Because of its effect on agriculture, on flora and fauna, and on the climates of nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – among other economic, social, and environmental effects – the monsoon is one of the most anticipated, tracked, and studied weather phenomena in the region.
What is the South Asian monsoon and why is it important?
While the South Asian monsoon is best known in India, it also affects Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Flickr: NJ.. In India, however, it can be incredibly important. Some 80% of India’s rainfall falls during the monsoon.
What is the relationship between monsoons and extreme rainfall in India?
The relationship between extremes of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall, along with ENSO and EQUINOO, have been studied, and models to better predict the quantity of monsoon rains have been statistically derived. Since 1950s, the South Asian summer monsoon has been exhibiting large changes, especially in terms of droughts and floods.
When is the monsoon season in South Asia?
Generally the Summer monsoon season in South Asia begins in mid-May and ends in late October/early November. WikiMedia Commons While the South Asian monsoon is best known in India, it also affects Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
What is the mechanism affecting the monsoon?
The mechanism affecting the monsoon is that the westerly jet causes high pressure over northern parts of the subcontinent during the winter. This results in the north-to-south flow of the winds in the form of the northeast monsoon. With the northward shift of the vertical sun, this jet shifts north, too.
Why is monsoon important for agriculture?
Monsoon is one of the most important seasons for farmers for a country so dependent on its agro-industry. Most of the Indian agricultural land is irrigated by the southwest monsoon. Crops such as wheat, rice, pulses, which are a staple in Indian diets, need heavy rainfalls to grow.
What are the benefits of wet monsoons?
Advantages:Monsoon rains give a good beneficiary for the farmers and agriculture.The rainfall helps in storing water for irrigation, electric power and drinking.A proper usage of monsoon leads to the prosperity for agriculture and everyone.Specific crops-rice and tea-depend only on monsoon rainfall.
How does monsoon affect agriculture?
About 80 per cent of the annual precipitation over India occurs during the summer period, supplying water to crops during the prime agricultural season. Monsoon friendly crops with a high requirement of water like sugarcane, jute and paddy can easily be cultivated during southwest monsoon.
How do wet monsoons affect the climate in South Asia?
This phenomenon is most associated with the Indian Ocean where its effects greatly impact South Asian countries. The summer monsoon, which occurs between April and September, brings the wet season. Warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean moves inland and brings heavy rainfall and a humid climate.
How do monsoons affect farming in South Asia?
The summer monsoon occurs between June and September and brings warm, moist air and torrential rains to countries in South Asia. Delays in the monsoon and reduction in the amount of monsoon rains can severely lower cereal crop yields and water resources that millions depend on for their livelihood.
Why the monsoons are important for South and Southeast Asia?
The summer monsoon is associated with heavy rainfall. As winter ends, warm, moist air from the southwest Indian Ocean heads towards South Asia; the summer monsoon brings humidity and torrential rainfall. The South Asia monsoon season is vital for agriculture and livelihoods in the region.
What is the importance of monsoons?
The summer monsoon fills wells and aquifers for the rest of the year. Rice and tea are some crops that rely on the summer monsoon. Dairy farms, which help make India the largest milk producer in the world, also depend on the monsoon rains to keep cows healthy and well-fed.
Why is rain important to farmers?
Growth from Seed Besides disease, rainfall can also determine how fast a crop will grow from seed, including when it will be ready for harvesting. A good balance of rain and proper irrigation can lead to faster-growing plants, which can cut down on germination time and the length between seeding and harvest.
Which agriculture is dependent on monsoon only?
Explanation: Monsoon friendly crops with a high requirement of water like sugarcane, jute and paddy can easily be cultivated during summers, in areas with a high proximity for monsoons. Whereas, crops like wheat and barley require moderate temperature and water, and therefore can only be grown in winters.
How are monsoons beneficial to South Asia?
Industry in India and Southeast Asia also relies on the summer monsoon. A great deal of electricity in the region is produced by hydroelectric power plants, which are driven by water collected during the monsoons. Electricity powers hospitals, schools, and businesses that help the economies of these areas develop.
What are some of the dangers of the wet monsoon?
Because regions with a monsoon climate have distinctly wet and dry seasons, they are prone to floods and droughts, both of which are hazardous to health. During summer monsoons, heavy rainfall can cause flooding.
Why do you think the southwest monsoon season is so important in India?
The south-west monsoon irrigates over half of India’s crop land. Its arrival marks the beginning of the cultivation of rain-fed kharif crops which are heavily dependent on the monsoon—the quantity of rainfall determines agricultural production.
Why is monsoon important in India?
The monsoon is vital to India, this year even more so than usual, given recent fears about the country’s economy. But the monsoon also affects other economies in the region, and, frankly, the entire world.
How many monsoon seasons are there in South Asia?
There are actually two monsoon seasons in South Asia. Following the summer monsoons, when rain is dumped on the landmass, there is a winter monsoon, where the moisture filled air moves away from the landmass and back over the Indian Ocean.
How many people in India work in agriculture?
For the rural population, monsoons and the resulting harvest are what they depend on for both income and food. Currently, more than two thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people work in agriculture, according to the 2011 CIA Factbook.
How much damage did the floods in Thailand cause?
The massive flooding in Thailand caused $40 billion in damages, and key industrial sites north of Bangkok were forced to shut down. As a result, growth forecasts for the Thai economy were revised from 4 percent to 3.1, according to the Guardian .
