Heat Dome

Definition

• A heat dome is a meteorological phenomenon in which a high-pressure system bureaucracy over a large area in the atmosphere, successfully trapping warm air and stopping it from growing or dissipating.
• This creates more ordinarily warm and dry climate conditions under the dome, that may persist for several days or even weeks.
• As hot air is trapped in the dome, it will become compressed, heating up similarly due to the lack of vertical air motion.
• This creates a dome-shaped mass of warm air that intensifies heat and maintains it close to the surface.
• The trapped air, in preference to cooling, readings stagnant and keeps getting hotter every day.

Factors Contributing to the Heat Dome

• Clear Skies and Solar Radiation: 

• • • High-stress structures related to heat domes regularly bring clean skies, which further contribute to heating.
    • With fewer clouds, more sunlight reaches the surface, heating the surface and inflicting temperatures to spike.
    • The lack of cloud cover also reduces the natural cooling that typically occurs at night time, leading to consistently high temperatures even after sunset.

• Land Characteristics:

• • • Regions with large land loads, dry climates, and noticeably low moisture tiers—including plains or deserts—are more vulnerable to heat domes.
    • In these regions, the land heats up quickly, creating the best situations for a high-pressure system to form and lure hot air.

• Weak Monsoon Circulation:

• • • The monsoonal air flow, which commonly brings cooling results through winds and moisture from the Bay of Bengal, has been absent this year.
    • This absence has allowed the high-stress device to settle over Assam.

• Poor Soil Moisture: 

• • • The lack of soil moisture, which generally helps cool the place at night, has further exacerbated the state of affairs, contributing to continual high night-time temperatures.

• Deforestation:

• • • Assam has lost over 2,690 square kilometers of forests within the last two decades because of deforestation, speedy industrialisation, and other anthropogenic activities.
    • This has caused the creation of urban heat islands and worsened the general climate conditions.

• Climate Change and Air Currents:

• • Changes in worldwide air currents, particularly the weakening of the Gulf Stream and alterations within the jet movement (which influence atmospheric flow), are affecting monsoon patterns.
  • These disruptions are largely driven by climate change and feature reduced the monsoon’s cooling impact.

Impacts of Heat Dome

• Health Risks: Prolonged exposure to severe heat increases the chance of heat-related illnesses along with heatstroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular troubles, particularly affecting vulnerable populations just like the elderly and children.
• Agricultural Stress: High temperatures can harm plants, reduce yields, and cause soil moisture depletion, leading to food lack of confidence. Heat stress affects staple crops including rice and wheat, impacting livelihoods in rural regions.
• Water Shortages: Extreme heat hastens the evaporation of water sources, leading to drought-like conditions and a decline in drinking water, exacerbating water scarcity problems.
• Wildfires: Prolonged heat and dryness boosts the threat of wildfires, which can devastate forested regions, especially in northeast India, and lead to air quality deterioration.

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