ALBERT

Description: Global precipitation patterns have changed compared to the before 1960 (pre-industrial period). By now the temperature has risen by approximately 1°C. The atmospheric heat-retaining constituents have been raised by human-induced activities. It is influencing the composition of the atmospheric gases and water vapour leading to tropospheric energy budget imbalance affecting atmospheric pressure systems. Increased atmospheric warming leads water holding capacity to rise. Such changes insinuated contrasting phases: decreased (increased) temperature- increased (decreased) precipitation in the last century. Mechanisms of these in- and out- phases are investigated. In the total four (two colder-wet and two warmer-dry) global conditions are observed. These time slices indicate a gradual increase in global temperature and a decrease in precipitation. Clausius-Clapeyron relation suggests abrupt warming and increased water vapour pressure in recent decades. In addition, the global climate system is shifting towards abnormal warm-wet or warm-dry conditions. Further, contrasting changes in global precipitation have been seen, in particular after 1960 (post-industrial period). It is significantly noted that there has been a global contrasting temperature-precipitation phase mechanism in the last century.

Description: This review manuscript addresses hydro-meteorological correlations of various glaciers situated in the Himalayan region. Meteorological parameters influence the discharge pattern of the glacier. A strong correlation has been observed between discharge and air temperature of the studied Himalayan glaciers. Whereas, other meteorological parameters such as wind speed and wind direction etc. were not significantly correlated with the meltwater runoff of different glaciers in this region. In general, variability (Cv) in discharge from the various Himalayan glaciers such as Chhota Shigri and Gangotri glaciers follow the variability (Cv) in the temperature of these glaciers. Maximum variability (Cv) in meltwater runoff from the Chhota Shigri glacier has been reported in the month of September, which might be due to the fast decline in stream runoff and air temperature of the study area during the month of September. A strong relationship has been observed between suspended sediment concentration and temperature of the majority of studied Himalayan glaciers. Such type of result shows that the suspended sediment concentration in the glacial meltwater has increased with rising air temperature in this region.

Description: In this study, the mass balance of Sikkim Himalayan glaciers is computed by the energy balance modeling approach using REMO and APHRODITE data. According to the present work, the glaciers show a mass balance of ~0, +0.31 and –0.32 m w. e. yr–1 for time periods 1981-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2005. To investigate the possible changes in the near future (2006-2049) and far future (2070-2099), REMO data under different representation concentration pathway scenarios 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 are also analysed. For the time period 2006–2100, RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 give an average mass balance of -0.75 m w. e. yr–1, -1.04 m w. e. yr–1 and -1.4 m w. e. yr–1, respectively. The results are comparable to other studies. This study is one of the few studies carried out to estimate the mass balance of glaciers using only climate model data.

Description: The UNFCCC hosted its 25th convention, known as COP25, which cannot be considered to be a success among the climate change conferences due to the failure of 175 nations to agree upon the final details of the Paris Agreement proposed in 2015. The aim was to bring together nations across the globe and reduce the global temperature rise to 2°C, which was expected to be around 4.5°C to 6°C. The justifications for the incompetence can be attributed to a variety of aspects, including their inability to implement the intended nationally determined contributions (INDC). Since there is no overall governing body that can ensure strong implementation of the accords, the system needs to be self-regulatory without any vulnerability to international politics. This study develops a series of factors that can be considered for decision making, benefiting and rewarding to assure complete self-governance of these nations on the said climate accord, without making it vulnerable to the political relations among nations. This study uses pre-defined elements of Game Theory in order to achieve the required equilibrium, as a base for understanding decision making and proposing a possible system to create an acceptable result for the member nations.

Description: Malaysia is considered as one of the countries with the highest novel corona virus (COVID-19) infected cases in Southeast Asia. Recent studies have identified that the air quality of a region also governs the transmission of the virus through pollutants. Hence, a study was conducted to assess the influence of air quality on the COVID-19 pandemic spread in central Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah. An attempt was also made to infer the effect of monsoonal precipitation on air quality. Central Peninsular Malaysia consists of major cities like Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya. These cities are highly populated, with the expansion of industrial activities, rapid urbanisation and greater usage of vehicles has resulted in air quality deterioration. Such conditions have led to related public health issues, compared to Sabah in east Malaysia. In this study, COVID-19 infected cases, air quality index (AQI) and precipitation data were collected from 25 January to August 2020 to infer the relationship of air quality to the pandemic spread before, during and after the implementation of lockdown periods in the country, referred as movement control order (MCO). The lockdown periods fall under various monsoon climate patterns in the country. Interpretation of data reveals that the variation in air quality correlates with the infected cases. Improved air quality was observed during the last phase of MCO with a lesser number of infected cases. The HYSPLIT model was adopted to study the backward air mass trajectories for different time frames to identify the variation in the sources of pollutants reaching the study area. The study determined that the air pollutants have reached the study area from various directions, reflecting a mixed contribution from the ocean and land area. The relationship between high precipitation (during inter-monsoon and SW monsoon) and improved air quality reveals the washout effect of air pollutants. The outcome of this study inferred that the variation of air quality and precipitation rates facilitate the pandemic spread in this region in addition to the other meteorological factors, apart from individual immune capacity and social distancing.

