elevation, slope, aspect, forest coverage, and soil layer thickness and texture). FORSTEM uses generalized parameters derived from existing empirical information. The model was applied to 10 different cover type–site conditions, including lawns, deciduous forests, and coniferous forests before and after clear-cutting in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Colorado. The only model parameter we calibrated for different sites was the effective ground/air conductance ratio. The ratio was found to be a function of incoming solar radiation and vegetative area index. Differences between monthly simulations and field measurements fell within ± 1.5 °C for at least about three-quarters of the data cases at individual sites. Major exceptions occurred when temperature measurements showed no damping down the soil profile or with soils containing large air gaps between coarse rock fragments.

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Microgeographic genetic variation of Sitka spruce in southeastern Alaska

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x89-154 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 19 (8) ◽

pp. 1004-1013 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Robert K. Campbell ◽

William A. Pawuk ◽

Arland S. Harris

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Standard Deviation ◽

Principal Components ◽

Principal Component ◽

Extreme Case ◽

Common Garden ◽

Sitka Spruce ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Factor Scores ◽

Additive Genetic Variation

Microgeographic genetic variation among populations of Sitka spruce on Mitkof Island in southeastern Alaska is described. In two common-garden environments, we evaluated genotypes of 208 parent trees from 114 locations in a 17 000-ha area. Two principal components accounted for most of the variation among locations in 11 traits measured to evaluate growth vigor and rhythm of 2-year-old seedlings. Regression analyses of factor scores derived from principal components revealed genetic gradients associated with elevation, slope, aspect, and west–east and north–south direction. Large amounts of additive genetic variation in factor scores occurred among trees within locations. When this variation within locations was used as a scale, variation among locations was also large. In an extreme case, locations differed in factor scores of the first principal component by about 3.0 units of the standard deviation of additive genetic variation in factor scores. Of the total differentiation in this case, elevational range (600 m) contributed 0.7 units of standard deviation, aspect contributed 0.9 units, and distance (16 km) from north central to southeastern parts of the island contributed 1.4 units.

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Northern Hemisphere Climatology and Trends of Statistical Moments Documented from GHCN-Daily Surface Air Temperature Station Data from 1950 to 2010

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-13-00470.1 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (14) ◽

pp. 5396-5410 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Nicholas R. Cavanaugh ◽

Samuel S. P. Shen

Keyword(s):

Standard Deviation ◽

Northern Hemisphere ◽

Spatial Patterns ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Probability Distributions ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Surface Air Temperature ◽

Statistical Moments ◽

Station Data ◽

Skewness And Kurtosis

Abstract The first four statistical moments and their trends are calculated for the average daily surface air temperature (SAT) from 1950 to 2010 using the Global Historical Climatology Network–Daily station data for each season relative to the 1961–90 climatology over the Northern Hemisphere. Temporal variation of daily SAT probability distributions are represented as generalized linear regression coefficients on the mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis calculated for each 10-yr moving time window from 1950–59 to 2001–10. The climatology and trends of these statistical moments suggest that daily SAT probability distributions are non-Gaussian and are changing in time. The climatology of the first four statistical moments has distinct spatial patterns with large coherent structure for mean and standard deviation and relatively smaller and more regionalized patterns for skewness and kurtosis. The linear temporal trends from 1950 to 2010 of the first four moments also have coherent spatial patterns. The linear temporal trends in the characterizing statistical moments are statistically significant at most locations and have differing spatial patterns for different moments. The regionalized variations specific to higher moments may be related to the climate dynamics that contribute to extremes. The nonzero skewness and kurtosis makes this detailed documentation on the higher statistical moments useful for quantifying climate changes and assessing climate model uncertainties.

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Drying Kinetics of Indigenous Fermented Foods of the Himalaya region (Gundruk, Sinki, and Maseura)

Nutrition and Food Processing ◽

10.31579/2637-8914/042 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 01-12

Author(s):

Arjun Ghimire ◽

Ashish Niroula ◽

Prajwal Pokharel ◽

Ranjana Poudel ◽

Arjun Ghimire

Keyword(s):

Activation Energy ◽

Mathematical Models ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Effective Diffusivity ◽

