One-fourth of India's monsoon rain evaporates mid-air, says new study
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📌 Summary:
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A study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune found that nearly a quarter of rain falling over the north Western Ghats during the Southwest monsoon evaporates mid-air before reaching the ground
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This is the first time the fraction has been measured experimentally in India
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The finding will help refine weather and climate models and improve understanding and prediction of the monsoon
🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS1 (Geography — Indian monsoon, climatology) and GS3 (climate modelling, S&T) — accuracy of rainfall/water-availability estimates affects agriculture and water management
📝 Prelims Facts:
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IITM, Pune is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
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Mid-air evaporation of raindrops before they reach the surface is termed "virga"
🔑 Key Term: Virga — precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground, reducing effective rainfall
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