Disentangling increasing compound extremes at regional scale during Indian summer monsoon

Abstract

Compound extremes exhibit greater adverse impacts than their univariate counterparts. Studies have reported changes in frequency and the spatial extent of extremes in India; however, investigation of compound extremes is in the infancy state. This study investigates the historical variation of compound dry and hot extremes (CDHE) and compound wet and cold extremes (CWCE) during the Indian summer monsoon period from 1951 to 2019 using monthly data. Results are analyzed for 10 identified homogeneous regions for India. Our results unravelled that CDHE (CWCE) frequency has increased (decreased) by 1–3 events per decade for the recent period (1977–2019) relative to the base period (1951–1976). Overall, the increasing (decreasing) pattern of CDHE (CWCE) is high across North-central India, Western India, North-eastern India and South-eastern coastlines. Our findings help in identification of the parts of the country affected by frequent and widespread CDHE during the recent period, which is alarming. More detailed assessments are required to disentangle the complex physical process of compound extremes to improve risk management options.