Climatic changes and trends over a major river basin in India

Abstract

Long-term changes of seasonal and annual surface air temperatures and precipitation of the Mahanadi river basin in India are presented. There is a highly significant warming trend in the mean maximum, mean minimum and average mean temperatures of the basin based on data from seven stations for the period 1901-80. Results of the trend analysis of surface air temperatures of individual stations are also presented and discussed. For rainfall, monsoon and annual series were subjected to trend analysis. Basin rainfall series based on data from 125 stations for the period 1901-80 did not show any significant trend. Moreover, none of 10 selected stations in the basin was characterised by a significant increasing or decreasing tendency in either monsoon or annual rainfall. -from Author