“To understand the mechanism of the monsoons, few facts are important to
understand.” -Explain the different facts that influence the mechanism of the
reversal of the wind system.
Answers
Answer:
The climate of India is significantly influenced by monsoon winds. The sailors who
came to India in historic times were one of the first to have noticed the phenomenon of the
monsoon. They benefited from the reversal of the wind system as they came by sailing ships at
the mercy of winds. The Arabs, who had also come to India as traders named this seasonal
reversal of the wind system ‘monsoon. The word monsoon is derived from the Arabic word
‘mausim’ which literally means season. Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind
direction during a year.
The monsoons are experienced in the tropical area roughly between 20° N and 20° S.
Monsoon is a complex meteorological phenomenon. To understand the mechanism of the
monsoons, the following facts are important.
Thermal Concept
Halley, a noted astronomer, made a hypothesis that the primary cause of the Indian monsoon
circulation was the differential heating effects of the land and the sea. According to this
concept monsoon are the extended land breeze and sea breeze on a large scale. During winter
the huge landmass of Asia cools more rapidly than the surrounding oceans with the result that a
strong high pressure centre develops over the continent. On the other hand, the pressure over
adjacent oceans is relatively lower. As a consequence the pressure- gradient directed from land
to sea. Therefore there is an outflow of air from the continental landmass towards the adjacent
oceans so that it brings cold, dry air towards the low latitudes.
Page 2 Dr. Niraj Kumar Singh Assistant Professor, Geography S.M.S.G College , Sherghati ,Gaya