Environmental Challenges and Concurrent Trend of Weather Extremes over Uttarakhand Himalaya

Abstract

Abstract Environmental challenges, including climate change-influenced weather extremes over the hilly region, is a major issue for the sustenance/ livelihood of Uttarakhand Himalayan biodiversity. The very high maximum temperature during summer days makes the area vulnerable to frequent forest fires, while the increasing frequency of intense rainfall proves devastating to infrastructure and croplands. Such erratic climate patterns make it increasingly difficult for people to live in the mountains and thus lead to climate-forced migration towards the plains. This study focuses on weather/climate extremes and their impact on Uttarakhand Himalayan people. The extreme precipitation and temperature indices have been analysed concerning landslides and forest fire incidents. Strong decreasing trends have been found for total precipitation, total run-off, soil water content, and leaf area index (LAI) for 1981–2020 (40 years) of ERA5 reanalysis datasets over the entire Uttarakhand region. A persistent rise in the number of dry days that are consecutive during the winter and the summer season is observed over central to western Uttarakhand. However, very wet and extremely rainy days have been demonstrated to rise over the higher elevations of Uttarakhand. The climate and weather extremes are observed to increase with elevation-dependent warming (EDW) over Uttarakhand’s hilly region, making sustenance difficult. Intense rainfall events are a primary driver for landslides and flash floods over higher elevations. Thereafter, over the hilly region of Uttarakhand, the number of very warm days/nights is increasing, whereas the number of extremely cold days/nights is dropping. The Uttarakhand Himalayas have witnessed an increase in weather extremes in the past four decades. The community and policymakers, however, struggle to adapt to weather extremes triggered by climate change. The results of this research will help in formulating policies for the long-term development of Uttarakhand’s hilly areas.