A study by IIT researchers has found that river basins having surplus water have experienced decreased rainfall while those with deficit water have seen an increase in precipitation. The study conducted by a team of researchers from IIT-Madras and IIT-Bombay also found that contrary to the common belief, regions with excess moisture in the air do not always experience more rainfall from convection process.
A statement from IIT Madras said the team was studying the rainfall pattern during Indian summer monsoon period during the last 100 years. It said the observation is important, because it contradicts the traditional notion of dry areas becoming drier and wet areas becoming wetter in response to climate change. The outcome of the study would help in understanding geographic variations in seasonal rainfall in India, besides coming in handy to policy-makers.
The Indian summer monsoon (South West Monsoon) sets in over the country between June and September bringing around 80 per cent of the annual total rainfall and it plays a decisive role in the country’s agricultural output. The study has been published in the journal PLOS.