One-fourth of India’s monsoon rain evaporates mid-air, says new study
An IITM-Pune study estimates that about one-fourth of rainfall over the north-western Western Ghats evaporates before reaching the ground during the southwest monsoon.
AI generated- The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has reported an observational estimate of raindrop evaporation over the north-western Western Ghats during the southwest monsoon.
- Rainfall over the north-western Western Ghats can partly evaporate before reaching the ground, according to the IITM study.
- The study uses isotope ratios in rainwater and atmospheric vapour measured by laser spectrometry to infer evaporation.
- The IITM study collected rainwater and atmospheric vapour samples near Pune during the 2019 monsoon.
An Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune study estimates that about one-fourth of rainfall over the north-western Western Ghats evaporates before reaching the ground during the southwest monsoon. The finding matters because raindrop evaporation changes the heat and moisture balance below clouds and can influence the next rainfall cycle.
The study is presented as the first observational estimate of raindrop evaporation over India using an experiment-based approach. It uses isotope ratios in rainwater and atmospheric vapour, measured by laser spectrometry, to infer how much rain is lost in the air column before reaching the surface.
UPSC may link this study to monsoon dynamics, atmospheric processes, and the challenge of representing evaporation, downdrafts, and cold pools in numerical weather prediction models.
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