The objective of the book is to make a comprehensive documentation of
the observed variability and change of the regional climate system over
the Indian region using the past observed data. The book addresses all
the important parameters of regional climate system so that a physically
consistent view of the changes of the climate system is documented. The
book contains 16 chapters written by the subject experts from different
academic and research institutes in India. The book addresses all
important components/parameters of the climate system, like rainfall,
temperature, humidity, clouds, moisture, sea surface temperature and
ocean heat content, sea level, glaciers and snow cover, tropical
cyclones and monsoon depressions, extreme rainfall and rainstorms, heat
waves and cold waves, meteorological droughts, aerosols, atmospheric
aerosols, ozone and trace gases and atmospheric radiative fluxes. One
chapter deals with the past monsoon using monsoon proxy data. The last
chapter deals with the future climate change projections over the Indian
region (rainfall and temperature) made using coupled climate models.
Most of the analyses (especially on rainfall, temperature, extreme
rainfall, sea surface temperature, meteorological droughts) are based on
the data for a longer period of 110 years, 1901-2010. For some other
parameters like moisture, clouds, heat waves and cold waves, atmospheric
aerosols, ozone and trace gases and radiative fluxes, data of shorter
period have been used. The articles documented inter-annual and decadal
variability in addition to documenting long term trends of different
parameters. The trends have been tested for statistical significance
using standard techniques.
It is expected that the present book will be an excellent reference
material for researchers as well as for policy makers. These results
will be useful in interpreting future climate change scenarios over the
region being projected using coupled climate models. Further analysis of
these results is required for attributing the observed variability and
change to natural and anthropogenic activities.
