DNA Explainer: Cyclones to droughts - Know how extreme weather will hit India in the next 20 years

The UN climate panel report is a grim reminder that there is now 'unequivocal' evidence that global warming is being caused by human activities. One of the authors of the report, Dr Friederike Otto added that some changes such as rising sea levels and melting glaciers, can now no longer be reversed.

India is the third-largest carbon emitter in the world, after China and the US. So, what does the report say about India, read the details.

(Image Source: Reuters)

The UN report warns India that due to climate change, heatwaves and humidity levels will be more intense and frequent in the 21st century. Heat extremes have increased while cold extremes have decreased, and these trends will continue over the coming decades.

(Image Source: Reuters)

Changes in monsoon precipitation are also expected, with both annual and summer monsoon precipitation projected to increase. The presence of aerosols and particulate matter due to human activity have influenced rainfall events in the Indian subcontinent.

(Image Source: Reuters)

An increase in aerosols and particulate matter due to human activity is the main cause of an apparent decrease in South and Southeast Asian monsoon precipitation since the mid-20th century. In the long run, South and Southeast Asian monsoon and East Asian summer monsoon precipitation will increase.

(Image Source: Reuters)

India is and will continue to experience intensifying of the water cycle which will affect rainfall patterns as well as increased monsoon precipitation. The South West Monsoon has declined over the past few decades because of the increase of aerosols, but once this reduces, we will experience heavy monsoon rainfall.

(Image Source: ANI)

In the Indian Ocean, the sea temperature is heating at a higher rate than in other areas and therefore may influence other regions. The global mean sea level in the Indian Ocean is rising at 3.7 mm annually. Extreme sea-level events, that previously occurred once every 100 years, will now be seen nearly every year. 

(Image Source: Reuters)

Recently, cloudbursts have become quite common in India. Recently, at least seven people were killed, 17 injured and over 35 missing after a cloudburst hit a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on July 28. Cloudbursts have been reported from several places in J&K, the Union Territory of Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.

A 2017 study of cloudbursts in the Indian Himalayas noted that most of the events occurred in the months of July and August. During the cloudburst, the relative humidity and cloud cover was at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds. These are short-duration, intense rainfall events with unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm/h over a geographical region of approximately 20-30 square km.

(Image Source: Twitter)

The UN climate panel report is a grim reminder that there is now 'unequivocal' evidence that global warming is being caused by human activities. One of the authors of the report, Dr Friederike Otto added that some changes such as rising sea levels and melting glaciers, can now no longer be reversed.

(Image Source: Reuters)