Appraisal of historical trends in maximum and minimum temperature using multiple non-parametric techniques over the agriculture-dominated Narmada Basin, India

In this study, the long-term trends in climatological parameters, viz., maximum temperature (T-MAX) and minimum temperature (T-MIN), are determined over 68 years (i.e., June 1951 to May 2019) using the gridded observation datasets (1 degrees x 1 degrees spatial resolution) of India Meteorological Department over the Narmada river basin, India. Multiple non-parametric techniques, viz., modified Mann-Kendall (MMK), Sen's slope (SS), and Spearman's rho (SR) tests, are used to determine monthly, seasonal, and annual trends over individual grids. The trends are also analyzed for the climatic variables spatially averaged over the entire basin to draw general conclusions on historical climate change. The results reveal a significant spatiotemporal variation in trends of T-MAX and T-MIN over the basin. In general, both the parameters are found to be increasing. Furthermore, the hottest months (April and May) have become hotter, and the coldest month (January) has become colder, implying a higher probability of increasing temperature extremes. Furthermore, the entire duration of 68 years is divided into two epochs of 34 years, i.e., 1951-1984 and 1985-2018, and the trend analysis of T-MAX and T-MIN is also carried out epoch-wise to better understand/assess the signals of climate change in recent years. In general, a relatively higher warming trend was observed in the latter epoch. As a majority of the basin area is dominated by agricultural lands, the implications of the temperature trends and their impacts on agriculture are succinctly discussed. The information reported in this study will be helpful for proper planning and management of water resources over the basin under the changing climatic conditions.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the long-term trends in maximum temperature (T-MAX) and minimum temperature (T-MIN) over the Narmada river basin in India using observation data from the India Meteorological Department. The results show significant spatiotemporal variation in the temperature trends, with both T-MAX and T-MIN generally increasing. The hottest months have become hotter and the coldest month has become colder, indicating a higher probability of temperature extremes. The study also discusses the implications of these temperature trends on agriculture in the predominantly agricultural basin.