Open AccessRecent trends in tropospheric temperature over India during the period 1971–2015
Author(s) -
Kothawale D. R.,
Singh H. N.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
earth and space science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 23
ISSN - 2333-5084
DOI - 10.1002/2016ea000246
Subject(s) - radiosonde , troposphere , climatology , environmental science , latitude , atmosphere (unit) , low latitude , surface air temperature , atmospheric sciences , period (music) , mean radiant temperature , geography , climate change , meteorology , geology , precipitation , oceanography , physics , geodesy , acoustics
Abstract Ever increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are one of the most dominant factors for long‐term changes in the tropospheric temperature variations. To study this fact in the wake of changing global climatic scenario, linear trends in surface temperature and the tropospheric temperatures at five selected isobaric levels (850, 700, 500, 200, and 150 hPa) were examined for the period 1971–2015 across India. The mean monthly temperature data for well‐spread 19 radiosonde stations across India were used to examine the seasonal and annual temperature trends for all India, North India (latitude > 22°N), and South India (latitude < 22°N). Increasing trend in annual temperatures was observed from surface to 500 hPa levels but decreasing from 200 to 150 hPa over South India, whereas North India shows an increasing trend at all the levels. The highest increasing trends of 0.36°C and 0.27°C/decade were observed at 700 hPa over North and South India during the winter season, respectively.