1. Varia%ons in climate indicators of Nepal
Soni
M.
Pradhanang,
University
of
Rhode
Island,
USA
Nir
Krakauer,
City
College
of
New
York,
USA
Ram
Chandra
Karki,
Department
of
Hydrology
and
Meteorology,
Nepal

2. ¤
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3. •
An
index
is
a
set
of
parameters
or
indicators
that
describe
a
situa4on.
The
indices
described
here
are
climate
indices,
i.e.,
they
tell
us
how
the
climate
evolves
in
the
studied
area.
O=,
W.
1978.
Environmental
Indices:
Theory
and
PracHce
Indices
are
used
to
summarize
and
present
a
complex
set
of
mul4variate
(several
variables
at
the
same
4me)
changes
so
that
the
results
can
be
easily
understood
and
used
in
policy
decisions
made
by
non-­‐specialists
in
the
field.

4. P
H
YS
IC
AL
PR
O
CE
SS
BIOLOGICAL
PROCESSES
CLIMATE
CHANGE
FORCINGS
}$
IMPACTS
CRO
P
FOREST
MIGRATION
YI
EL
D
COA
STA
L
H
A
BI
T
A
T
$
1)
How
has
the
climate
changed
or
varied?
2)
How
well
do
we
understand
the
climate
system
?
3)
What
are
the
causes
of
climate
change
and
variability?
4)
How
can
we
characterize
the
impacts
of
climate
change?
}

8. • Related
to
frost
FD,
IDO
• Related
to
Temperature
SU25,
GSL,
TXx,
TNx,
TXn,
TNn,
Tn10p,Tx10p,
Tn90p,
Tx90p,
WSDI,
CSDI,
DTR
• Related
to
rainfall
and
humidity
RX1day,
RX5day,
SDII,
R99p,
R95p,
CDD,
PRCPTOT,
R10,
R20
CLIMATE
INDICES

9. Frost Related
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Number
of
Frost
Days
Years
Frost
Days
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung

10. Indices related to temperature
363.8
364
364.2
364.4
364.6
364.8
365
365.2
0
5
10
15
GSL
in
days
Growing
Season
Length
(GSL)
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
SU
in
days
Summer
Days
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung

11. Climate Indices of Precipita%on and Humidity
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
PRCPTPT
in
mm
Total
PrecipitaSon
(PRCPTOT)
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
SDII
Simple
Daily
Intensity
Index
(SDII)
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung

12. 0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
R95
in
mm
PrecipitaSon
in
95th
PercenSle
(R95mm)
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
R10
in
mm
PrecipitaSon
in
10th
PercenSle
(R10mm)
Bhairahawa
Biratnagar
Kathmandu
Okhaldhunga
Taplejung

13. Q: Why do extremes maAer?
A: Users are planning for them!

14. PEOPLE’s vulnerability
rural / urban
CLIMATIC
VARIABILITY
a) inter annual variability
b) extreme events
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION
ENVIRONMENT
Land availability
Soil sealing (urbanization)
Soil degradation, erosion
Water availability
Groundwater depletion
Water pollution
Deforestation
STRESSOR EXPOSURE &
Sensitivity
ADAPTIVE
CAPACITY
AGRICULTURAL
MANAGEMENT&
TECHNOLOGY
Crop choice
Irrigation
Input (fertilizer,…)
ECONOMIC
GDP/capita
rural/urban
Access to markets
POPULATION
STRUCTURE
Age distribution
Education
POLICY & INSTITUTIONS
Investment in infrastructure
Land tenure
SOCIOECONOMIC
Macroeconomic impact
Policies (land tenure,
irrigation infrastructure)