Question

write note on monsoon model

Answer 1

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing windaccompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea. Usually, the term monsoon is used to refer to the rainy phase of a seasonally changing pattern, although technically there is also a dry phase. The term is sometimes incorrectly used for locally heavy but short-term rains,although these rains meet the dictionary definition of monsoon.

Answer 2

1) The tradition of forecasting the monsoon season in India is older than 100 years.

2) Ater the famine of 1877, H.F. Blandford, the founder of IMD had made such a prediction for the first time taking the snowfall in the Himalayas as a parameter for this prediction.

3) In the decade of the 1930's the then director of IMD, Sir Gilbert Walker had underlined the relationship between various worldwide climatic factors and Indian monsoon and based on available observations and previous recordings related to this relationship, he put forth a hypothesis regarding the nature of the monsoon.

3) With the initiative of Dr. Vasantrao Govarikar in the decade of the 1990's a monsoon model based upon 16 worldwide climatic parameters was developed. This model was in use form 1990 to 2002.

4) Presently, new models are being developed at IITM.

Work is in progress at two levels, namely designing new models and developing new technology.

5) The main focus is on development of the radar system and satellite technology.