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CLIMATE

Q.1 Define the following the terms:

Monsoon, Weather, Climate,Cyclones,Range of temperature, Jet streams,
Isobar, Isohyets Isotherm, Loo, Breaking of monsoons, Monsoon trough, ,
Western disturbances, Mango showers, October heat, Windward side,
Leeward side

A.1 Monsoons- It refers to the seasonal reversal of wind direction due to

differential heating of land and water bodies.

WEATHER- It refers to the conditions of the atmosphere on a day to

day basis with reference to temperature, humidity, precipitation, air
pressure, and cloudiness. Weather conditions may fluctuate within few
hours.

Climate- It is average weather conditions of a place over a long period of

time. Climatic conditions are calculated approximately after 30 to 40 years.

Cyclones-An area of low pressure surrounded by high pressure in which

winds move in circular motion with very high speed. It is often accompanied
by heavy rains.

Range of temperature- Difference between the high and low temperature.

Jet streams- They are fast flowing cold air currents in a narrow zone in the
upper atmosphere.

Isobar- It is an imaginary line, drawn on a map, to join places of same

pressure above the sea level. It is measured in milli bars.

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 Isohyets- It is an imaginary line drawn on a map joining places of same
amount of rainfall. It is measured in mm or cm.

Isotherm- An imaginary line drawn on a map, joining places of same

temperature above sea level.

Loo- Hot and dry winds which blow in the afternoon during summers in the
north-western part of India.

Breaking of monsoons-Sudden approach of moisture laden winds associated

with storms, thunder, and lightening. The monsoons first” break” in the
southern west coast of India.
Monsoon trough-It refers to the intense low pressure area which develops
over north western part of India extending from the Thar desert to Chota
Nagpur plateau.

Western disturbances-These are cyclonic disturbances which originate over

the Mediterranean sea .As soon as they reach India they are stopped by The
Himalayas which results in light Rainfall in the north western plains and
snowfall in the Kashmir Himalayas.

Mango showers-The pre- monsoon showers ,which help in early ripening of

mangoes in coastal Kerala and Karnataka.

October heat-It is oppressive weather[hot and humid] which is experienced

during the month of October-November
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Q.II GIVE REASONS FOR THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:

1.North western part of Rajasthan receives scanty rainfall.

[A] Because the Arabian Sea branch of the S.W. monsoons blows parallel
to the Aravallis which do not obstruct the winds.
[b] By the time the Bay of Bengal branch reaches Rajasthan it has shed all
its moisture.

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 [c] Due to high temperature over the Thar Desert the capacity of air to
hold moisture increases so little or no rainfall takes place.

2. Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu receives more rainfall in winters.

[A] During winter season the coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu comes under
the influence of North East trade winds. They blow from land to sea. and hence
for most part of the country it is a dry season. Some of the rainfall occurs on
the coast of Tamil Nadu from these winds as; here they blow from sea to land.
however the bulk of the rainfall of the Coromandel Coast is derived from
depressions and cyclones.

3. N.Western part of India receives some rainfall during winters and

Kashmir Himalayas receives snowfall
[A] A characteristic feature of the cold weather season over the northern
plains is the inflow of the cyclonic disturbances from the west and the north
west. These low pressure systems originate over the Mediterranean Sea and
western Asia and move into India, along with the westerly flow. They cause the
much needed rainfall on the plains of Punjab, Haryana, and Wn. Uttar Pradesh
and snowfall is caused in Kashmir Himalayas and Himachal Pradesh.

4. Mawsynram receives the world’s heaviest rainfall

[A] It is on the windward side of the Meghalaya hills to the Bay of Bengal
branch of S.W.Monsoons.
[B] It is situated in the southern ranges of the Khasi hills at the head of a
funnel shaped valley in the Khasi hills where the moist winds get trapped and
cause heavy rainfall.

5. The deltas of the Krishna, Kaveri, and Godavari are frequently struck by
cyclones.
[A] With the decrease in temperature over northern India low pressure trough
is shifted to the Bay of Bengal by early November. This leads to the formation
of the cyclonic depression, which originate over the Andaman Sea. These
cyclones generally cross the eastern coast of India causes heavy and
widespread rain .These tropical cyclones are often very destructive. The

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 thickly populated deltas of the Godavari, the Krishna, and The Kaveri are
frequently struck by cyclones which cause great damage to life and property.

6. The rainfall decrease from east to west in northern India.

[A] The Bay of Bengal branch of the S.W. Monsoons reaches Assam in the
first week of June and gives heavy rainfall.
[B] From the Eastern Himalayas it is deflected towards the west over the
Gangetic plains from where it starts moving from east to west and the rainfall
goes on decreasing from east to west in the Northern Plains.
[C] Kolkota receives about 120 cms.of rainfall; Patna about 102cms. Allahabad
91cms.andDelhi 56cms.

7. Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent.
[A] During the winter season high pressure system is developed over Nn.partof
India due to extremely low temperature whereas low pressure prevails over Bay
of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Hence the winds start moving from land to seas
North East Monsoons.
[B] During the summers an intense low pressure trough gets developed over
Wn. Part of Indian subcontinent which extends from the Thar Desert to Chota
Nagpur plateau. This cause’s complete reversal of winds as the winds starts
moving from the high pressure area over the water bodies to the intense low
pressure trough over the land. In this season winds move from south west
direction and are called S.W.Monsoons.

