Climate of Kaziranga National Park
Encyclopedia
Kaziranga National Park is an India
n national park and a World Heritage Site
in Golaghat
and Nagaon district
s of Assam
, India
. It is refuge for the world's largest population of Great One-horned Rhinoceros. Kaziranga has the highest density of tiger
s in the World. The park has many Elephant
, Water Buffalo and Swamp Deer and is an Important Bird Area
. The park has achieved notable progress in wildlife conservation
despite several constraints.
Kaziranga is a vast stretch of tall elephant grass
, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests crisscrossed by four main rivers—Brahmaputra
, Diphlu
, Mora Diphlu
and Mora Dhansiri and has numerous small water bodies
. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, documentaries and songs.
), and Kaziranga gets around 250 centimetres (98 in) of rain per year. The park is flooded often by the Brahmaputra which is necessary for maintaining the biological balance of the park. It is not uncommon for the park to be flooded for 5–10 days at a time, and around three quarters of the Western reaches of the park consisting of the Baguri area is annually submerged.
The park roughly experiences 3 seasons—summer, monsoon and winter. The dry and windy summer extends approximately from February to May with mean maximum and minimums of 37 °C (99 °F) and 7 °C (45 °F), respectively. The hot and humid Monsoon season extends from June to September. During the monsoon, Kaziranga receives mean rainfall of 2220 millimetres (87 in) brought by the South West monsoon. The winter, extending from November to February, is mild and dry, with the mean maximum and minimum being 25 °C (77 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F), respectively.
s and nallahs (small water channel) dry up and the growth of short grasses cover up their beds. The grasses also grow around the perennial Beels. With the end of the monsoon season, herbivorous animals, especially the Rhinoceros
rush in these areas for grazing.
In the other parts of the park the tall coarse grasses dry up by the month of December and January and are then control burnt by the park staff. After such burning some animals begin to concentrate in the burnt patches and relish the ash and the partially burnt stems of the reeds. With few winter showers fresh grass blades shoot up in the burnt patches attracting larger number of animals to these areas.
With the onset of the summer season the grasses in the burnt patches grow up quickly and the tender shoots turn into coarse blades, which no longer attract the animals. The temperature also goes up and the animals prefer to remain near the water sources especially around the numerous perennial beels and water streams inside the park.
During the monsoon, the shallow Beels and the nallahs start to get filled up, firstly by the monsoon showers and later by the floodwaters. The animals gradually start moving towards higher grounds, which are situated around the tree forests. When the flood water covers most of the areas the animals migrate to the nearby Karbi Anglong Hills and other adjoining areas.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n national park and a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in Golaghat
Golaghat District
Golaghat district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It attained district status in 1987. The district headquarters are located at Golaghat. The district occupies an area of 3502 km² and lies 100 m above sea level. As of 2001, Golaghat district has a population of...
and Nagaon district
Nagaon district
Nagaon is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. As of 2011 it is the most populous district of Assam .-History:...
s of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is refuge for the world's largest population of Great One-horned Rhinoceros. Kaziranga has the highest density of tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
s in the World. The park has many Elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
, Water Buffalo and Swamp Deer and is an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
. The park has achieved notable progress in wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
despite several constraints.
Kaziranga is a vast stretch of tall elephant grass
Elephant Grass
Pennisetum purpureum is a species of grass native to the tropical grasslands of Africa. It is a tall perennial plant, growing to tall, rarely up to , with leaves long and broad....
, marshland and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests crisscrossed by four main rivers—Brahmaputra
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
, Diphlu
River Diphlu
River Diphlu is a rivulet that originates from the Karbi Anglong hills, Assam and passes through the Kaziranga National Park and joins the River Brahmaputra on its south bank....
, Mora Diphlu
River Mora Diphlu
River Mora Diphlu is a rivulet and a tributary of the River Diphlu which originates from the Karbi Anglong hills, Assam and passes through the Kaziranga National Park and joins the River Brahmaputra on its south bank....
and Mora Dhansiri and has numerous small water bodies
Beel
A beel or a bheel is a term for a pond with static water , in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and Assam and in the country of Bangladesh...
. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, documentaries and songs.
Seasons
The Middle Brahmaputra Valley is one of the rainiest places on earth (see Climate of IndiaClimate of India
Analyzed according to the Köppen system, the climate of India resolves into six major climatic subtypes; their influences give rise to desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, humid tropical regions supporting rain forests in the southwest, and Indian Ocean island territories...
), and Kaziranga gets around 250 centimetres (98 in) of rain per year. The park is flooded often by the Brahmaputra which is necessary for maintaining the biological balance of the park. It is not uncommon for the park to be flooded for 5–10 days at a time, and around three quarters of the Western reaches of the park consisting of the Baguri area is annually submerged.
The park roughly experiences 3 seasons—summer, monsoon and winter. The dry and windy summer extends approximately from February to May with mean maximum and minimums of 37 °C (99 °F) and 7 °C (45 °F), respectively. The hot and humid Monsoon season extends from June to September. During the monsoon, Kaziranga receives mean rainfall of 2220 millimetres (87 in) brought by the South West monsoon. The winter, extending from November to February, is mild and dry, with the mean maximum and minimum being 25 °C (77 °F) and 5 °C (41 °F), respectively.
Seasonal variation
Seasonal variations in the vegetation and habitat of the animal is notable in the park. During winter the shallow BeelBeel
A beel or a bheel is a term for a pond with static water , in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and Assam and in the country of Bangladesh...
s and nallahs (small water channel) dry up and the growth of short grasses cover up their beds. The grasses also grow around the perennial Beels. With the end of the monsoon season, herbivorous animals, especially the Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
rush in these areas for grazing.
In the other parts of the park the tall coarse grasses dry up by the month of December and January and are then control burnt by the park staff. After such burning some animals begin to concentrate in the burnt patches and relish the ash and the partially burnt stems of the reeds. With few winter showers fresh grass blades shoot up in the burnt patches attracting larger number of animals to these areas.
With the onset of the summer season the grasses in the burnt patches grow up quickly and the tender shoots turn into coarse blades, which no longer attract the animals. The temperature also goes up and the animals prefer to remain near the water sources especially around the numerous perennial beels and water streams inside the park.
During the monsoon, the shallow Beels and the nallahs start to get filled up, firstly by the monsoon showers and later by the floodwaters. The animals gradually start moving towards higher grounds, which are situated around the tree forests. When the flood water covers most of the areas the animals migrate to the nearby Karbi Anglong Hills and other adjoining areas.