Social Science

4
Climate
Introduction
 Weather is central to our existence. Weather and climate are two different terms. Weather is the
condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time while climate is the average weather condition
over a long period of time. If weather information deals with a specific event, then climate represents
the generalisation of the weather.
 Weather is the state of atmosphere as determined by the meteorological phenomena that are occuring
at any one place and time.
 The meteorological phenomena include temperature, precipitation, winds, clouds, sunshine, pressure
and visibility.
 Weather conditions over a specific length of time, usually a period of at least 30 year, are taken into
consideration.
 The main elements of climate temperature, atmosphere pressure, wind and humidity (including precipi-
tation).

Influences on Climate
On a large scale, the climate of a particular region is determined by :
 Latitude and tilt of the earth’s axis, which determines the amount of solar radiation received by the area.
 The distribution of land and sea and proximity of ocean currents.
 The altitude and topography of the area.
 The location of the area in relation to the main circulation belts of the earth.

Classification of Climate
Climate can be classified on the basis of temperature, rainfall, evaporation, evapotranspiration and water balance.
One of the universally accepted climate classifications is by Koppen.

The Climate of India

 The Indian climate can be described as the tropical monsoon type. it is greatly influenced by presence
of the Himalaya in the north and the India Ocean in the South. Regional variations do, however, occur.
 The Tropic of Cancer divides India into two almost equal climatic zones, namely, the northern zone
and the southern zone.
 The warm temperate or sub-typical climate of the northern zone gives cold winter seasons and hot
summer season. The southern tropical climatic zone of India is warmer than the north and uses not
have a clear-cut winter season.
 While the northern zone does not have the midday sun vertically overhead during any part of the
year, the southern zone has the mid-day sun almost vertically overhead at least twice every year.

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Factors Influencing Indian Climate

The major factors affecting India’s climate are :

(a) Latitude
 The Tropic of Cancer (23½°N) passes through the middle part of the country. The Great Plains
also lie within 32°N latitude.
 It keeps the temperature of the region substantially high.

(b) The Monsoon Winds

 The monsoon winds which blow from south-west during summer and from the north-easterly
direction during winter influence Indian climate, byaffecting rainfall, humidity and temperature.
 Onset and instensity of monsoon depends upon :
(i) Thermal contrast
(ii) Inter-tropical Convergence (ITC)-ITC shifts northward and it results in the formation of
Equatorial Westernlies which blow towards (ITC).
(iii) Upper air currents or jet-streams.

(c) Relief
 Relief features, particularly the Himalayas, the Western Ghats and the Purvanchal Hills, influence
the climate by affecting temperature and rainfall.
 The Himalayas check the cold and dry polar air coming from Antarctica region and direct the
summer monsoons towards north west.

Seasons in India
Four main season can be identified in India

(a) The Cold Weather Season (Winter) :

 The cold weather season begins from mid-November in northern India and stays till February.
December and January are the coldest months in the northern part of India.
 The northeast trade winds prevail over the country. They blow from land to sea and hence, for most
part of the country, it is a dry season.
 Inflow of cyclonic distubrances from the west and the northwest. These low pressure systems
originate over the Mediterranean Sea and western Asia and move into India, along with the westerly
flow. They cause the much-needed winter rains over the pains and snowfall in the mountains.
Locally known as ‘mahawat’ are of immense importance for the cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops.
 The northwest trade winds cause fair amount of rainfall in Chennai or the Coromandel Coast in
winter.

(b) Hot Weather Season (Summer) :

 Due to the apparent movement of the sun, the global heat belt shifts northward. As such, from
March to May, it is hot weather season in India.
 Temperature increases from south to north. In peninsular India, temperature remain lower. High
temperature between 38°C and 48°C prevails in the plains.
 Local dust storms accompanied with light rains. Hot dry winds, ‘loo’ is common in May and June.

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(c) Advancing Monsoon (The Rainy Season) :

The climate of India is described as of monsoon type. Derived from an Arabic word ‘mausim’ mansoons
refer to the seasonal reversal in the wind direction through the year.

