J&K high-altitude areas see nearly 1°C warming in two decades: Study

SRINAGAR — High-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir have experienced warming of nearly 1°C over the past two decades at several locations, including Pahalgam and Gulmarg, according to a study based on 45 years of temperature observations.

Published in Scientific Reports, the study analysed temperature records from 1980 to 2024 from 10 India Meteorological Department observatories across Jammu and Kashmir.

The stations covered in the analysis were Jammu, Srinagar, Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Qazigund, Kokernag, Kupwara, Banihal, Batote and Bhaderwah.

Researchers found evidence of elevation-dependent warming, with temperature trends varying across the region’s elevation range.

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The annual mean temperature increased at a rate of 0.18°C per kilometre per decade, while the winter maximum temperature showed an elevation-dependent trend of 0.43°C per kilometre per decade, according to the study.

Warming was particularly pronounced at several high-altitude locations, including Pahalgam and Gulmarg, where temperatures have risen by nearly 1°C over the past two decades.

The researchers linked wintertime elevation-dependent warming to surface-albedo processes, while increases in minimum temperatures were associated more closely with atmospheric moisture and longwave radiative conditions.

The study said the observed temperature changes have implications for high-altitude hydrology, the cryosphere and climate resilience in the Himalayan region.