Chennai: Team of researchers from IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay, that was conducting a study on Indian rainfall patterns in summer, found that river basins with surplus water have experienced decreased rainfall while those with deficit water before have seen an increase precipitation.
The team has been studying the rainfall pattern in the last 100 years, and have published the study findings journal PLOS.
The IIT-M in its statement said that the observation is important as there is a common belief that dry areas become drier and wet areas become wetter in response to climate change. The study contradicts the traditional notion.
They also revealed that contrary to common belief, regions with excess moisture in the air do not always experience more rainfall from convection process.
IIT-Bombay’s Dr Subimal Ghosh and Dr Subhankar Karmakar and IIT Madras’ Dr K S Kasiviswanathan, Dr K P Sudhir and Dr Sachin Gunthe and their research students were part of the team.
The outcome of the study would help in understanding geographic variations in seasonal rainfall in India, besides coming in handy to policy-makers. Indian summer monsoon or South West Monsoon falls between June and September. It brings about 80 per cent of the total annual rainfall and is considered to have a decisive role on agricultural output in India.