Description: With climatic information from four stations in Rathong Chu valley for the period from 2017 to 2018, this study presents monthly and seasonal characteristics of the temperature lapse rate (TLR) in the eastern Himalayas. The station heights utilised in the study ranged from 1,742 to 4,450 m. The TLRs were assessed utilising a linear regression model. The mean yearly TLR for eastern Himalaya is less sheer (-0.52°C/100 m) beneath the tree line than (-0.47°C/100 m) over the tree line. The series of TLR exhibits two peaks in a year which confirms the distinctive controlling elements in the individual seasons. The highest TLR was found to be -0.60 °C/100 m during the pre-monsoon season below the tree line and -0.64 °C/100 m above the tree line. The post-monsoon has the second highest lapse rate change beneath the tree line (-0.58 °C/100 m) and in the monsoon (-0.57 °C/100 m) above the tree line. The minimum lapse rates were observed in the winter season below the treeline (-0.42 °C/100 m) and (-0.18 °C/100 m) above the tree line. The outcomes of this study add to the insight of elevation-dependent warming affected by worldwide climate change. Results also suggest that the climate and glacier modelling using the satellite temperature records or by applying the environmental lapse rate on temperature records from low altitudes may not be presenting the actual temperature trends.

Description: The Bay of Bengal covers a vast expanse of area, it being warmer, holds signatures of climate change. Its impact and the parameters have been studied in terms of rise in temperature, sea level change, increased rainfall, drought, heat waves, the intensity of tropical cyclones, ocean acidification and ocean productivity. In the last 45 years, sea surface temperature (SST) has risen by 0.2 to 0.3°C and is projected to rise further by 2.0 to 3.5°C by the end of this century. As a result, the sea level is expected to also rise 37 cm by 2050. The Bay of Bengal is witnessing an increase in the intensity of cyclones in the last two decades. Floods and droughts have increased over the years and are a growing threat to plant and animal life. Ocean acidification and increase in the sea surface temperature have made many fish species a major part of the coastal food chain vulnerable to its productivity. Hence, the collection of real time data and its continuous monitoring of the Bay of Bengal is essential to predict and project the future climate change to its accuracy both in space and time.

Description: The present study examines the difference between stability and climatic factors of soil microbial communities in two ecosystem types with similar plant biomass, while differing in plant diversity, successional stage and complexity. Observations of variation in stability can be applied to climate change investigations, a topic of current pivotal importance. We compared responses of soil basal respiration to short time perturbation in soils collected from six established (meadow) and six early successional (fallow) ecosystems by exposing them to thermal and water stress. Resistance and resilience indices were calculated to describe how much a system was affected by and recovered from perturbation. The soil’s physico-chemical properties and plant community composition were identified and used for correlation and regression analyses with the stability indices. There was a smaller relative change in soil respiration in meadows than in fallows as temperature decreased from 22 to 10°C. Resistance to coolness was correlated to higher soil pH, while resilience to plant species richness. The drying-rewetting experiment highlighted that the stability indices became non-linear when a data set had high variations. Soil microbial communities in a more complex and mature ecosystem type (meadow) were more stable under a moderate perturbation. This might have been supported by co-occurring factors, with soil pH being the most influential. The slightly acidic fallow soil might have a higher potential for carbon sequestration than neutral meadow soil.

Description: Glaciers act as natural indicators of climate response and natural buffers of the hydrological cycle. Hence, continuous monitoring of glaciers is very crucial for which remote sensing techniques have emerged as a powerful tool to understand the micro-level variation and dynamics of glaciers. Unfortunately, a database involving complete basin-level approach and an extensive temporal range is not available for the entire Chandra-Bhaga (CB) sub-basin. Thus, the present investigation attempts to account for the extent of deglaciation in the CB basin showing that 16.7 percent of the glaciated area has been lost during 1989-2019. Moreover, the last three decades have witnessed a rapid rate of loss for small and medium-sized glaciers as compared to larger glaciers. Adding to it, the basin has also shown an upwards shift of mean elevation in this period. Over the last decade, an increasing temperature in the western Himalayas and Hindu Kush regions, as asserted by previous studies, have led to spatio-temporal changes in the glaciated area. The extent of deglaciation alongwith the glacier-climate behaviour and response can also provide a link to measure the topographical parameters.

Description: In the context of current climate change, it is important to know the patterns characterising the response of forest trees to the dynamics of air temperature and precipitation. In this study, the first attempt to model changes of additive component composition of genera Larix spp. and Quercus spp. aboveground biomass according to Eurasian gradients of January’s mean temperature and annual mean precipitation is made, taking into account regional particularities of tree age and morphology structure. In the process of modelling, the database of single-tree biomass for forest-forming species in Eurasia is used. According to our results, the factors limiting the biomass of trees differ not only between the two tree genera but also between different components of biomass within the genus. In larches, the reaction of the biomass of all components to an increase in precipitation in cold zones is directly opposite in comparison with oaks, i.e. it decreases as precipitation increases. But in warm areas, the reactions of the two genera to increased precipitation coincide, i.e. precipitation does not affect the biomass of all components, both in larches and oaks. In wet areas, larch biomass components react to temperature increases in the opposite way, i.e. the aboveground and stem biomass increases, but the biomass of foliage and branches decreases. In dry areas, the reaction to the temperature of all larch and oak biomass components is unambiguous and opposite, i.e. there is a decrease in the larch biomass of all components as temperatures rise, and in oak biomass vice versa. This situation is discussed in terms of limiting factors.