Climate of India

Key Points:

• The State of at morphemic Conditions over an area at a particular time refers to weather. Climate refers to such condition over a large area and follows a similar general pattern over many years.
• Climographs show average monthly values of maximum temperature minimum temperature, and rainfall for a given place.
• As we move away from the equator towards the poles, the average annual  temperature decreases. In India the southern part lies in the tropical belt closer to the equator. Therefore, this region has higher average temperature than the northern part.
• A large part of southern India, because of its long coast line, comes under the moderating influence of the sea. Several hill stations of the Himalayan region have a cool climate even during the peak summer months.
• India lies in the belt of dry north-east trade winds. The climate of India is also affected by the movement of upper air currents known as ‘Jet streams’.
• Cyclone depressions coming from Mediterranean Sea called Western Disturbances cause low to moderate rainfall over northern India.
• The northern plain experiences dry and hot winds called ‘Loo’ towards the end of summer season; pre-monsoon showers are common in the Deccan plateau. They are locally known as mango showers.
• The monsoon forms in the tropical area approximately between 200N and 200S latitudes. The bulk of the annual rainfall in India is received from the South West Monsoon.
• The atmosphere traps a lot of the solar energy that reaches Earth by preventing it from totally escaping back to space. This is called Global Warming.
• Global Warming is causing many changes in the distribution of heat in the Earth system. One of the human activities that contributes to global warming is deforestation.

Key Words:

• Climograph: It shows averages monthly values of maximum temperature and minimum temperature, and rainfall for a given place.
• Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity and air pressure.
• Monsoon: The climate of India is strongly influenced by the monsoon winds. The regular periodic reversals of winds that blow towards the Indian coast are monsoons. Arab traders named this seasonal reversal of wind system as Monsoon.
• Insolation: It is the total amount of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area during a given time.
• Jet Streams: The climate of India is affected by the movement of upper air currents knows as ‘Jet streams’. These are fast flowing air currents in a narrow belt in the upper atmosphere, above 12,000m. A Jet stream causes the neighbouring atmosphere to cool and causes rain.
• Pressure Zone: The exertion of force by one body on the surface of another.
• Global Warming: An Unequal and continuing rise in the average temperatures of the Earth. As global temperature increases, the ice in the Tundra melts more. The methane that is trapped under the ice escapes in to the atmosphere, increasing the global temperatures. One of the human activities that contributes to global warming is deforestation.