Recent trends and variations in surface meteorological parameters over Indian Antarctic station Maitri

Abstract

Utilizing surface meteorological data of temperature, pressure and wind of recent two decades, 1991-2010 over Indian Antarctic research station Maitri the trends and variabilities in surface meteorological parameters have been discussed. The trend in mean air temperature at Maitri has been -0.4/decade during past two decades showing no impact of global warming on Maitri surface temperature.

There is no trend in surface pressure at Maitri during last two decades. Mean surface wind speed has shown slight increasing trend during the decade 1991-2000 whereas it has shown slight decreasing trend during the decade 2001-2010. However, there are large interannual variations in surface parameters and the linear trends seem to be the result of such variations. During Jan-March of two contrasting monsoon years 2009 and 2010 interesting anomalies in surface pressure at Maitri have been observed. Surface pressure was anomalously lower at Matri in Jan-March of drought year 2009 whereas positive pressure anomalies prevailed during the same period of excess monsoon year 2010. Negative temperature anomalies during January-March over Maitri preceded drought monsoon 2009 and positive anomalies prevailed during the same period before good monsoon 2010.