reduced available irrigation water, increased irrigation cost, increased insect pest
attacks, increased physiological disorders, inferior fruit quality, and the lack of
suitable cultivars, and also an impact on the soil because of the excess rainfall and
changes in temperature that negatively impact fruit crops in India.
Changes in two important economic activities, namely, agriculture and fish/
shrimp farming practices, were analyzed among the sampled households. Adaptation
in agricultural activities was addressed through varied responses, such as no adaptation strategy, crop diversification, change in cropping calendar, adapting of new
farming techniques, and transformation of land for fishery adaptation strategies
among the sampled households in India. A recent study revealed that climate change
leads to alterations in the precipitation and evapotranspiration rate of the country, so
it may be considered as an additional major threat to this resource. Hence, understanding the behavior and dimensions of the groundwater regime under future
climatic and other changes is significant for adopting an accurate water management
strategy. This review presents an outline of the groundwater resource base of India
and its susceptibility to ongoing and future trends of changes in climatic variables.
The Indian climate is controlled by the monsoon wind; 75% to 90% of the rainfall in
the Indian subcontinent is determined by the summer monsoon, which contributes
about 60% of the gross water demand in agriculture. Indian summer monsoon
rainfall greatly influences the Indian economy because about 55% of the rural
workforce is directly linked with agriculture, and 60 percentage of the net area
shown belongs to the rain-fed zone.
Forests are an integral part of the terrestrial ecosystem, maintaining biodiversity,
carbon flux, and ecosystem services and even supporting livelihoods. Rampant
exploitation of forest resources has resulted in deforestation and the loss of associated benefits. It is estimated that deforestation accounts for 11% of global carbon
emissions. Their function in carbon sequestration has helped international bodies to
create programmes such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The phenomena of climate change adversely affect the functioning
of forest species, changing the timing of their flowering and fruiting habits, and
causing changes in the ecophysiology of the species. However, such changes depend
on the species and their climatic conditions to a large extent. Phenology, the
temporal order of the annual cycle of plant functions, is quite sensitive to changes
in climate. In this chapter we have explored the relationships between climate
change and its impact on tree phenology and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Some species may tend to exhibit a certain amount of resilience against climate
change.
Three micro-watersheds, undisturbed, semidisturbed, and disturbed catchments
covering a distance of 12 km at Geyzing, located in West Sikkim, were selected for
this research work. Hydro-meteorological instruments were installed in three microwatersheds and recorded data for 4 years to monitor the impact of forest cover on
stream discharge and water quality. A composite cum rectangular weir was installed
at field level to accommodate measuring stream discharge during the monsoon
period as well as the pre-monsoon period. El Nino and La Nina events, which are
based on sea surface temperature (SST), take place at the Pacific Ocean along the
viii
Preface
attacks, increased physiological disorders, inferior fruit quality, and the lack of
suitable cultivars, and also an impact on the soil because of the excess rainfall and
changes in temperature that negatively impact fruit crops in India.
Changes in two important economic activities, namely, agriculture and fish/
shrimp farming practices, were analyzed among the sampled households. Adaptation
in agricultural activities was addressed through varied responses, such as no adaptation strategy, crop diversification, change in cropping calendar, adapting of new
farming techniques, and transformation of land for fishery adaptation strategies
among the sampled households in India. A recent study revealed that climate change
leads to alterations in the precipitation and evapotranspiration rate of the country, so
it may be considered as an additional major threat to this resource. Hence, understanding the behavior and dimensions of the groundwater regime under future
climatic and other changes is significant for adopting an accurate water management
strategy. This review presents an outline of the groundwater resource base of India
and its susceptibility to ongoing and future trends of changes in climatic variables.
The Indian climate is controlled by the monsoon wind; 75% to 90% of the rainfall in
the Indian subcontinent is determined by the summer monsoon, which contributes
about 60% of the gross water demand in agriculture. Indian summer monsoon
rainfall greatly influences the Indian economy because about 55% of the rural
workforce is directly linked with agriculture, and 60 percentage of the net area
shown belongs to the rain-fed zone.
Forests are an integral part of the terrestrial ecosystem, maintaining biodiversity,
carbon flux, and ecosystem services and even supporting livelihoods. Rampant
exploitation of forest resources has resulted in deforestation and the loss of associated benefits. It is estimated that deforestation accounts for 11% of global carbon
emissions. Their function in carbon sequestration has helped international bodies to
create programmes such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The phenomena of climate change adversely affect the functioning
of forest species, changing the timing of their flowering and fruiting habits, and
causing changes in the ecophysiology of the species. However, such changes depend
on the species and their climatic conditions to a large extent. Phenology, the
temporal order of the annual cycle of plant functions, is quite sensitive to changes
in climate. In this chapter we have explored the relationships between climate
change and its impact on tree phenology and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Some species may tend to exhibit a certain amount of resilience against climate
change.
Three micro-watersheds, undisturbed, semidisturbed, and disturbed catchments
covering a distance of 12 km at Geyzing, located in West Sikkim, were selected for
this research work. Hydro-meteorological instruments were installed in three microwatersheds and recorded data for 4 years to monitor the impact of forest cover on
stream discharge and water quality. A composite cum rectangular weir was installed
at field level to accommodate measuring stream discharge during the monsoon
period as well as the pre-monsoon period. El Nino and La Nina events, which are
based on sea surface temperature (SST), take place at the Pacific Ocean along the
viii
Preface