Increasing frequency and spatial extent of concurrent meteorological droughts and heatwaves in India.

ABSTRACT: The impacts of concurrent droughts and heatwaves could be more serious compared to their individual occurrence. Meteorological drought condition is generally characterized by low rainfall, but impact of such an event is amplified with simultaneous occurrence of heatwaves. Positive feedback between these two extremes can worsen the rainfall deficit situation to serious soil moisture depletion due to enhanced evapotranspiration. In this study, the concurrence of meteorological droughts and heatwaves is investigated in India using Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) high resolution gridded data over a period of 60 years. Significant changes are observed in concurrent meteorological droughts and heatwaves defined at different percentile based thresholds and durations during the period 1981-

SUBMITTER: Sharma S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5686168 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature