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Give reasons as to why.(i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction... - Contemporary India
Give reasons as to why.
(i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent?
(ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.
(iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.
(iv) The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones.
(v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are drought-prone.
(i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent?
This is due to the differential heating and cooling of land and water. During summer, a low-pressure area develops over interior Asia and the Indian subcontinent, while the sea has high pressure. In winter, the condition reverses (high pressure over land and low pressure over sea), causing the winds to reverse their direction.
(ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.
Most of the rainfall in India is brought by the South-West Monsoon winds. These winds are active only for a specific period, usually from early June to mid-September. Therefore, the majority of the country's annual rainfall occurs during these four months.
(iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.
During winter, the North-East monsoon winds (retreating monsoons) blow from land to sea. As they pass over the Bay of Bengal, they pick up moisture. When these winds reach the Tamil Nadu coast, they blow from sea to land, resulting in rainfall during the winter season.
(iv) The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones.
This happens because of the low-pressure conditions that develop over the Bay of Bengal during the retreating monsoon season (October and November). These cyclonic depressions originate over the Andaman Sea and move towards the eastern coast (deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri), causing heavy rain and destruction.
(v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are drought-prone.
Rajasthan and Gujarat: These areas lie far from the moisture-bearing winds, and the Aravalli hills lie parallel to the monsoon winds, failing to stop them to cause rain.
Leeward side of Western Ghats: This area falls in the "rain shadow" zone. The moisture-bearing South-West monsoon winds release most of their rain on the windward (western) side of the mountains, leaving very little moisture for the leeward (eastern) side.