Rain is a beautiful gift of nature. It turns dead soil into a lush green abode. However, few parts of the world received significantly more rain than other parts of planet Earth. For example, East and South Asia have high rainfall averages compared to western and northern parts of Asia. Similarly, the west coast of Africa and Northern Australia receive plenty of rain each year. One of the reasons behind high rain is attributed to the prevailing monsoon season in these regions. Let’s understand what is a monsoon season and how it develops.
What is Monsoon?
Monsoon originates from the Arabic word ”mawsim” which means season. Monsoon is referred to change in the season winds followed by a wet season. During monsoon season, winds blow from sea to the land thus bringing heavy loads of wet winds which lead to the rains in the affected regions. These rains are not only crucial for the agricultural sector but also for groundwater replenishing.
How does Monsoon develop?
Monsoon is a global phenomenon which is developed by two main components. One is a large-scale difference in temperature between land and ocean. Another component is the oscillation of ITCZ also known as the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone between its northern and southern extremes. The extent of ITCZ again varies according to the variation of land-sea temperatures; higher the temperature contract, stronger the ITCZ.
The reason behind the land-sea temperature difference is the heat-absorbing capacity of water. The heat capacity of water is significantly higher than that of land. Therefore, land heats and cools faster than the ocean. When land heats rapidly, hot air lifts and results in a low-pressure area in the region. This low-pressure area is filled up by the moist winds coming from the ocean. These moist winds then transform into thick clouds which produce heavy rains.
The ITCZ on the other hand keeps following the sun. In the northern hemisphere summer season which is mainly from May to September, ITCZ is also on the northern side of the Equator. This pulls the moist winds along with it to Asia, Northern Africa, and Northern America. When summer sets in the southern hemisphere, ITCZ also moves south of the Equator bringing monsoon rains to Australia and Southern parts of Africa.
Monsoon Regions of the Earth
Monsoon affects various parts of Earth. The most famous regions where one can observe full furry of the monsoon season are mostly located in South and East Asia, Western Africa, and Australia. Monsoon to a lesser extent also impacts Northern America.
In Asia, countries like China, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan are among the nations that receive regular monsoon season during each summer season.
In West Africa, countries located in the Sub-Saharan region receive rains from monsoon season every year. Some of the countries to name include Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mauritania among others.
In the North American continent, only Mexico, and southwestern parts of the USA receive monsoon rain from July to September.
In Australia, monsoons hit the country during its summer season from November to February. It affects mostly in the Northern and Eastern parts of Australia mostly in the form of thunderstorms.
Impacts of Monsoon Season
Monsoon is critical for many countries’ economic and agricultural sectors and necessary for the survival of billions of people in more than one way. Monsoon rains are the most important source of water availability and food security in Asia, Africa, and Australia. Monsoon also plays an important role in regulating temperature as it provides relief from scorching summer heat.
Besides having plenty of benefits, excessive monsoon rains sometimes wreak havoc and result in flooding and damage to crucial infrastructure like bridges and road networks. Therefore, to survive future changes in monsoon patterns due to climate change and global warming better management of water resources is the way forward.