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Holocene Variations of Monsoon Rainfall in Rajasthan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

R. A. Bryson  and
A. M. Swain
R. A. Bryson
Affiliation:
Center for Climatic Research, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, 1225 W. Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
A. M. Swain
Affiliation:
Center for Climatic Research, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, 1225 W. Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
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Abstract

Two reconstructed histories of the monsoon rainfall in Rajasthan show that the monsoon was weak or absent in latest glacial time. With the advent of Holocene climatic patterns, fresh water lakes formed in dune fields and the pollen rain preserved in these reservoirs provides a basis for the reconstruction of the monsoon history. The two reconstructions, separated by only 150 km, have some features in common and some striking differences. Both show maximum monsoon amounts in the early Holocene, with a roughly two-thirds decrease to the present. Both show salinization in sub-Boreal time. Both show long intervals of near complete desiccation in the last four millennia. The shorter term variations, however, are not closely parallel. These shorter term variations may be explained in terms of the behavior of the present day interannual variability.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , September 1981 , pp. 135 - 145
Copyright
University of Washington

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