Gulmarg, referred to as Kashmir’s winter wonderland as snow falls closely, is unable to open its well-known ski slopes this yr, disappointing fanatics from India and overseas. A tourism favorite at an altitude of 8,694 ft, Gulmarg’s naked hillsides at the moment are a barometer of fixing world climate patterns and their affect on Kashmir.
The meadow, often teeming with skiers having fun with coaching classes in January, is empty and silent. Chairlift and snow-beaters usually are not functioning. Patches of melting snow are seen the place as soon as 4 to 6 ft of accrued snow delighted guests.
Tauseef Rathore, coaching in-charge on the Indian Institute of Snowboarding and Mountaineering (IISM), Gulmarg, is upset. “There are no ski training sessions in the main bowl this year so far. We are using slopes of Bota Pathri (about seven kilometres from the main bowl) for training as snow has not completely melted there in the shade of the tree line,” Mr. Rathore informed The Hindu.
“We only manage ski training and fun skiing at Apharwat. The long run from Apharwat to the main bowl has not happened this year,” he added. A minimal of two ft of snow is required for secure snowboarding, and the chairlift solely features when over two-and-a-half ft of snow accumulates.
Skiers, particularly Europeans, are recognized to take pleasure in Gulmarg’s lengthy runs on secure slopes, with uncommon powder snow of about six ft. Gulmarg is the one vacation spot in Kashmir to supply powder snow and skiers prepare right here for worldwide occasions. “There is a dwindling footfall of skiers from many countries this year,” Aziz Ahmad, an area ski store proprietor, mentioned.
Information from the India Meteorological Division exhibits precipitation of 17.6 mm was recorded in Gulmarg in December 2023 in contrast with 255.2 mm in 2020, a major drop.
Jammu and Kashmir’s winter capital Srinagar is but to see snowfall this yr. South Kashmir’s Qazigund, house to a number of mountain ranges that feed rivers operating all the way down to central and north Kashmir, recorded precipitation of 21.2 mm in December towards 217.8 in 2019, additionally a serious dip.
There was comparatively much less snowfall within the higher reaches of the Shamasbari mountain, Pir Panjal mountains, and the Larger Himalayan ranges as effectively, which obtain about 10 metres, 7.5 metres and 5.5 metres of snowfall, respectively, between November-April.
“Although there is no one-to-one relationship between deficit precipitation and El Nino, the changes in global atmospheric circulation and the persistence of the El Nino has resulted in less snow. But it is seen that, on many occasions during the El Nino years, there is deficit precipitation,” Mukhtar Ahmad, Director, IMD, Srinagar, informed The Hindu.
World atmospheric circulation is the large-scale motion of air that distributes thermal vitality throughout the floor of Earth. “This heat energy balance gets disturbed throughout the globe whenever phenomena like El Nino and La Nina occur. Some parts of the globe get very high precipitation while other parts face prolonged dry spells and vice versa,” Dr. Ahmad added.
Srinagar has been witnessing a downward pattern in snowfall and moist climate patterns over the previous few years. There have been three moist spells in December 2021, 4 spells in 2020, three spells in 2019, one spell in 2018, and eight spells of snow in 2017, in line with official information. December 2023 witnessed just one moist spell with no snowfall, when put next with 4 spells of snow in 2020, three in 2019, one in 2018, and eight spells of snow in 2017.