(i) Mechanism of the Monsoon :

 The word monsoon denotes a season in which the wind regime is completely reversed.
 The southeast winds, after crossing the equator in the Indian Ocean, take a southwesterly
direction. The dry and hot land bearing trades are thus completely replaced by sea bearing
winds full of moisture.
 This phenomenon of complete reversal of winds is confined to tropical lands lying between
20°N and 20°S.
 This phenomenon account for 75 to 90 percent of the annual rainfall just from June to
September

(ii) Characteristics of the Monsoon :

 Almost all over the country, the rain occur from June to September.
 75% to 90% of the total annual rainfall is concentrated over this period.
 There is great variation in the advance and withdrawal dates of the monsoons.
 The monsoons occur in wet spells, interspersed by dry spells.
 The amount of rainfall also varies, causing floods are drought conditions.

(d) Retreating Monsoon :

 During October-November, the monsoon trough of low pressure becomes weaker and is gradually
replaced by high pressure.
 The outreach of the monsoon becomes unsustainable and it starts withdrawing gradually. This is
known as the retreat of monsoon.

Distribution of Precipitation in the Country

(a) Areas the Heavy rainfall :
Areas which get rainfall of 200 cms and above are Assam. The Ganga Delta, the Western Ghats and
the Western Coastal regions and the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh.

(b) Areas of Moderate Rainfall :

Areas which get annual rainfall between 100 cms to 200 cms are Madhye Pradesh, Orissa, Chhota
Nagpur, Western Bengal, Bihar, Eastern U.P., North-Eastern Punjab, Eastern parts to Tamil Nadu and
Eastern slopes of Western Ghats receive moderate rainfall.

(c) Areas with Low Rainfall :

Areas receiving annual rainfall between 50 cms to 100 cms are the Deccan Plateau, Western U.P., South-
Eastern Punjab, Eastern Rajasthan and parts of Kashmir get low rainfall.

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(d) Areas with Scanty Rainfall :

Areas which get less than 50 cms rainfall annually are western Rajasthan, Kutch, Southeastern parts
of Haryana, Northeastern Kashmir get scanty rainfall.

PRACTICE EXERCISE

1. Though Amritsar and Shimla are on the same latitude their climates differ. This is attributable to -
(A) the difference in their altitudes (B) their distance from the sea
(C) snowfall in Shimla (D) pollution in Amritsar
2. Winter temperature ranging from – 29°C to – 40°C, summer temperature about 10°C, total annual precipitation about 25
cm, and low humidity. These characterise the .... climate -
(A) Taiga (B) Tundra (C) Mountain (D) West European
3. All of the following types of climates occur in the southern hemisphere except -
(A) hot desert (B) davannah (C) equatorial (D) tundra
4. A hot dry summer, mild winter with moderate rainfall and ample sunshine characterise the ...... climate -
(A) Mediterranean (B) Taiga (C) West European (D) Subtropical steppe
5. Seasonal contrasts are maximum in -
(A) low latitudes (B) high latitudes (C) mid latitudes (D) subtropic
6. Climate types are to classified on the basis of -
(A) temperature and rainfall (B) water balance
(C) evapotranspiration (D) distance from the equator
7. Which of the following factors in most important for determining the climate of a place ?
(A) Rainfall (B) Latitude
(C) Direction of winds (D) Direction of sea
8. Which of the following are true with regard to temperature control of the atmosphere of a given place ?
(i) The major temperature contrasts on earth’s surface are between land masses and oceans.
(ii) During night, the water surface cools more rapidly than the land surface.
(iii) Temperature generally decreases with latitude on either side of the equator.
(iv) Temperature rises to a maximum during summer and falls to a minimum during winter.
(A) (i), (iii) & (iv) (B) (ii), (iii) & (iv) (C) (i) & (ii) (D) (iii) & (iv)
9. Which of the following places favorably influenced by the Trade winds ?
I. West Indies II. Brazil III. Mexico IV. Madagascar
(A) I and II (B) I, II, III & IV (C) III & IV (D) II & IV
10. Which of the following places are favourably influenced by the Westerlies ?
I. New Zealand II. Guiana III. South Chile IV. Florida
(A) I & III (B) II & IV (C) III & IV (D) I & IV

