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Monsoons and Climates of Asia Austell, GA Sept. 22, 2009 How did flooding affect us here in Georgia? How would we have been affected if the rain continued for four months? Can you think of a circumstance where this much rain would be helpful? Your assignment Read “Investigating Monsoons” and begin brainstorming. • What are monsoons? • Why do monsoons occur? • How do monsoons affect people? Monsoon • Monsoons are winds that carry moist air from the Indian Ocean, creating a season of rain • Monsoon actually comes from the Arabic word “mawsin” which means season • While these rains often cause flooding, the residents of South and Southeast Asia depend upon them to grow crops Two seasons wet and dry. The cause-- monsoons • Are caused by the changes of temperature of the land and ocean throughout the year. • During the summers the land becomes hotter than the water. Air that is warmer is less dense and rises. As it rises cooler air sweeps in to replace the warm air. The cooler air from the ocean carries moisture which is deposited onto the land in the form of rain. (wet monsoons) • In winter the land is cooler than the ocean so the warm air over the ocean rises and the cold land air rushes to replace it. Now you have dry land conditions. (dry monsoons) May (before monsoons) August (after) Orographic Effect Winds bring warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean, creating rain in the Western Ghats. On the eastern side of the mountain range, however, there is a rain shadow •This is an area where little rain falls What does this mean for the people? Locate Dhaka, Bangladesh on your map Ten million people live in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. For them, July can be a difficult month. In July 1996, the homes of 3 million people were flooded, Two years later, 1,500 people died in July floods. Their deaths were blamed on everything from drowning to disease. In July 2004, rains left much of Dhaka under water. Dhaka, Bangladesh Bangladesh’s economy depends upon agriculture. Nearly three out of every five people farm the country’s rich delta soil. They rely on monsoon rains to water their fields. When the summer rains are late, crops like rice, sugarcane, tea, and tobacco suffer. When monsoons bring too much rain too quickly, fields flood. Floodwaters also pollute the city’s drinking supply. Climate graph Red bar = precipitation (mm) Blue line = temperature (Celsius) Notice temperature is relatively constant, rainfall picks up in monsoon season Children growing up in Dhaka learn early that the rains that bring life to local fields can also end life in the city Now, locate Jodhpur, India Jodhpur sits at the eastern edge of the Thar Desert in northern India. This region is a leading producer of cattle, spices, and grains. It has a typical semiarid climate. For most of the year, the weather is hot and dry. Eighty percent of the people living around Jodhpur are farmers. But farming is difficult in this dry region. The desert soil needs a great deal of water to produce crops. How much rain will come and when will it arrive are questions people here ask every year. Jodhpur, India The rains come late in some years. Or too little rain falls. When that happens, crops fail. Drinking water vanishes. Families that run out of food sometime survive by eating samas, a wild grass. As people grow weak from hunger, disease spreads more rapidly. In July 2002, nearly half of Jodhpur’s crops could not be planted. The summer monsoons were late. The worst drought in more than 40 years had begun. Jodhpur, India Now, find Pune, India Pune is located on the Deccan Plateau in western India. It is only 115 miles from Mumbai. Yet Mumbai receives over 70 inches of rain during the summer monsoons. In contrast, Pune’s rainfall totals only 29 inches for the entire year. The people of Pune have learned to get by with little water. In the past, farmers here raised sugarcane. Today, they plant sugar beets, which are more drought resistant. Pune, India Living in a rain shadow Monsoon winds affect the entire region But the monsoons aren’t the only winds that affect Asia! • Dry winds blow across the high plateaus of Tibet, Mongolia and western China from further north. • The landscape is flat. • As the winds cross this area especially Mongolia, they lift little bits of soil into the air and carry it to the North China Plain and sometimes beyond to the Koreas and even Japan. • There it drifts to the ground and create a yellowish topsoil called loess (prononced less) • This helps replenish the soil each year. What about the other climates in Asia? You’ve just examined “tropical” or “tropical monsoon” regions of Asia. These climates are mostly found between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. What about the rest of Asia? Temperate Climates Areas with temperate climates have four seasons, with hot summers and cold winters, usually with some snowfall. Temperature ranges are high, and precipitation occurs all year long, but summers tend to be wetter. Which of these cities is located in the temperate climate zone? Tokyo, Japan Notice the consistent amount of precipitation that falls throughout the year and the greater variance in temperature. BE SURE TO NOTICE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE LABELING OF THE AXES!!! The seasons in Tokyo, Japan Arid Climates Arid means dry, so this type of climate is characterized by low amounts of precipitation. Both deserts and steppes (dry grasslands) are considered arid. This type of climate can have hot or cold temperatures, or the temperature can vary seasonally. Which of these cities is located in an arid climate zone? Lhasa, China Notice that over much of the year, Lhasa receives very little precipitation. Lhasa, China Dividing the climate zones • What geographic feature do you think helps create these vastly different climate zones in Asia? What do we have here? Writing Assignment You have lived in both a tropical monsoon climate and an arid climate. Write a first person account comparing and contrasting your life in both places. Your account should be at least 6-8 sentences for each climate.