An overview of Climate change science over South Asia: Observations,
Projections and Recent Advances
Abstract
South Asia is among the most populous regions of the earth which houses
fast-developing economies. The unique geographical settings and
socio-economic-demographic structure of the region make it highly
vulnerable to the risks posed by climate change as documented by several
comprehensive scientific research reports. Human-induced climate change
signatures have already been noted in the form of increasing extremes
(e.g. cyclones, droughts, floods, heat waves, thunderstorms, etc.),
rising sea level, and changing monsoon patterns over the region. Though
considerable progress has been made towards understanding the science of
climate change, regional climate change consequences are still not well
understood and limited by sparse observational networks and inadequate
knowledge of region-specific physical processes which often lead to
large spread and uncertainties in model projections. Based on the
available literature, the chapter highlights the past, present, and
future projections of climate over South Asia. Recent advances in
observations and dedicated regional and earth system modeling activities
over the region are also discussed alongside other emerging
methodologies and tools which can lead to overall improvement in
understanding of physical processes. We discuss the studies that have
been carried out in the past and also the prospective gap areas that can
be pursued in future through the use of a combined framework of modern
observations-modeling-analysis techniques.