8. The bulk of the rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.

The bulk of the rain fall in India takes place between June to mid September
as by early June the low pressure trough over north western part of India
intensifies and becomes strong enough to attract the Trade winds from
southern hemisphere. These winds pick up moisture from The Bay Of Bengal
and The Arabian sea and bring heavy rainfall in major part of India from June
to September. Rest of the year India comes under the influence of N.East
Trade winds which blows from land to sea and are unable to cause rainfall as
they are dry winds.

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9. The Leeward sides of the Western Ghats are drought prone.
The leeward side of the Western Ghats comes under the influence of the south
west winds during summer season. These winds bring rainfall on the western
coastal plains (windward side of the Western Ghats) and the leeward side of
the western Ghats does not receive much rainfall. During winter season it
comes under the influence of North east trades. At this time it becomes the
leeward side of the Eastern Ghats and does not receives much rainfall from
this branch also. Thus it remains drought prone.

III Answer the following questions briefly:

Q.1.Which part of India experience the highest diurnal range of temperature and
why?
Ans 1. Jodhpur in Rajasthan experiences highest diurnal range of temperature
because this is a region of sand dunes and sand is able to absorb heat quickly
during the day a d release heat quickly during night as a result Jodhpur
experiences highest diurnal range of temperature.

Q.2-What are the Jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?
Ans 2. These are a narrow belt of high altitude westerly winds in the
Troposphere. These winds blow south of the Himalayas all through the year
except in summers. They are known as Subtropical westerly jet streams. These
winds bring a western cyclonic disturbance which causes precipitation in north
western part of India. In summers this jet stream moves to the north of the
Himalayas with the apparent movement of the sun. An easterly jet stream called
the tropical easterly jet stream blows over peninsular India. These winds bring
cyclonic conditions from The Bay of Bengal and causes disaster in the coastal
region of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

Q.3-Describe the regional variations in the climatic condition of India with the
help of suitable example.
A.3-In India diverse climatic conditions are experienced as Equable type of
climate is experienced in the coastal regions as such regions are under the
moderating influence of the onshore winds. These winds make the coastal region

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warm during the summer season and cool during the winter season. Extreme type
of climate is experienced in a place like Delhi as it lies far away from the
moderating influence of on shore winds due to distance from the sea so it remains
hot in summers and cold in winter season.

Q.4- What are the controls affecting climate of India?

A.4- Controls affecting climate of India are – latitude, altitude, pressure and wind
system, distance from the sea (continentality), ocean currents and relief
features.

Q.5 - Why does India have a monsoon climate?

A.5- The climate of India is strongly influenced by the monsoon winds which
change their direction with the change of season (Seasonal reversal of winds)
This type of climate is found mainly in the south and south-east Asia. As India
lies in the south of Asia it experiences Monsoon type of climate.

Q.6- Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar Coast?
A.6 South west monsoon winds.

Q.7 Define Monsoons. What do you understand by ‘BREAK” IN MONSOONS?

A.7 The Monsoon has been derived from an Arabic word “Mausim”which literally
means season. The word monsoon therefore denotes a season in which the wind
regime I completely reversed. Break in Monsoons means- The sudden approach of
the moisture-laden winds is associated with violent thunderstorm and lightening.
This is known as “break” or “Burst” of the monsoon. Around the time of its arrival
the normal rainfall increases suddenly and continues constantly for several days.

Q.8-Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?

A.8 You already know the way the Himalayas protect the subcontinent from
extremely cold winds from central Asia. This enables northern India to have
uniformly higher temperatures when compared to other areas on the same
latitudes. Similarly, the peninsular plateau, under the influence of the sea from
three sides, has moderate temperatures. Despite such moderating influences,
there are great variations in the temperature conditions. Nevertheless, the

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 unifying influence of the monsoon on the Indian subcontinent is quite
perceptible. The seasonal alteration of the wind system and the associated
weather conditions provide a rhythmic cycle of seasons. Even the uncertainty
of rain and uneven distribution are very much typical of the monsoon

TYPES OF RAINFALL

What is precipitation?

Precipitation is any form of moisture which falls to the earth. This includes rain,
snow, hail and sleet.

Precipitation occurs when water vapour cools. When the air reaches saturation
point (also known as condensation point and dew point) the water vapour condenses
and forms tiny droplets of water. These tiny droplets of water from clouds.

Complex forces cause the water droplets to fall as rainfall.

All rain is the same. It happens as the result of warm, moist air being cooled,
leading to condensation and in turn rain. The following examples show three
different ways air is cooled causing rainfall.

Relief Rainfall

Stage 1.
Warm wet air is forced to rise over high land.

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Stage 2.
As the air rises it cools and condenses. Clouds form and precipitation occurs.

Stage 3.
The drier air descends and warms.

Stage 4.

Any moisture in the air (e.g. cloud) evaporates.

Convectional Rainfall

Stage 1.

The sun heats the ground and warm air rises.

Stage 2

As the air rises it cools and water vapour condenses to form clouds.

Stage 3.
When the condensation point is reached large cumulonimbus clouds are formed.

Stage 4.

Heavy rain storms occur. These usually include thunder and lightening due to the
electrical charge created by unstable conditions.

Frontal Rainfall

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Stage 1.
An area of warm air meets and area of cold air.

Stage 2.
The warm air is forced over the cold air

Stage 3.
Where the air meets the warm air is cooled and water vapour condenses.

Stage 4.
Clouds form and precipitation occurs