| Name: | Elizabeth Thomas |
| Affiliation: | Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla, Kerala |
| Conference ID : | ASI2024_116 |
| Title : | Solar activity and extreme rainfall over Kerala, India |
| Authors : | Elizabeth Thomas, Vineeth S., Noble P. Abraham |
| Authors Affiliation: | Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India. PIN 689 103 |
| Mode of Presentation: | Poster |
| Abstract Category : | Sun, Solar System, Exoplanets, and Astrobiology |
| Abstract : | In this work, we explore the response of extreme precipitation events to solar activity, over Kerala, India. The three solar indices—sunspot number, F10.7 index, and cosmic ray intensity are used, and their relationship to rainfall is examined during a 57-year period (1965–2021), starting with Solar Cycle 20. The sunspot number is taken from World Data Center SILSO, Royal Observatory of Belgium, Brussels, F10.7 index from LASP Interactive Solar Irradiance Data Center, cosmic ray intensity from Oulu Cosmic Ray station and rainfall over Kerala from IMD New High Spatial Resolution (0.25X0.25 degree) Daily Gridded Rainfall Data Set Over India (Pai et. al,20141). Both solar and rainfall data are considered on an annual scale as well as on a seasonal scale by dividing them into winter, pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. Through correlation analysis, it is found that the precipitation in Kerala is correlated with the sunspot activity, but with different significance. When solar activity is high, the winter and monsoon seasons exhibit strong correlations with high significance. The solar influence at the regional level is also studied. The central and southern parts of Kerala appear to be influenced by the Sun during periods of high activity. The years with excess and deficiency of rainfall are calculated and compared with the solar indices. It was observed that the years with excessive and insufficient rainfall coincide with the years when the solar activity is at its highest or minimum. It is suggested that there is a physical link and a way to predict extreme rainfall events in Kerala based on the association between solar activity and those events. |
