4.
Climate
Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) What are the factors affecting the climate of India?
Answer:The factors affecting the climate of India are
1. Latitude
2. Altitude
3. Pressure and Winds
(ii) Why does India have a monsoon type of climate?
Answer:The climate of India is described as the ‘monsoon’ type. Monsoon refers to the seasonal reversal in the wind
direction during a year.
The monsoon type of climate is characterised by a distinct seasonal pattern. The weather conditions greatly change
from one season to the other. These changes are particularly noticeable in the interior parts of the country. The
coastal areas do not experience much variation in temperature, though there is variation in the rainfall pattern.
The climate of India is strongly influenced by monsoon winds. The duration of the monsoon is between 100-120 days
from early June to mid-September.
(iii) Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of temperature and why?
Answer:The regions experiencing this phenomenon are in the northwestern part of India. The reason behind this
effect is the Thar desert. Moreover, this region does not have an ocean to moderate the temperature.
(iv) Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar Coast?
Answer:Southwest monsoon winds are responsible for rainfall along the Malabar Coast.
(v) What are Jet streams, and how do they affect the climate of India?
Answer: Jet Streams are a narrow belt of high altitude (above 12,000 m) westerly winds in the troposphere. Their
speed varies from about 110 km/h in summer to about 184 km/h in winter. A number of separate jet streams have
been identified. The most constant is the mid-latitude and subtropical jet stream. They cause depression during the
monsoon season.
(vi) Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in monsoon?
Answer: Breaks in monsoon are related to the movement of the monsoon trough. For various reasons, the trough
and its axis keep on moving northward or southward, which determines the spatial distribution of rainfall. When the
axis of the monsoon trough lies over the plains, rainfall is good in these parts. On the other hand, whenever the axis
shifts closer to the Himalayas, there are longer dry spells in the plains, and widespread rain occurs in the
mountainous catchment areas of the Himalayan rivers.
(vii) Why is the monsoon considered a unifying bond?
Answer: The unifying influence of the monsoon on the Indian subcontinent is quite perceptible. The seasonal
alteration of the wind systems and the associated weather conditions provide a rhythmic cycle of seasons. Even the
uncertainties of rain and uneven distribution are very much typical of the monsoons. The Indian landscape, its animal
and plant life, its entire agricultural calendar and the life of the people (including their festivities) revolve around this
phenomenon. Year after year, the people of India, from north to south and from east to west, eagerly await the
arrival of the monsoon. These monsoon winds bind the whole country by providing water to set agricultural activities
in motion. The river valleys which carry this water also unite as a single river valley unit.
3. Why does the rainfall decrease from the east to the west in Northern India?
Answer:As they move in that direction, the winds lose the moisture content. Hence, the reason for the reduction in
rainfall.
4. Give reasons as to why.
(i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent?
Answer:1. Seasonal change in wind direction due to pressure difference.
2. El Nino plays a major role.
(ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.
Answer:Rainfall is dependent on the South West Monsoon winds; it rapidly progresses and covers large swathes of
the country by July.
(iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.
Answer:It is because of North-East monsoon winds.
(iv) The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones.
Answer: The Bay of Bengal faces frequent pressure changes.
(v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are drought-prone.
Answer: Because they fall in the rain shadow region of the Aravali Mountains.
5. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India with the help of suitable examples
Answer:
(i) In summer, the maximum temperature goes up to 50oC in some parts of Rajasthan.
(ii) Whereas it may be around 20oC in Pehalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
(iii) The night temperature at Drass in Jammu and Kashmir may be as low as minus 45oC.
(iv) Thiruvananthapuram, on the other hand may have a temperature of20oC.
(v) In the Thar Desert, the day temperature may rise to 50oC and drop to 15oC the same night.
(vi) On the other hand, there is hardly any difference in the day and night temperatures in Andaman and Nicobar
islands or in Kerala.
6. Discuss the mechanisms of the monsoon.
Answer: (a) The differential heating and cooling of land and water create a low pressure on the landmass of India
while the seas around experience comparatively high pressure.
(b) The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) in summer over the Ganga Plain. (This is the
equatorial trough, normally positioned about 5°N of the equator. It is also known as the monsoon trough during the
monsoon season.)
(c) The presence of the high-pressure area, east of Madagascar, approximately at 20°S over the Indian Ocean. The
intensity and position of this high-pressure area affect the Indian Monsoon.
(d) The Tibetan Plateau gets intensely heated during summer, which results in strong vertical air currents and the
formation of low pressure over the plateau at about 9 km above sea level.
(e) The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the presence of the tropical easterly
jet stream over the Indian peninsula during summer.
the moderating influence of the sea.
Extra Question
1. What is ‘October Heat’?
Answer: In the month of October monsoon winds retreat. It is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. Owing
to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive during the day. This
condition is called as ‘October heat’.
2. Differentiate between climate and weather.
Answer:(i) Climate: It refers to the sum total of the weather conditions and variations over a large area for a long
period of time.
(ii) Weather: It refers to the state of atmosphere over an area at any point of time. The elements of weather and
climate are the same.
3. Out the towns/cities of Bhuj, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Shillong, where will the monsoon arrive last?
Answer:It will arrive the last in Bhuj, as it is in the North part of Gujarat, where the Arabian sea branch of the
monsoon will reach at the end. All other towns mentioned are falling near the starting points of the monsoon.
4. Define Kaal Baisakhi and Mango Showers.
Answer: (i) Kaal Baisakhi: It is a calamity for the month of Baisakh. These are thunderstorms associated with violent
winds, torrential rains often accompanied by hail.
(ii) Mango Showers: Towards the close of the summer season, pre-monsoon showers are common especially in
Kerala and Karnataka. Since they help in the early ripening of mangoes, they are called Mango Showers.
5. Why does the rainfall decrease from east to the west in northern India?
Answer: (i) The northern plains receive rains from the Bay of Bengal branch of the S.W. monsoons.
(ii) It strikes the Myanmar’s Arkan mountains and gets deflected westward along the Himalayas.
(iii) Maximum precipitation is recorded in the north-eastern part of India and West Bengal.
(iv) As the monsoon moves westwards, they gradually lose moisture and rainfall decreases from east to west over the
northern plains.
(v) The clouds are almost exhausted by the time they reach western Rajasthan.
6. Distinguish between the South-West Monsoon and North-East Monsoon.
Answer:
South-West monsoon North-East Monsoon
This season starts from December and ends in
This season is from June to September
February.
It does not rain continuously. There are rainless intervals in
It does not possess any rainless intervals.
this season.
It blows in India as the Arabian Sea branch is due to this Minor portion of the annual rainfall in India is due to
type of monsoon. this of monsoon.
