Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “INDIA”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Key Takeaways: First Cohort of Action Plans for Rapid Power Sector Decarbonization

A collaborative report from the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) on Lessons Learned for Rapid Decarbonization of Power Sectors was delivered to energy ministers and presented at the 13th CEM (CEM13) in the United States in September 2022. In light of these lessons learned and discussed at CEM13, several jurisdictions signaled intent to develop Action Plans for power sector decarbonization, to be released at CEM14 in India in July 2023. This fact sheet highlights the first set of Action Plans that have been developed by India, Australia, Chile, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.

Australia↗
DOE OSTI2019

Minimization of Nuclear Waste using AHWR Reactor Technology

Nuclear sciences have grown from creating reactors to a greater understanding of how to dispose off the waste exhibited by the nuclear activities. Various methodologies have been proposed and are being used in order to do the same. This poster poses great attention to 'Using a fuel cycle dedicated to the production of the lower quantity of minor actinides, is one of the key targets in reducing nuclear waste in india'. A significant fraction of thorium is utilized as a fertile host in the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR300-LEU) fuel. Being lower in the periodic table, it leads to a reduction of minor actinides. It produces only half of the minor actinides as a waste as compared to modern LWRs. As thorium oxide has inert nature, it benefits in its prolonged storage. Therefore, safe disposal of spent fuel is achieved due to the inert matrix, on completion of one fuel cycle mode. AHWR is a 300 MWe, vertical, pressure-tube type, boiling light water-cooled, and heavy water-moderated reactor. Employs natural circulation for removal of heat from the reactor core. In-situ conversion of {sup 232}Th into {sup 233}U. The reactor design permits flexible fuel cycle options. There are two types of AHWR depending upon the fuel cycle options. Uses thorium-based oxide fuels: two fuel cycle options. With the adoption of thorium fuel cycle, AHWR300-LEU produces less minor actinides. As compared to modern LWRSs, it produces almost 37% less amount of actinides for the same amount of energy production, which in turn minimizes the burden on waste disposal requirements. But, it is associated with radionuclides such as {sup 231}Pa (produced through absorption of one neutron and emission of two neutrons). Since, the reaction rate of (n,2n) reactions is very low in thermal neutron reactors, thus making the fuel cycle the favorable one. Thorium oxide (ThO{sub 2}) is chemically stable and is the highest oxidation state of thorium, therefore the inert nature of the matrix is advantageous for safe disposal of spent fuel in case of adoption of open fuel cycle mode and offers prolonged storage of spent fuel. The AHWR is thorium fueled Indian nuclear reactor that assimilates several new features with diminished environmental concern due to reduced waste generation. Since thorium fuel cycle produces less long lived nuclear waste, thus it can possibly bring the world cleaner and more sustainable nuclear energy. Currently, India being the only country with large scale research program of thorium nuclear power serves a platform for the development and demonstration of all technologies and advanced safety systems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Projected Changes in the Asian‐Australian Monsoon Region in 1.5°C and 2.0°C Global‐Warming Scenarios

Abstract In light of the Paris Agreement, it is essential to identify regional impacts of half a degree additional global warming to inform climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. We investigate the effects of 1.5°C and 2.0°C global warming above preindustrial conditions, relative to present day (2006–2015), over the Asian‐Australian monsoon region (AAMR) using five models from the Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts (HAPPI) project. There is considerable intermodel variability in projected changes to mean climate and extreme events in 2.0°C and 1.5°C scenarios. There is high confidence in projected increases to mean and extreme surface temperatures over AAMR, as well as more‐frequent persistent daily temperature extremes over East Asia, Australia, and northern India with an additional 0.5°C warming, which are likely to occur. Mean and extreme monsoon precipitation amplify over AAMR, except over Australia at 1.5°C where there is uncertainty in the sign of the change. Persistent daily extreme precipitation events are likely to become more frequent over parts of East Asia and India with an additional 0.5°C warming. There is lower confidence in projections of precipitation change than in projections of surface temperature change. These results highlight the benefits of limiting the global‐mean temperature change to 1.5°C above preindustrial, as the severity of the above effects increases with an extra 0.5°C warming.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Influence of the Pacific quasi-decadal oscillation on the monsoon precipitation in Nepal

Nepal’s precipitation is uncorrelated with the all-India monsoon precipitation. However, the quasi-decadal variability of precipitation is significant in the Nepal Himalayas but its mechanism has received little attention. Using a set of century-long reanalysis and observations of precipitation, spectral and empirical orthogonal function analyses were conducted to determine the role of the Pacific Quasi-Decadal Oscillation (QDO) in Nepal’s precipitation regime. The dynamical and moisture processes involved in the Pacific QDO of the monsoon precipitation in Nepal were also examined. The monsoon precipitation in Nepal is enhanced when southeasterly moisture fluxes, originated from the Bay of Bengal, divert towards the north and subsequently interact with the southern Himalayan foothills. The redirected moisture fluxes are modulated through the Pacific QDO and are embedded in a propagating global wave 1–2 circulation pattern. However, the modulation exhibits a phase shift of 2 years between the precipitation anomalies in Nepal and the extreme phases of the Pacific QDO. A phase shift of this nature ascribes to the low correlation skill between the Nepal precipitation and traditional monsoon indices, such as those of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the all-India precipitation. The lagged relationship between the monsoon precipitation and the Pacific QDO is unique to Nepal, the inclusion of which should improve the predictive ability for the Nepal monsoon.

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences↗
DOE OSTI2021

Climate hazard indices projections based on CORDEX-CORE, CMIP5 and CMIP6 ensemble

The CORDEX-CORE initiative was developed with the aim of producing homogeneous regional climate model (RCM) projections over domains world wide. In its first phase, two RCMs were run at 0.22° resolution downscaling 3 global climate models (GCMs) from the CMIP5 program for 9 CORDEX domains and two climate scenarios, the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. The CORDEX-CORE simulations along with the CMIP5 GCM ensemble and the most recently produced CMIP6 GCM ensemble are analyzed, with focus on several temperature, heat, wet and dry hazard indicators for present day and mid-century and far future time slices. The CORDEX-CORE ensemble shows a better performance than the driving GCMs for several hazard indices due to its higher spatial resolution. For the far future time slice the 3 ensembles project an increase in all temperature and heat indices analyzed under the RCP8.5 scenario. The largest increases are always shown by the CMIP6 ensemble, except for Tx > 35 °C, for which the CORDEX-CORE projects higher warming. Extreme wet and flood prone maxima are projected to increase by the RCM ensemble over the la Plata basin in South America, the Congo basin in Africa, east North America, north east Europe, India and Indochina, regions where a better performance is obtained, whereas the GCM ensembles show small or negligible signals. Furthermore, compound hazard hotspots based on heat, drought and wet indicators are detected in each continent worldwide in region like Central America, the Amazon, the Mediterranean, South Africa and Australia, where a linear relation is shown between the heatwave and drought change signal, and region like Arabian peninsula, the central and south east Africa region (SEAF), the north west America (NWN), south east Asia, India, China and central and northern European regions (WCE, NEU) where the same linear relation is found for extreme precipitation and HW increases. Although still limited, the CORDEX-CORE initiative was able to produce high resolution climate projections with almost global coverage and can provide an important resource for impact assessment and climate service activities.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Future impacts of ozone driven damages on agricultural systems

Current ozone (O 3 ) concentration levels entail significant damages in crop yields around the world. The reaction of the emitted precursors (mostly methane and nitrogen oxides) with solar radiation contribute to O 3 levels that exceed established thresholds for crop damage. This paper shows current and projected (up to 2080) relative yield losses (RYLs) driven by O 3 exposure for different crops and the associated economic damages applying dynamic crop production and prices that are calculated per region and period. We adjust future crop yields in the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) to reflect the RYLs and analyze the effects on agricultural markets. We find that the changes (generally reductions) in O 3 precursor emissions in a reference scenario would reduce the agricultural damages, compared to present, for most of the regions, with a few exceptions including India, where higher future O3 concentrations have large negative impacts on crop yields. The annual economic impact of O3 driven losses from 2010-2080 are, in billion US dollars at 2015 prices ($B), 5.0-6.0, 9.8-18.8, 6.7-10.6 and 10.4-12.5 for corn, soybeans, rice and wheat, respectively, with the large losses for wheat and soybeans driven by their comparatively high responses to O 3 . When O 3 effects are explicitly modelled as exogenous yield shocks in future periods, there is a direct impact in future agricultural markets. Therefore, the aggregated net present value (NPV) of crop production would be reduced around by $90.8B at a global level. However, these changes are not distributed evenly across regions, and the net present market value of the crops would increase by up to $118.2B (India) or decrease by up to $59.2B (China).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Silicate weathering in anoxic marine sediment as a requirement for authigenic carbonate burial

We emphasize the importance of marine silicate weathering (MSiW) reactions in anoxic sediment as fundamental in generating alkalinity and cations needed for carbonate precipitation and preservation along continental margins. We use a model that couples thermodynamics with aqueous geochemistry to show that the CO 2 released during methanogenesis results in a drop in pH to 6.0; unless these protons are buffered by MSiW, carbonate minerals will dissolve. We present data from two regions: the India passive margin and the active subduction zone off Japan, where ash and/or rivers supply the reactive silicate phase, as reflected in strontium isotope data. Offshore India and Korea, alteration of continent-derived silicates results in pore water enriched in radiogenic 87 Sr, with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios as high as 0.7095 and 0.7104, respectively. Off Japan, strontium in pore water influenced by ash alteration is depleted in 87 Sr, with 87 Sr/ 86 Sr as low as 0.7065. Carbonate minerals formed by alkalinity and cations generated through MSiW carry these strontium isotopic signals, and are typically dolomite, siderite, and Fe-rich calcite. These contrast with the aragonite and high-magnesium calcite that form during anaerobic oxidation of methane and incorporate the coeval seawater 87 Sr/ 86 Sr signal. We show that MSiW is necessary for authigenic carbonate formation and preservation along continental margins, which remove carbon from Earth’s surface at rates previously estimated to be at least 10 12 mol yr -1 . In addition, these authigenic carbonates are of relevance to studies of the deep biosphere, fluid flow, seismogenesis, slope stability, and reservoir characteristics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Intensive and extensive margins of the peak load: Measuring adaptation with mixed frequency panel data

In this work we investigate the response of daily electricity peak load to daily maximum temperatures across states in Europe and India. We propose a method that decomposes short- from medium/long-run effects, retains the high frequency nature of the load-weather covariation and treats economic growth as a modulating factor. By simultaneously exploiting variation in unexpected daily weather anomalies and decade-long climatic changes in each location we decompose transitory - intensive margin - adjustments from permanent - extensive margin - adjustments. We find that the shocks over the long-run differ substantially from the short-run dynamics. Furthermore, we find evidence that per capita income modulates the adjustments over the short- and long-run. We project that in response to climate change around 2050 the peak load may increase by up to 20%-30% in Southern Europe and in several states in India, depending on the degree of warming and the evolution of socio-economic conditions. Even with a limited scope to two world regions, we identify that the structure of the economy and differences in future income growth matter in shaping the adaptation to climate change. Our decomposition allows to identify how future weather anomalies can further amplify the relative increase associated to the shift in the climate norm. Assuming that the interannual variability of maximum temperatures follows the distribution observed in the past, we find a doubling of the impacts of climate change during the summer in Europe. Uncertainty around the distribution of future weather anomalies may lead to further unexpected peak load amplifications. Our results have important policy implications for power systems’ generation capacity, transmission and storage, as we show that the challenges to accommodate the peak load in days with extreme temperatures may substantially increase already around mid-century.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Integrated supermarket refrigeration for very high ambient temperature

This paper analytically investigates and compares the performance of a proposed ‘all-natural’ NH 3 /CO 2 cascaded booster system to a conventional R404A direct expansion system as well as to an ‘all-CO 2 ’ system with multi-ejector unit and flooded evaporator. Performance comparison is made based on the annual combined COP and Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) for operation in selected cities of Middle East and India. Our results show that in extreme warm climate, the energy efficiency of the proposed configuration exceeds that of all-CO 2 configuration by a maximum of about 12.23% and the total emissions are lower by up to 11.20%. However, the all-CO 2 multi ejector system performs better in cold and mild warm climate. In the NH 3 /CO 2 cascade, the high temperature NH 3 system can be designed to be isolated from the accessible locations of the supermarket. Here, the work presented is expected to help adoption of natural refrigerants such as CO 2 and NH 3 for commercial application in extreme warm climate conditions prevailing in many cities of Middle East and India.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Looking under the hood: A comparison of techno-economic assumptions across national and global integrated assessment models

Integrated assessment models are extensively used in the analysis of climate change mitigation and are informing national decision makers as well as contribute to international assessments such as those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of techno-economic assumptions in the electricity sector among sixteen different global and national integrated assessment models. Particular focus is given to six major economies in the world: Brazil, China, the EU, India, Japan and the US. The comparison reveals that techno-economic characteristics are quite different across integrated assessment models, both for the base year and future years. It is, however, important to recognize that techno-economic assessments from the literature exhibit an equally large range of parameters as the integrated assessment models reviewed. Beyond numerical differences, the representation of technologies also differs among models which needs to be taken into account when comparing numerical parameters. While desirable from a first principles perspective and often called for, it seems difficult to fully harmonize techno-economic parameters across a broader range of models due to structural differences in the representation of technology. Therefore, in the future making techno-economic parameters available together with of the technology representation as well as the exact definitions of the parameters should become the standard approach as it allows an open discussion of appropriate assumptions.

Krey, Volker↗
DOE OSTI2019

Investigations of vertical wind variations at a mountain top in the Himalaya using Doppler Lidar observations and model simulations

Hight-resolved observations of vertical winds remain nearly non-existing over the Himalayas, despite of an­ticipated crucial role of vertical motions in transporting pollution across the Himalayan hms. The present study analyze the vertical wind observations from surface to 1 km above ground level over Manora Peak (29.4° N; 79.5° E; 1958 m ams!) in the Himalaya performed using a Doppler Lidar during the Ganges Valley Aerosol Experiment (GVAX). Vertical wind exhibited a pronounced diurnal variability at Manora Peak comprising of upward motions during the daytime (05-10 UT) and downward motions during nighttime typical of a mountain­valley system. Mean vertical wind speeds are observed to be varying from -0.8 to +0.8 ms- 1 during the study period with a variance of 0.1-1.5 m2s·2, which is attributed to the thermally driven turbulence. Mean vertical winds are observed to be stronger in the Doppler Lidar profiles above Manora Peak (-0_8 to 0.8 ms- 1) as compared to near surface measurements at this station using an ultrasonic anemometer ( -0.4 to 0.4 ms - 1 ), and low altitude stations in India. Daytime vertical wind speeds are observed to be higher during pre-monsoon (0.81 ms- 1), as compared to post-monsoon (0.24 ms- 1) and winter (0.33 ms- 1)_ Average Black Carbon (BC) concentrations are significantly higher during strong upward vertical winds, which indicates efficient transport of polluted air mass from low-altitude regions to the Himalaya. Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model reproduces the observed diurnal pattern in the vertical wind at the observation site however the model un­derestimates the variability.

