Climatic Shifts and Vegetation Response in Western India: A Four-Decade Retrospective Through GIS and Multi-Variable Analysis

Climate change is having a profound impact on Western India, manifesting in altered weather patterns and ecological shifts. This research paper delves into an extensive analysis of meteorological data spanning the years 1981 to 2018, covering nearly four decades of climatic variations. Utilizing data from 40 meteorological stations across the region, examined changes in key climate variables including precipitation, humidity, wind speed, pressure, and temperature. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze spatial patterns of climate and forest cover changes. This approach visualized and quantified the climate changes over the studied period effectively. The results showed an average temperature increase of 0.66°C and a decrease in precipitation by 25.36 mm, indicating a trend towards warmer and drier conditions. The spatial analysis provided a clearer understanding of how these changes are distributed across Western India, linking them directly to shifts in forest ecosystems as evidenced by changes in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the corresponding months and years. The findings from this research are critical for policymakers, as they offer valuable insights that can inform strategies for environmental conservation and restoration, ensuring sustainable management of the region's natural resources in the face of ongoing global warming.