Global Warming May Explain India's Extreme Storm Rise

WATER WORLD

File photo: The flooded streets of Mumbai, India during the recent monsoon season. Photo courtesy of AFP.

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Nov 30, 2006
A rise in the number and strength of "extreme" rainstorms in central India could be linked to global warming, a new study in the journal Science said Thursday. Five Indian meteorologists studied the rise in frequency of extreme rainstorms -- those which deliver more than 100 millimeters (3.94 inches) in a day -- in central India over the past five decades.

While they said that average annual rainfall has generally gone unchanged, there was a 10 percent increase each decade in the number of heavy rainstorms (more than 100 millimeters a day) and a doubling over the five decades of very heavy storms (more than 150 millimeters a day).

They said further that the four largest storms in each June-September monsoon season have intensified on average by 10 percent in the 1950-2000 period.

While the scientists did not focus on the cause of the trend, they suggested that global warming could be a key factor.

The intensification of storms, they said, "is related to a trend in large-scale moisture availability, which is in turn due to a gradual warming of the sea surface temperature" in the tropical Indian Ocean during the monsoon season.

"The observed trends suggest enhanced risks associated with extreme rainfall over India in the coming decades," they concluded.

The study was led by BN Goswami of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, and the other four researchers were all with the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences in Bangalore.

The study will appear in the December 1 edition of Science.

Source: Agence France-Presse

WATER WORLD

Scientists Want To Solve Puzzle Of Excess Water Vapor Near Cirrus Clouds

Seattle WA (SPX) Dec 01, 2006
A number of researchers in recent years have reported perplexing findings of water vapor at concentrations as much as twice what they should be in and around cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere, a finding that could alter some conclusions about climate change.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Liquid-Crystal Rubber Suit Prevents Overheating Red Cross Calls For Disaster Cash Boost Red Cross Calls For Stronger Alliances To Fight Disasters NIST Test Fans The Flames For High-Rise Fire Safety	CLIMATE SCIENCE Wildlife Could Get Relief From US Supreme Court In Global Warming Case US Supreme Court Appears Divided Over Global Warming Farm Animals More Damaging To Climate Than Cars Prominent Researchers Advocate Creation Of National Climate Service
EARTH OBSERVATION Tiger Workshop Highlights Project Results 'Enact Space Law To Govern Use Of Remote Sensing Data' European Space Agency And Google Earth Showcase Our Planet GeoEye-1 Will Use SGI Technology To Process Image Data	ENERGY TECH French EDF Wind-Power IPO Zooms Sakhalin-2 Consortium To Face Series Of Penalties Last LHC Superconducting Main Magnet Completes The Suite At CERN Scientists Solve Mystery of How Largest Cellular Motor Protein Powers Movement
EPIDEMICS Freed China Activist Says AIDS Problem Far Exceeds Official Data Africa Urged To Break Deafening Silence On AIDS Flu Vaccines Plentiful Amid Low Demand Setting The Stage To Find Drugs Against SARS	FLORA AND FAUNA What Is The Right Number Of Animals For Earth, And Who Decides Indonesian Villagers Call For Action Against Marauding Elephants Night Of The Living Enzyme Fragmentation Rapidly Erodes Amazonian Biodiversity
FROTH AND BUBBLE EU Calls For Tougher Pollution Plans To Bolster Emissions Trade Borneo Mud Outflow Contains Toxic Chemicals Ivory Coast Appeals For Help To Clean-Up Toxic Waste Chinese Pollution A Rising Health Threat	ABOUT US First Map Of Structural Variation In The Human Genome Under Construction Genetic Variation Shows We're More Different Than We Thought Neanderthal Genome Sequencing Yields Surprising Results Dad Inspired 'Jurassic Park,' Son Inspires 'Jurassic Poop'

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement