Climate Change and the Changing Rainfall Patterns in Karachi

Yasmeen Anis; Sheeba Afsar; Syeda Zainy; Ghuffran Saeed

Authors

Yasmeen Anis Deptt. of Geography, Unoversity of Karachi
Sheeba Afsar Department of Geography, University of Karachi
Syeda Zainy Department of Geography, University of Karachi
Ghuffran Saeed Department of Geography, University of Karachi

Keywords:

Climate Change, Monsoon, Precipitation Pattern, Karachi, Statistical Analysis, GIS

Abstract

Abrupt weather phenomena, including heat waves, frequent intense storms, outbreaks of forest ﬁres, glacier melting, and ﬂash ﬂoods are experienced throughout the world. Pakistan lies in the South Asian region that falls in the monsoon climatic regime, experiencing summer rainfall. The city of Karachi, which is also highly urbanized situated in southern Sindh and receives secondary monsoon rainfall from the month of July to September. During the 1960s, the city received appreciable rainfall during the monsoon, but the amount of rainfall started declining during the 1980s. At the end of the 20^th century, the rainfall pattern was quite abrupt, associated especially with the passage of cyclones, which developed in the Arabian Sea and, after touching Oman, reached Karachi, or, moving from Gujrat in India, reached Karachi. So, the rainfall which received annually is now received within a day. The study represents the statistical analysis as well as the GIS and remote sensing perspective of the changing patterns over the last fifty years.

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