Climate Flashcards
why does india have tropical monsoon type climate
because India lies in the tropic belt and its climate is influenced by the monsoon winds which are largely confined to the tropics
characterisitics of tropical monsoon climate
hot summers and dry winters
continental climate’s effect on Indian climate
continental climate:
1. prevalence of land winds
2. dryness of air
3. large diurnal range
effect of indian ocean on Indian climate
hot monsoon climate
Example of temperature contrast
Barmer in Rajastan records 48 or 50 C in June, while it is 22 C in Pahalgam or Gulmarg. Dras near Kargil can go down to -40 C in winters
example of rainfall difference
Cherrapunji and Mawsynram get 1100 cm rain in a year, while Jaisalmer receives 9 cm
factors affecting climate of India
- himalayas
- varied relief
- monsoon relief
- latitude
- altitude
- influence by surrounding seas
- western disturbances
- jet streams
- distance from sea
- El-Nino effect
functions of himalayas
- prevent cold siberian winds from entering india
- forces south west monsoon winds to shed moisture in india
GR: how does varied relief play and important role?
- Western side of western ghats get heavy rainfall because it is the windward side
- deccan plateau gets less rainfall because it lies in the leeward side of western ghats
- rajasthan is dry because the aravalli range is parallel to SW monsoon winds, and is unable to block the winds
- southern hills of assam get more rainfall because they force moisture laden winds to shed their moisture before moving northwards
where does SW monsoon occur
over entire indian subcontinent, leaving tibet dry because it is in rain shadow region
where does retreating monsoon occur
eastern coastal region
what are western disturbances
in winter, due to shifting of pressure belts from 20 N to 50 N, north India gets winds and cyclones from mediterranean sea
effect of winds and cyclones from mediterranean sea during winter
bring rain to northern plains
snow in jammu and kashmir
wheat cultivation in punjab
jet streams
westerly jets- north indian plains during winter
easterly jets- steers the tropical depression over india
highest rainfall occurs along the depressions
what is El-Nino effect
the abnormal warming of surface waters in the equatorial pacific regions (peru coast). it affects movement of monsoon winds in the Indian ocean, resulting in drier conditions and delay in monsoon
two wind systems of monsoon
- summer monsoon
- winter monsoon
summer monsoon
in may, june, and july, land gets heated by vertical rays of the sun. low pressure on land, and high pressure on sea. winds move from land to sea, causing SW SUMMER MONSOON
winter monsoon
in winter season, there is high pressure on land and low over sea. as winds blow from land to sea, they bring cold dry weather. causes NE WINTER MONSOON when winds blow over adjoining land and bring rainfall to TN and AP
four seasons of india
- hot and dry summer (March-May)
- SW summer monsoon (June-September)
- Retreating SW monsoon (Oct-Nov)
- NE winter monsoon (Dec- Feb)
temperature during hot, dry summer
- northward movement of sun’s vertical rays leads to increase in length of days
- 30 C to 32 C in India
- diurnal range is large in interior
pressure conditions during hot, dry summer
- warmest area shifts from Deccan to NW india
- high pressure from Cape Comorin to Arabian sea
- Low pressure from center to Indus and Baluchistan