India: climate and the monsoon
Mechanism of the Indian monsoon
Practise 2 PYQsConcepts to cover
- Differential heating, the monsoon trough and the northward shift of the ITCZ
- Tibetan plateau heating, withdrawal of the subtropical westerly jet, tropical easterly jet, Somali jet and Mascarene high
- Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal branches; orographic rain on the Western Ghats and the north-east
- El Nino, La Nina and the Southern Oscillation; Walker circulation; link to Indian monsoon rainfall
- Indian Ocean Dipole: sea-surface temperature difference between western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean; can modulate El Nino's effect
- Ocean Mean Temperature and other IMD long-range forecast predictors
Where to study
India: Physical Environment, Class XI, chapter 4: Climate (2026-27)
- ch. 4, Climate, p. 1-15 (book pages 27-41)
- ch. 4, Onset of the Monsoon, p. 4 (book page 30)
- ch. 4, Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), p. 4 (book page 30)
- ch. 4, easterly jet stream, p. 5 (book page 31)
- ch. 4, Monsoon Winds of the Arabian Sea, p. 9-11 (book pages 35-37)
- ch. 4, Monsoon Winds of the Bay of Bengal, p. 11 (book page 37)
- ch. 4, EI-Nino and the Indian Monsoon, p. 5-7 (book pages 31-33)
- ch. 4, southern oscillation, p. 7 (book page 33)
Frequently asked Questions (FAQs) on Monsoon
- What is monsoon; factors, p. 1-3
- Monsoon trough and heat low, p. 2
- Tibetan High and Somali jet, p. 3
- ENSO, p. 7
- IOD, p. 7
- Long range forecast, p. 8-11
Geography of India · Majid Husain
- ch. 4, Climate