Shukla, K K.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Household disposables as breeding habitats of dengue vectors: Linking wastes and public health

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An assessment of different household wastes as larval habitats of dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus was made using Kolkata, India as a model geographical area. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Household wastes of four major categories namely earthen, porcelain, plastic and coconut shells varied significantly for Aedes immature depending on species, month and location. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Based on the relative density of Aedes immature, cluster analyses allowed segregation and classification of the waste containers and relative importance as mosquito larval habitats. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Conversion of disposed wastes into larval habitats cautions for continuance of Aedes population in Kolkata and similar cities of tropics lacking suitable waste management practices. - Abstract: An assessment of the household wastes as larval habitats of the dengue vectors was made considering Kolkata, India, as geographical area. Wastes of four major categories, namely, earthen, porcelain, plastic and coconut shells were monitored for positive with immature of either Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus. Twenty six types of wastes with varying size and shape, resembling containers, were identified that hosted mosquito immature. The number of waste containers positive for Aedes immature varied significantly (P < 0.05) with respect to location, type and month. The relative density of Aedes immature in the waste containers varied significantly (P < 0.05) with the types and months. The significant interaction between the month, waste container types and density of Aedes immature suggest that the household wastes are important contributors to the maintenance of the population of Aedes mosquito in the city. Based on the relative density of mosquito immature in the wastes, cluster analysis allowed segregation and classification of the wastes and their importance as mosquito larval habitats. Apparently, the containers that are most frequently disposed off contributed largely to the sustenance of Aedes mosquito population in the city. This calls for a strict legislation towards disposal as well as enhanced management of the household wastes. A link between the wastes disposed and subsequent conversion to the mosquito larval habitats cautions for continuance of Aedes population and possibility of dengue epidemics if the existing management practices are not improved.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2013

Brain metastases in women with epithelial ovarian cancer: multimodal treatment including surgery or gamma-knife radiation is associated with prolonged survival

Objective: To explore the impact of treatment modality on survival in patients with brain metastases from epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of cases of ovarian cancer with brain metastases treated at institutions in three countries (Canada, China, and India) and conducted a search for studies regarding brain metastases in ovarian cancer reporting survival related to treatment modality. Survival was analyzed according to treatment regimens involving (1) some form of surgical excision or gamma-knife radiation with or without other modalities, (2) other modalities without surgery or gamma-knife radiation, or (3) palliation only. Results: Twelve patients (mean age 56 years) with detailed treatment/outcome data were included; five were from China, four from Canada, and three from India. Median time from diagnosis of ovarian cancer to brain metastasis was 19 months (range 10 to 37 months), and overall median survival time from diagnosis of ovarian cancer was 38 months (13 to 82 months). Median survival time from diagnosis of brain metastasis was 17 months (1 to 45 months). Among patients who had multimodal treatment including gamma-knife radiotherapy or surgical excision, the median survival time after the identification of brain metastasis was 25.6 months, compared with 6.0 months in patients whose treatment did not include this type of focused localized modality (P = 0.006). Analysis of 20 studies also indicated that use of gamma-knife radiotherapy and excisional surgery in multi-modal treatment resulted in improved median survival interval (25 months vs. 6.0 months, P < 0.001). Conclusions: In the subset of patients with brain metastases from ovarian cancer, prolonged survival may result from use of multidisciplinary therapy, particularly if metastases are amenable to localized treatments such as gamma-knife radiotherapy and surgical excision. (author)

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Factors Governing the Performance of Bauxite for Fluoride Remediation of Groundwater

Globally, 200 million people drink groundwater contaminated with fluoride concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended level (WHO-MCL = 1.5 mg F - /L). This study investigates the use of minimally processed (dried/milled) bauxite ore as an inexpensive adsorbent for remediating fluoride-contaminated groundwater in resource-constrained areas. Adsorption experiments in synthetic groundwater using bauxites from Guinea, Ghana, U.S., and India as single-use batch dispersive media demonstrated that doses of ~10-23 g/L could effectively remediate 10 mg F - /L. To elucidate factors governing fluoride removal, bauxites were characterized using X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, gas-sorption analysis, and adsorption isotherms/envelopes. All ores contained gibbsite, had comparable surface areas (~14-17 m 2 /g), had similar intrinsic affinities and capacities for fluoride, and did not leach harmful ions into product water. Fluoride uptake on bauxite -primarily through ion-exchange- was strongly pH-dependent, with highest removal occurring at pH 5.0-6.0. Dissolution of CaCO 3 , present in trace amounts in India bauxite, significantly hindered fluoride removal by increasing solution pH. We also showed that fluoride remediation with the best-performing Guinea bauxite was ~23-33 times less expensive than with activated alumina. In conclusion, overall, our results suggest that bauxite could be an affordable fluoride-remediation adsorbent with the potential to improve access to drinking water for millions living in developing countries.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Strong Influence of Irrigation on Water Budget and Land Surface Temperature in Indian Subcontinental River Basins

