What are the various factors responsible for and those affecting Monsoon in India?
Structure
Introduction: (upto 30 words) Write briefly about monsoons
Body: (upto 100 words) Elaborate the various reasons for monsoons and other factors which affect monsoon in India.
Conclusion: (upto 30 words) Conclude by pointing out the importance of monsoons for Indian agriculture and livelihood of millions.
Supporting Points:
The word monsoon in itself is derived from Arabic word ‘mausim’ meaning season, which was used to describe seasonal shift in winds of a region. It always blows from cold to warm regions and are most often associated with the Indian Ocean. In India the South West monsoon affects the greater part of the country in between June to September and has been studied in detail because of high variability and less understanding of the system.
The factors that is responsible for monsoon:
The difference in temperature over land and water creates a low-pressure over the land mass in India. This low pressure attracts winds from high pressure area.
The equatorial Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, which is a low pressure belt of highly unstable weather, moves northward towards India. This shift is also a cause of the onset of monsoon in India.
The intense high pressure area that is formed of Madagascar, at approximately 20 degree south over the Indian Ocean causes the wind to flow towards the low pressure over the Indian land mass.
The Tibetan Plateau which gets intensely heated during summer, results its strong vertical air currents and the formation of low pressure over the plateau.
The movement of the Westerly Jet Stream which lies north of the Himalayas creates western cyclonic disturbances, which influence the monsoon rain.
The factors which affect the intensity of monsoon are:
El Nino and La Nina Effects affects the walker cell in the Pacific Ocean and rainfall pattern in the Asian region. During El Nino Year, weak push to Monsoon winds towards India causes less rainfall and draught whereas during La Nina years, the push is stronger and causes heavy rain and floods.
The strengths of low pressure over Tibetan plateau and high pressure over Southern Indian Ocean has always positive effect on Indian monsoon and have high rainfall. Opposite to it has weak monsoon and hence less rainfall.
Somali Jet effectd the intensity of high pressure cell in the Southern Indian Ocean and flow of moisture laden winds to the subcontinent.
Indian Ocean Dipole is defined by the difference in sea surface temperature between two areas (or poles, hence a dipole) – a western pole in the Arabian Sea (western Indian Ocean) and an eastern pole in the eastern Indian Ocean south of Indonesia. The greater than average sea-surface temperatures in Arabian Sea responsible for greater precipitation in the western Indian Ocean region, and vice versa.
India terribly needs the monsoon to keep its climate regulated, and keep the cycle going all through the year. Monsoon is the lifeline of Indian agriculture and benefits to power sector as nearly 20% of electricity in India are generated from hydro-electric plants.
