Jacob Fikes
Johnnie Lyman
Chemistry
8/29/14
Monsoons
A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the strongest winds in a region and are mostly associated with the Indian Ocean. Monsoons occur in the winter and summer and can last for a long period of time. The summer monsoon is typically associated with heavy rainfall and usually happens between April and September. Monsoons take shape in areas such as Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Though some monsoons can potentially be devastating, India and Southeast Asia depend on it for agricultural needs. Many areas within these regions do not have an irrigation system, so they rely on wells and aquifers that fill up after the summer monsoon. Industries in India and Southeast Asia also rely on this yearly rain because they have hydroelectric power plants that generate power from the rain. This unfortunately means that if the monsoon is too weak or not long enough, the economy suffers because food and power production rely so much on it. The winter monsoon, which lasts from October to April, is rather dry and blows wind from the northeast. In southeast Asia, these winter monsoons are much less powerful than the summer monsoons. This is because the Himalayas block most of the incoming wind and moisture from the northeast. Not all of these monsoons are dry, however, in the eastern part of Southeast Asia has its rainy season during the winter monsoon because it brings moist air from the South China Sea to areas like Indonesia and Malaysia. The monsoons in North America take shape around Mexico and move towards Arizona and California. However, they very rarely affect the coastal region of California due to the deserts they must pass through. In order to for a monsoon to take shape, there has to be the mixture of cold and warm air.The sun gets landmasses hotter than ocean water, since ocean water has a higher heat capacity than land. This creates a differentiation in air pressure which causes winds to flow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. Once temperature conditions change, the result air pressure causes winds to change from land-to-ocean to ocean-to-land2.
Johnnie Lyman
Chemistry
8/29/14
Monsoons
A monsoon is a seasonal change in the direction of the strongest winds in a region and are mostly associated with the Indian Ocean. Monsoons occur in the winter and summer and can last for a long period of time. The summer monsoon is typically associated with heavy rainfall and usually happens between April and September. Monsoons take shape in areas such as Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa. Though some monsoons can potentially be devastating, India and Southeast Asia depend on it for agricultural needs. Many areas within these regions do not have an irrigation system, so they rely on wells and aquifers that fill up after the summer monsoon. Industries in India and Southeast Asia also rely on this yearly rain because they have hydroelectric power plants that generate power from the rain. This unfortunately means that if the monsoon is too weak or not long enough, the economy suffers because food and power production rely so much on it. The winter monsoon, which lasts from October to April, is rather dry and blows wind from the northeast. In southeast Asia, these winter monsoons are much less powerful than the summer monsoons. This is because the Himalayas block most of the incoming wind and moisture from the northeast. Not all of these monsoons are dry, however, in the eastern part of Southeast Asia has its rainy season during the winter monsoon because it brings moist air from the South China Sea to areas like Indonesia and Malaysia. The monsoons in North America take shape around Mexico and move towards Arizona and California. However, they very rarely affect the coastal region of California due to the deserts they must pass through. In order to for a monsoon to take shape, there has to be the mixture of cold and warm air.The sun gets landmasses hotter than ocean water, since ocean water has a higher heat capacity than land. This creates a differentiation in air pressure which causes winds to flow from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. Once temperature conditions change, the result air pressure causes winds to change from land-to-ocean to ocean-to-land2.