Climate Change Pattern and its Effect on Hydrologic Cycle: A Review

This chapter briefly reviews some recent work related to climate change in different regions of India, presents examples considering climate change characteristics, and discusses major challenges and future research needs in India. It also discusses the effects of global warming on rainfall intensities. The chapter then presents the possible effects of climate change on streamflow in the context of land use/land cover. Understanding the interaction between climate and groundwater systems (GWS) is increasingly important for a developing country like India, especially when the effects of climate alterations on processes of the hydrologic cycle are significant. Analysis of changing groundwater levels in a prominent catchment, and corresponding information about the behavior of different GWSs and their reaction to climate change, will give possible future movements for sustainable development of groundwater resources.