Phoebe Cabot
The Study and Findings of Climatology in Nepal
In many areas in Nepal, the history of climatology only dates back to 1956. Around this time, the Indian Meteorological Department instituted stations in various areas around the country, which were eventually taken over by the Nepalese government in 1966. Having these stations in place has given scientists significant insight into the Nepalese climate. However, some of the Indian equipment remained in the Nepalese stations, and unfortunately many Indian findings vary significantly from the Nepalese records of the same areas. Therefore, some information is unreliable, coupled by the fact that not all stations have operated since the start of the program (Thyer, 645). However, there are other sources of NepalÕs climate history, like extracts from articles written by climatologists from other countries, like Japan, the US, Germany, and France (Thyer, 645).
http://www.dti.gov.za/econdb/trademap/nepal-w1.gif
Nepal is a small country, land-locked between India and the Tibet region of China in South America. It is 900 kilometers from east to west, and 150 to 250 kilometers from north to south (Spence, 223). Nepal is home to eight of the ten highest mountain peaks in the world, most notably Mount Everest, which lies at 8,848 meters. In contrast, some of the areas that are situated lower in Nepal are only about eighty meters above sea level. Clearly, Nepal has much climate variation; in fact, the climate progresses from tropical to arctic within a 200-kilometer area from south to north (Agrawala, 12).
There
are five geographical regions in Nepal (though, sometimes the mountain regions
are grouped together as one). The Terai plain is the southernmost strip, bordered to the north by the Himalayan
foothills and to the south by the Ganges River (Unknown-1, 1). The land of the
Terai is slightly sloped, and it generally has a humid, tropical climate, with
average temperatures higher than twenty-five degrees Celsius (Agrawala, 11).
The Siwalik hills are known for
their steep slopes, and erosion is prevalent here due to its weak bedrock. Its
elevation is from 200-1500 meters, and it has a moist subtropical climate, with
average temperatures around twenty-five degrees Celsius (Agrawala, 11). The Middle
Mountains are characterized by their rocky
soil, and there are some conifer forests here. The elevation ranges from 1,000
to 2,5000 meters, and it has a generally temperate climate, with an average
temperature of twenty degrees Celsius (Agrawala, 11). The High
Mountains, which include the Main
Himalayas and the Inner Himalayan Valleys, have soil that does not typically
weather, and its altitude ranges from 2,200 to 4,000 meters. The temperature is
slightly colder here, ranging from cool to sub-alpine with temperatures between
ten and fifteen degrees Celsius (Agrawala, 11). The final region is the High
Himalayan region, where there is
significant physical weathering and stony soils abound. The altitudes of the
mountain ranges are all over 4,000 meters, and its climate varies from alpine
to arctic, with temperatures under five degrees Celsius (Agrawala, 11).
There are four climatic seasons in Nepal, although two are highly significant. Summer (June to August) is the monsoon season, when Nepal receives about eighty percent of its rain total for the year ( Unknown-2, 1). Winter (December to February) is the dry season, when temperatures drop to freeing, and the mountains receive an abundance of snow (Unknown-2, 1). Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are fairly mild, although the weather can become hot and humid in the spring, as monsoon season approaches.
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Most
of Nepal is affected directly by the monsoon season, with the exception of the
northwest corner of the country, which lies in the rain shadow of the
Himalayas. The monsoons in Nepal are the result of airflow stemming from the
Bay of Bengal, while any light rainfall that occurs in the winter most likely
originates in the Mediterranean (Thyer, 645). The average rainfall per year is
about 1,500 mm, and the amount of rainfall decreases from east to west
(Agrawala, 12). Altitude has a big effect on rainfall, as the heaviest
rainfalls are prevalent in areas below 2,000 meters, and areas above 3,000 most
often experience drizzle (Agrawala, 12). During monsoon season, flooding is
common, while in the winter droughts are likely (Agrawala, 12). The average
rainfall in a given area during monsoon season is 7.8-14.7 inches (Unknown,
wordtravels.com).
Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, lies in a flat
valley in the central area of Nepal. It is about 1,370 meters above sea level,
and mountains surround it. Typically, Kathmandu retains a mild climate most of
the year. Summer temperatures range from sixty-seven to eighty-one degrees
Fahrenheit and winterÕs from thirty-six to sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (Unknown-3,
1). Our group recorded the temperatures in Kathmandu daily from Monday,
September 24, 2007 until Sunday, November 25, 2007. We calculated the average
temperature in this time period to be seventy-one degrees Fahrenheit, and the
total precipitation was 2.17 inches.
Beliefs on how climate change will affect Nepal vary
from source to source. Generally, it is thought that there is a slight warming
trend in Nepal, and changes are most notable in the winter and at higher
elevations and least significant in the summer and at lower elevations
(Agrawala, 13). Thayer indicates that there has been a decrease in winter
precipitation and a rise in temperature over the last twenty years (Thyer,
649). Agrawala and colleagues believe that the most significant impacts that
climate change will have on Nepal are in regard to water resources and
hydropower, like the Namche Bazaar hydropower facility; flooding; landslides;
sedimentation; and agriculture. However, they note that this is all just
ÒspeculativeÓ information (Agrawala, 17).
Hopefully, the study of climatology in Nepal will improve, but it will definitely take time. Better technology, knowledge, equipment, and more money are needed to aid the Nepalese in this endeavor (Thyer, 649-650).
Works Cited
Agrawala, Shardul, Vivian Raksakulthai, Marteen van Aalst,
Peter Larsen, Joel Smith, and John Reynolds. Development and Climate Change
in Nepal: Focus on Water Resources and Hydropower. Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development.
2003.
Spence, Captain F.S. Himalayan Survey. The Geographical Journal. Vol.153, No.2. July 1987.
Thyer, Norman. Looking at Western NepalÕs Climate. The University of Calgary. June 1985.
Unknown-1. Introductions about Nepal: Geography and
Climate. Himalayan Dreams.com http://www.himalayandreams.com/climate.html
Unknown-2. Nepal Weather. Adventure Travel with iExplore. 2007. http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Nepal/Weather+and+Climate
Unknown-3. Kathmandu Climate and Weather. Globe Media Ltd., 2007. http://www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Nepal/Kathmandu/Climate