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11. Which of the following statements are true with regard to tropical monsoon climate ?
I. Temperature range from 32°C in the hot season to about 15°C in the cool season.
II. Annual rainfall varies greatly
III. The climate is best developed in the southern continents.
IV. It consists of three main seasons, i.e., cool, dry season, hot, dry season, hot, wet season
(A) I & IV (B) II, III & IV (C) II & III (D) I, II & IV
12. Match the following
A. Equatorial 1. Sudan climate
B. Tropical 2. Greenland continental climate
C. Mediterranean 3. Singapore climate
D. Tundra climate 4. Australia
5. Central Chile
(A) A-3, B-1, C-5, D-2 (B) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
(C) A-3, B-4, C-5, D-1 (D) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
13. What do you understand by the term ‘Roaring Forties’ ?
(A) Major current of the Atlantic Ocean (B) Biggest waterfall in the world
(C) The westerly winds (D) A dangerous river of China
14. Atmosphere with excess of carbon dioxide as a result of pollution could result in -
(A) fall in temperature (B) rise in temperature
(C) no change of temperature (D) excess of ultraviolet rays reaching the earth
15. Which of the following are predominantly seasonal winds ?
(A) Monsoon winds (B) Prevailing winds (C) Descending winds (D) Cyclonic winds
16. Fogs formed along the sea coast are due to -
(A) Advection (B) Radiation (C) Convection (D) Conduction
17. Which of the following is recognised as a season by the meteorological department of India ?
(A) Cold weather (B) Hot weather
(C) Retreating monsoon (D) North-eastern monsoon
18. The retreating monsoon withdraws from the -
(A) west coast to the east (B) north to the south
(C) north-east India to the west coast (D) north-west India to Bengal
19. Match the following
A. Cold Weather 1. June to September
B. Hot weather 2. October to November
C. South-West mansoon 3. December to February
D. Retreating monsoon 4. March to May
(A) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 (B) A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
(C) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 (D) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1

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20. Which of the following factors does not have influence on the India climate ?
(A) Presence of Indian Ocean (B) Nearness to equator
(C) Monsoons (D) Ocean currents
21. Which of the following is incorrectly matched ?
(A) Aandhi-Uttar Pradesh (B) Kalbaisakhi-West Bengal
(C) Loo-North-west India (D) Delta -Orissa showers
22. Rainfall from the south-west monsoon reaches -
(A) Lahaul and Spite (B) Ladakh
(C) Tamil Nadu (D) Delta region of Mahanadi
23. Which of the following statements is true with regard to the erratic behaviour of India monsoons ?
(A) Uniform duration but varying amounts of rain from one year to another, as well as at different places
(B) Uncertain date of onset and withdrawal, as well as unequal distribution of rain
(C) Uncertain date of onset and withdrawal as well as varying amounts of rainfall during different years
(D) Uniform duration but varying amounts of rain from place to place
24. Orographic rainfall occurs along the -
(A) Eastern Ghats (B) Himalayas (C) Aravallis (D) Jaintia hills
25. The reason for Rajasthan being deficient in rainfall is because -
(A) the monsoon fails to reach this area
(B) it is too hot
(C) there is no water available and thus the winds remain dry
(D) the winds do not come cross any barrier to cause necessary uplift to be cooled
26. Which of the following are the main reasons for the origin of the south-west monsoon in India ?
1. Development of a low pressure in the north-west India
2. Deflection of the Trade Winds
3. Arrival of cyclonic stream from the Pacific Ocean
4. Heating of the Arabian Sed and the bay of Bengal
(A) 1, 2 & 3 (B) 2&3 (C) 1&2 (D) 3&4
27. An anti-cyclone 1, is an intense low pressure system II. Has winds blowing clockwise in the southern hemisphere III.
is accompanied by clear and settled weather conditions IV. is more extensive, slower-moving and more persistent than
the depression -
(A) I, II & IV (B) II, III & IV (C) III & IV (D) I & II
28. Which of the following is produced by the rapid ascent of moist air ?
(A) Frost (B) Fog (C) Hail (D) Snow
29. Small variations in daily and seasonal range of temperature, comparatively-cool summer and comparatively warm
winter. This would be the characteristic climate of -
(A) an island (B) a tropical country
(C) the interior of a continent (D) temperate latitudes
30. What type of climate India has ?
(A) Tropical (B) Temperate (C) Monsoonal (D) Frigid

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