Environmental challenges and concurrent trend of weather extremes over Uttarakhand Himalaya

Environmental challenges, including climate change-influenced weather extremes over the hilly region, are a major issue for the sustenance/ livelihood of Uttarakhand Himalayan biodiversity. The very high maximum temperature during summer days makes the area vulnerable to frequent forest fires, while the increasing frequency of intense rainfall proves devastating to infrastructure, croplands, and vegetation. Such erratic climate patterns make it increasingly difficult for people to live in the mountains and thus lead to climate-forced migration towards the plains. The investigation is concerned with weather/climate extremes and precisely how this affects the Himalayan people of Uttarakhand. Analysis of the extreme precipitation and temperature indicators for landslides and forest fire events has been performed. For the entire Uttarakhand region, strong declining trends have been observed for total precipitation, total runoff, soil water content, and leaf area index (LAI) for the ERA5 reanalysis datasets from 1981 to 2020 (40 years). Over central to western Uttarakhand, a consistent increase in the number of consecutive dry days is noticed both in the winter and the summer. The upper elevations of Uttarakhand nonetheless perceive days that are very wet and rainy. Over the hilly regions of Uttarakhand, elevation-dependent warming (EDW) continues to worsen climatic and weather extremes, making sustenance challenging. Over higher elevations, intense rainfall events are the main cause of landslides and flash floods. The frequency of very warm days and nights formerly increases over Uttarakhand's mountainous region, while the number of very cold days and nights declines. In the past forty years, there has been a rise in weather extremes in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. However, the community and decision-makers believe it difficult to cope with the extreme weather driven due to climate change. Thereafter, findings of this study will support in developing policies for the long-term development of Uttarakhand's mountainous regions.

Automated summary

Environmental challenges, particularly climate change-induced weather extremes, have a significant impact on the biodiversity and livelihood of the Uttarakhand Himalayas. The study focuses on analyzing extreme precipitation and temperature indicators and their effects on the region. The findings highlight declining trends in precipitation, runoff, soil water content, and leaf area index, while the number of dry days is increasing. Intense rainfall events at higher elevations pose a major threat, causing landslides and flash floods. The study's results will aid in developing long-term policies to address these challenges and protect the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand.