Abstract
The Himalayan meteorology is important for understanding cryospheric-hydrological processes and climate change forecasts. The meteorological observations in the Indian Himalayan region (IHR), notably in glacierized catchments, are scarce. Therefore, the present study aims to demonstrate a comprehensive investigation of meteorological parameters (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, radiation fluxes, albedo, and pressures) over the Dokriani Glacier catchment (DGC) using time-series data (2011–2016) obtained from a network of three automatic weather stations (AWSs). The study also provides new insights into characteristics of meteorological variables at inter- and intra-seasonal scales (winter: December–February, Pre-monsoon: March–May, Monsoon: June–September, and Post-monsoon: October–November). The results show that the albedo and outflux radiation decreases rapidly with the onset of monsoon season, while there is an increase of relative humidity (RH) and positive degree-days (PDDs). The positive temperature (> 2℃) at higher elevations (> 5500 m) raise serious concerns about the summer accumulation characteristics of the Dokriani glacier. The DGC has an average near-surface temperature lapse rate (NSTLR) of 6.0°C km−1, higher in the pre-monsoon and lower during the monsoon. The wind speed and albedo are more sensitive during winter and pre-monsoon seasons. The air temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity exhibit significant seasonal fluctuation, whereas other meteorological variables have a nearly comparable seasonal pattern. The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) significantly influences all climatic factors. This may be utilized to examine the Dokriani glacier's mass budget and melt rate with other dependent factors, such as glacier hypsometry, orientation, surface velocity, and the extent of debris-cover. Furthermore, the dataset of this study may be correlated with hydro-meteorological observations in various regions of the Himalaya and deciphered using a regional climate dataset; for example, the Kedarnath tragedy-2013 and the most recent flash flood that occurred in Raunthi valley, Tapovan on February 07, 2021.
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The datasets and materials used and/or analyzed for the present manuscript are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun for providing the necessary facilities and support to carry out this study. The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, is acknowledged for providing funds to carry out this research work. We are thankful to the Editor-in-Chief and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that helped to improve the quality of the manuscript. We are also thankful to watch and ward (Rajbahadur, Sanjeev, Ramesh and Purvesh) for supporting during field visit of the Dokriani Glacier.
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Yadav, J.S., Tiwari, S.K., Rai, S.K. et al. Characterization of meteorological parameters over Dokriani Glacier catchment, Central Himalaya: implications for regional perspectives. Meteorol Atmos Phys 134, 88 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-022-00923-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00703-022-00923-4