Monsoon
Article
A monsoon is a seasonal reversal or major shift in prevailing winds that produces a pronounced change between wet and dry conditions. Monsoon systems are driven mainly by seasonal differences in heating between land and ocean.
During the warm season, land heats more rapidly than the adjacent ocean, encouraging moist air to flow inland and rise. This can produce extensive cloud, thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall. During the cool season, the circulation often weakens or reverses and conditions become drier.
Major monsoon regions include South Asia, East Asia, West Africa, Australia, and parts of the Americas. The timing and strength of monsoon rainfall affect agriculture, water resources, floods, droughts, ecosystems, and human health.
Monsoons vary from year to year because of ocean temperatures, snow cover, land conditions, atmospheric circulation, and climate patterns such as El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole. Long-term climate change can alter monsoon rainfall, extremes, and timing.
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- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon