Explained: Why Many Parts Of India Are Experiencing Heat Wave In The Month Of March

Maximum temperatures in most regions of the northwestern plains are reportedly above usual, The sweltering heat has engulfed sections of West Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana so far.

The Konkan area, which includes Mumbai, has been scorching hot in recent times, with maximum temperatures reaching 40 degrees. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) observed a maximum temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius in Delhi, which was six degrees above usual.

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Even in the Himalayan regions and foothills, temperatures were reportedly higher than expected this week.

What is a heat wave and how does it affect you?

If the highest temperature in an area or location hits or surpasses 40 degrees Celsius in the plains or 30 degrees Celsius in hilly areas, it is regarded to be under the impact of a heatwave. The highest temperature criterion for the coastal zones is 37 degrees.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a heatwave when the maximum difference in temperature is between 4.5 and 6 degrees. For example, if a locality's typical temperature is 40 degrees and the actual documented temperature is 45 degrees, the area is experiencing a heatwave.

Similarly, a severe heatwave is proclaimed when the maximum temperature recorded in a location deviates from normal by more than 6.4 degrees.

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Apart from that, if the temperature in a given location exceeds 45 degrees or 47 degrees on any given day, the IMD declares a heatwave or a severe heatwave, accordingly. Heatwaves are common in India from March to June, with a few exceptions in July. The month of May has been recognized as having the most extreme heatwaves.

Heat waves in India are expected to increase in duration and become three to four times more common in the future, making it a torch for the world. "When the human body is (already) stressed, even a minor rise can have a tremendous impact," says Chirag Dhara, a climatologist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and a co-author of India's climate change assessment report. To put it another way, a small increase here will appear like a quantum leap in a region where the standard temperature is lower.

Heat-related deaths are a prevalent occurrence in India. According to a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, almost 740,000 Indians die each year as a result of climate-change-related temperature fluctuations, both hot and cold.

What causes the temperature to rise?

The impact of trapped air is heat waves. Air usually circulates around the world in vast prevailing winds, but when it is stuck over one place, it is able to warm to unusual levels due to sunlight. Owing to high-pressure systems, the air is frequently caught. The air is forced downward by these systems, which operate as a big cap. Because the air is confined, it is unable to rise into the colder upper atmosphere, and precipitation is prevented.

As the sun moves north, the month of March is when the area ranging from Maharashtra to Odisha becomes a heat region, according to climatology. The warmer temperatures, according to reports, are due to the wind flow pattern in these places. Lower-level winds blow from the south to the north in these places, bringing hotter air from the land. The rising temperature is also aided by scorching breezes from India's desert region.

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The situation on Earth's poles is no different, with the climate catastrophe spreading and its impacts being felt not just in India but around the world. As the earth heats, both the Arctic and the Antarctic are feeling the heat. Scientists have warned that the already deteriorating climatic situation on the planet will deteriorate even faster and more abruptly.

According to reports, record-breaking heat waves rocked Antarctica and the Arctic this week, with temperatures hitting 47¡ãC and 30¡ãC above average, respectively. Heatwaves are unusual in Antarctica at any time of year, but especially now, as the continent approaches winter darkness. Similarly, the Arctic is only awakening from its winter hibernation.

What happened in Antarctica?

A stagnant, extremely intense pressure system stationed southeast of Australia caused the heatwave in Antarctica, transporting massive amounts of warm air and moisture down into the continent's interior. It was accompanied by a severe low-pressure storm over the interior of East Antarctica.

To make matters worse, cloud cover engulfed the Antarctic ice plateau, trapping heat from the surface. Because it's fall in Antarctica, the continent's core temperatures aren't warm enough to melt glaciers and the ice cover.

However, the situation is said to be completely different on the coast, where rain has fallen, which is unusual for the continent. An atmospheric river - a narrow band of moisture accumulated from warm oceans ¨C was chiefly responsible for the rain. Atmospheric rivers are found on the outskirts of low-pressure systems and have the ability to transport massive amounts of water over vast distances on scales larger than continents.

Despite their uncommon, atmospheric rivers contribute significantly to the continent's ice sheets by dumping significant volumes of snow. Rain, rather than snow, occurs over Antarctica as surface temperatures reach above freezing.

Air readings at the Australian Casey Station hit a maximum of -1.9¡ãC in mid-March. They were more like mid-summer temperatures two days later, reaching a new March high of 5.6¡ãC, which will evaporate ice. This is Casey Station's second heat wave in two years. Casey reached 9.2¡ãC in February 2020, accompanied by a startling high of 18.3¡ãC on the Antarctic Peninsula.

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Last week, the Arctic had a similar meteorological trend. Off the coast of the United States, a powerful low-pressure system began to build. At the point where it collided with an adjacent high-pressure system, an atmospheric river formed. Warm air was funneled into the Arctic Circle as a result of this meteorological phenomenon. A new maximum temperature of 3.9¡ãC was recorded at Svalbard, Norway.

The low-pressure storm was dubbed a "bomb cyclone" by US experts because of how quickly it grew, a process known as "bombogenesis." This year's wintertime sea ice levels were already very low, and Greenland has already seen record-breaking rainfall.

If the warm weather causes sea ice to break up earlier than usual, it might have disastrous consequences for a variety of creatures. For polar bears, for example, sea ice is critical habitat because it allows them to hunt seals and travel large distances.

So what might this mean for wildlife?

The summer breeding season for Ad¨¦lie penguins, which reside along the whole Antarctic coastline, has just ended. Reports claim that the Ad¨¦lie penguin chicks, on the other hand, had already departed for the sea to begin looking for food on their own, thus the heatwave had no effect on them.

The rain may have had an impact on local plant life, such as mosses, which were in the process of drying out for the winter. However, experts state that it is unknown if the plants have been harmed until next summer, when we may return to the moss beds.

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