What causes the air above the land to become warmer than the air above the ocean?
As the summer begins, landmasses heat at a faster rate than the Indian Ocean, causing the air above the land to become warmer than the air above the ocean. The cooler, moisture-filled ocean air begins to move towards the warm, lower pressure air above the landmass. Once the low and high pressure fronts converge, …
Where is the monsoon in South Asia?
Flickr: NJ.. In India, however, it can be incredibly important. Some 80% of India’s rainfall falls during the monsoon. flickr: craigCloutier.
Is India dependent on monsoons?
Government spending in India is heavily dependent on the monsoon. Flickr: Prince Roy. With the increase in individual income from a successful harvest, government can spend less on public assistance programs including welfare and subsidies on things like fuel.
How has the monsoon changed?
Since 1950s, the South Asian summer monsoon has been exhibiting large changes, especially in terms of droughts and floods. The observed monsoon rainfall indicates a gradual decline over central India, with a reduction of up to 10%. This is primarily due to a weakening monsoon circulation as a result of the rapid warming in the Indian Ocean, and changes in land use and land cover, while the role of aerosols remain elusive. Since the strength of the monsoon is partially dependent on the temperature difference between the ocean and the land, higher ocean temperatures in the Indian Ocean have weakened the moisture bearing winds from the ocean to the land. The reduction in the summer monsoon rainfall have grave consequences over central India because at least 60% of the agriculture in this region is still largely rain-fed .
Why does the southwest monsoon cause more rain than the northeast monsoon?
Because the southwest monsoon flows from sea to land, it carries more moisture, and therefore causes more rain, than the northeast monsoon. Only part of the northeast monsoon passing over the Bay of Bengal picks up moisture, causing rain in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu during the winter months.
Why do winds rise?
On reaching land, these winds rise because of the geographical relief, cooling adiabatically and leading to orographic rains. This is the southwest monsoon . The reverse happens during the winter, when the land is colder than the sea, establishing a pressure gradient from land to sea.
What is monsoon wind?
The word monsoon (derived from the Arabic “mausim”, meaning “seasonal reversal of winds”), although generally defined as a system of winds characterized by a seasonal reversal of direction, lacks a consistent, detailed definition. Some examples are:
How is the strength of the southwest monsoon determined?
Strength: The strength of the southwest monsoon is determined by the strength of the easterly tropical jet over central India. A strong easterly tropical jet results in a strong southwest monsoon over central India, and a weak jet results in a weak monsoon.
What countries have monsoons?
Because of its effect on agriculture, on flora and fauna, and on the climates of nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – among other economic, social, and environmental effects – the monsoon is one of the most anticipated, tracked, and studied weather phenomena in the region.
Why does rain happen in monsoons?
In the case of the monsoon, the cause is primarily orographic, due to the presence of highlands in the path of the winds. Orographic barriers force wind to rise.
Overview
The monsoon of South Asia is among several geographically distributed global monsoons. It affects the Indian subcontinent, where it is one of the oldest and most anticipated weather phenomena and an economically important pattern every year from June through September, but it is only partly understood and notoriously difficult to predict. Several theories have been proposed to explain …
Definition
The word monsoon (derived from the Arabic “mausim”, meaning “seasonal reversal of winds”), although generally defined as a system of winds characterized by a seasonal reversal of direction, lacks a consistent, detailed definition. Some examples are:
• The American Meteorological Society calls it a name for seasonal winds, first applied to the winds blowing over the Arabian Sea from the northeast for six months and from the southwest for six m…
Background
Observed initially by sailors in the Arabian Sea traveling between Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, the monsoon can be categorized into two branches based on their spread over the subcontinent:
• Arabian Sea branch
• Bay of Bengal branch
Changes of the Monsoon
Monsoons typically occur in tropical areas. One area that monsoons impact greatly is India. In India monsoons create an entire season in which the winds reverse completely.
The rainfall is a result of the convergence of wind flow from the Bay of Bengal and reverse winds from the South China Sea.
Features of monsoon rains
There are some unique features of the rains that the monsoon brings to the Indian subcontinent.
Bursting of monsoon refers to the sudden change in weather conditions in India (typically from hot and dry weather to wet and humid weather during the southwest monsoon), characterized by an abrupt rise in the mean daily rainfall…
Ideal and normal monsoon rains
Normally, the southwest monsoon can be expected to “burst” onto the western coast of India (near Thiruvananthapuram) at the beginning of June and to cover the entire country by mid-July. Its withdrawal from India typically starts at the beginning of September and finishes by the beginning of October.
The northeast monsoon usually “bursts” around 20 October and lasts for abou…
Theories for mechanism of monsoon
Theories of the mechanism of the monsoon primarily try to explain the reasons for the seasonal reversal of winds and the timing of their reversal.
Because of differences in the specific heat capacity of land and water, continents heat up faster than seas. Consequently, the air above coastal lands heats up faster than the air above seas. These create areas of low air pressure above c…
Theories for “bursting”
The “bursting” of the monsoon is primarily explained by the jet stream theory and the dynamic theory.
According to this theory, during the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, the ITCZ shifts north, pulling the southwest monsoon winds onto the land from the sea. However, the huge landmass of the Himalayas restricts the low-pressure zone onto the Himalayas themselves. It is …