Long-term trends of surface air temperature in India

Abstract

Salient features of the long-term variation of surface air temperature for India as a whole and for different regions of the country have been presented. Temperature data at 73 fairly widespread stations, for the period 1901-1982. have been used in the study. Seasonal and annual temperature anomaly series have been obtained for the different regions. Such series have also been obtained for latitude- and longitude-wise classifications. The long-term variation in the temperature has been evaluated by linear trend. The results indicate a slight but definite warming trend in the mean annual Indian temperatures. This warming is found to be mainly contributed by the post-monsoon and winter seasons. West coast, interior peninsula, north central and north-east regions of the country have shown pronounced warming in the mean annual temperatures. The post-1940 cooling reported for the Northern Hemisphere is not conspicuous in the mean annual Indian temperature anomalie