Moisture Loss ◽

Fermented Foods ◽

Drying Process ◽

Statistical Parameters ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

The Himalaya

Indigenous fermented foods Gundruk (fermented mustard leaves), Sinki (fermented radish taproot), and Maseura (fermented lentils) are mostly sun dried, and thus often deteriorate during the uncontrolled drying process. Herein, cabinet drying was done at 50, 55, and 60°C after fermentation, and the moisture loss was systematically recorded. The data were converted to moisture ratio and fitted to five semi-theoretical drying mathematical models: Modified Henderson and Pabis, Logarithmic, Two-Term, Midilli et al., and Approximate diffusion. All the models were validated using statistical parameters, namely: R2, RMSE, χ2, and SSE. The Midilli et al. model gave excellent fit for all three products, with R2 greater than 0.97. The effective diffusivity values increased with an increase in air temperature for all the samples. The activation energy values were found to be 56.25, 21.63 and 15.08 kJ/ mol while the diffusivity constants were found to be 1268.51, 0.028, and 8.655× 10-3 m2/s for Gundruk, Sinki, and Maseura, respectively.

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Modern meteorological observations for aviation purposes

Geographical Education and Cartography ◽

10.26565/2075-1893-2018-27-08 ◽

2018 ◽

Keyword(s):

Air Temperature ◽

Wind Direction ◽

Atmospheric Pressure ◽

Atmospheric Precipitation ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Temporal Analysis ◽

Aerodynamic Characteristics ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

International Standards ◽

Favorable Weather

The purpose of this article. Meteorological support for aviation is a component of the safety systems. With the development of aviation technology, the requirements for it are growing. Today, aviation remains the most demanding user of meteorological information. The main parameters that affect the aircraft’s aerodynamic characteristics include air temperature, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, the height of the lower cloud boundary, the amount of precipitation and the frequency of dangerous meteorological phenomena. The aim of the study is a spatio-temporal analysis of meteorological parameters at the air base Chuguiv, Kharkiv region. Main material. Time series of daily average, average monthly air temperature, relative humidity, cloudiness, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric precipitation, wind direction and frequency of dangerous meteorological phenomena for the period 2008-2017 were processed as initial data. Changes in meteorological values during the year, season and month were studied. Favorable weather conditions for flights have been determined. Recommendations are developed regarding the performance of flights under various weather conditions. To date, many different aircraft flight models have been developed in non-standard weather situations. In T.V.Safonova’s work the forecast of the indicators of airports functioning and flights on routes in difficult meteorological conditions is considered. Consequently, aviation must have timely meteorological information increasing the safety, regularity and economy of flights for effective implementation of practical tasks. Conclusions. Analysis of the literature has showed that complex meteorological conditions create critical situations on routes and require further detailed study. To maintain a high level of meteorological service for aviation that meets international standards, it is necessary to conduct scientific and applied research in the field of aviation climatology and improve existing methods of aviation forecasting.

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ASSESSMENT OF SNOW AVALANCHE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ROAD NETWORK - A CASE STUDY OF ALAKNANDA BASIN

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-5-461-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol XLII-5 ◽

pp. 461-468

Author(s):

V. Singh ◽

P. K. Thakur ◽

V. Garg ◽

S. P. Aggarwal

Keyword(s):

Road Network ◽

Thermal Emission ◽

Armed Forces ◽

Western Himalaya ◽

Google Earth ◽

Snow Avalanche ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Static Parameter ◽

The Road ◽

Avalanche Formation

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Snow avalanche occurring in a micro-climatic condition causing hydro-geo (Hydrological and geological) hazard to the deployed armed forces and nearby inhabitant to the North Western Himalaya about 3000 MSL. In recent years, frequencies of snow avalanche have increase and consequently the death toll have also surged to many folds. These unavoidable occurrences not only cause road blocks which disrupts transportation connectivity in the rugged terrain of Himalaya as well as loss of infrastructure and life. Here, in this study an attempt has been made to assess the susceptibility of road network of Alaknanda Basin from snow avalanche. Potential avalanche formation zones have been generated using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM. Advance Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global Digital Elevation (GDEM) 30 meter has been used to generate static parameters like slope, aspect, curvature etc. using GIS platform. ISRO-Geosphere Biosphere Program Land Use Land Cover (LULC) used as another static parameter. Weights are generated using comparison matrix and ratings to different static parameter layers assigned on the basis of field visit and literature review while the road network are digitized from Google earth. A methodology has been prepared to categorize the road stretches on the basis of potential snow avalanche formation zone including hydrological processing. Buffer zone are assigned with weights according to potential snow avalanche formation zones. Later roads are intersected with sub basin with assigned values that resulted very high avalanche potential zonation, considered as most susceptible to snow avalanche hazard.</p>

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