6. Central Himalaya: Climate Change Signatures

This chapter furnishes a picture on climate signature derived from long-term trend analysis of meteorological observations mainly rainfall and maximum temperature, and past climate over central Himalaya from tree ring growth. An examination of temperature data for Mukteshwar which is a high altitude mountain station demonstrated the marked increase in winter maximum and mean temperatures. Seasonal mean surface temperature over the central Himalayan region also shows an increasing trend over the period 1901–2003; however, larger temperature anomalies are also seen in the recent four decades over Western Himalaya as well, which is the indication of boosted atmospheric dynamics as a result of climate change. Long tree ring chronology of high altitude Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) from Western Himalaya is found to show supressed (cooling) and released (warming) growth patterns well related to past glacial fluctuation record of the region.