Irrigation modulates the terrestrial water budget, especially in intensively irrigated regions such as Indian sub-continent river basins, where 35% of agricultural land has been irrigated during 2010. Here, we investigate the impact of irrigation on water budget components and land surface temperature (LST), as well as seasonal and annual trends of irrigation water demand in response to climate variability over the Indian sub-continental region. We use the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model coupled with an irrigation scheme (VIC-IRR) to represent the irrigation activities. The VIC-IRR model was calibrated and evaluated against in-situ and remote sensing observations including streamflow from India-Water Resource Information System (WRIS), Terrestrial Water Storage Change (TWSC) from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), LST from Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), and observed gravimetric soil moisture data from India Meteorology Department (IMD). We conducted two simulations (i.e., with and without irrigation) over 18 Indian sub-continental basins at 0.25° spatial resolution from 1951 to 2012. The comparison between the two simulations indicates that as a result of irrigation, evapotranspiration (ET) increases in all the basins. We find that mean annual ET of Indus and Ganges basins increases by 47% and 12%, respectively due to irrigation. After irrigation, basin averaged total runoff (TR) was increased in the most irrigated basins (i.e., Sabarmati, Ganges, and Indus) by 4.62%, 11.87% and 7.06% in the monsoon, pre-monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. The land surface temperature was cooled down in range of 0.2-0.65 °C in the Indian sub-continental basins especially in Ganges and Indus basins. Compare to other basins; irrigation water demand was high in Indus and Ganges basins during the post-monsoon season. Using the nonparametric Mann–Kendall trend test we find that in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons over the study period, irrigation demand decreased by 8.25 mm/year in 13 basins. Whereas for the post-monsoon season, irrigation water demand increased in 12 out of the 18 basins. Changes in irrigation demands are largely driven by changes in soil moisture due to decline in the summer monsoon precipitation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Choice of Irrigation Water Management Practice Affects Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall and Its Extremes

There is an emerging understanding toward the importance of land–atmosphere interactions in the monsoon system, but the effects of specific land and water management practices remain unclear. Here, using regional process–based experiments, we demonstrate that monsoon precipitation is sensitive to the choice of irrigation practices in South Asia. Experiments with realistic representation of unmanaged irrigation and paddy cultivation over north–northwest India exhibit an increase in the late season terrestrial monsoon precipitation and intensification of widespread extreme events over Central India, consistent with changes in observations. Such precipitation changes exhibit substantially different spatial patterns in experiments with a well–managed irrigation system, indicating that increase in unmanaged irrigation might be a factor driving the observed changes in the intraseasonal monsoon characteristics. Furthermore, our findings stress the need for accurate representation of irrigation practices to improve the reliability of earth system modeling over South Asia.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Global Warming Amplifies Outdoor Extreme Moist Heat During the Indian Summer Monsoon

Because of the climatological prevalence of hot, humid conditions, moist heat extremes are a significant challenge to the health and wellbeing of the people in India. While research has demonstrated the importance of summer monsoon to moist heat in India, impact of monsoon–break and warm spells in modulating extreme moist heat regionally has not been fully investigated. Here we investigate moist heat extremes, as measured by the Wet–Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) metric, specifically during monsoon and monsoon–break periods and find that they pose a major threat to physical labor and health relative to other seasons. During the 1951–2020 break period, an increase in area exposed (~42.76 million km 2 ), representing at least 670 million people, to extreme and detrimental WBGT values >31°C occur. Our results imply that future studies on extreme moist heat must pay close attention to the variation of weather systems on synoptic to subseasonal time scales that are superimposed on the seasonal monsoon migration.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