GEOGRAPHY

CH-4 CLIMATE-NCERT SOLUTION

1. Choose the correct answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) Which one of the following places receives the highest rainfall in the world?
(a) Silchar
(c) Cherrapunji
(b) Mawsynram
(d) Guwahati
(ii) The wind blowing in the northern plains in summers is known as:
(a) Kaal Baisakhi
(c) Trade Winds
(b) Loo
(d) None of the above
(iii) Which one of the following causes rainfall during winters in north-western part of
India?
(a) Cyclonic depression
(c) Western disturbances
(b) Retreating monsoon
(d) Southwest monsoon
(iv) Monsoon arrives in India approximately in:
(a) Early May
(c) Early June
(b) Early July
(d) Early August
(v) Which one of the following characterises the cold weather season in India?
(a) Warm days and warm nights
(b) Warm days and cold nights
(c) Cool days and cold nights
(d) Cold days and warm nights

2. Answer the following questions briefly.

(i) What are the controls affecting the climate of India?
ANSWER:
1)Latitude
a) The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of the country from the Rann of
Kuchchh in the west to Mizoram in the east.

b) Almost half of the country, lying south of the Tropic of Cancer, belongs to the
tropical area.
c) All the remaining areas, north of the Tropic, lie in the sub-tropics.

d) Therefore, India’s climate has characteristics of tropical as well as subtropical

climates.
2) Altitude
a) India has mountains to the north, which have an average height of about 6,000
metres.

b) India also has a vast coastal area where the maximum elevation is about 30
metres.

c) The Himalayas prevent the cold winds from Central Asia from entering the
subcontinent.

b) It is because of these mountains that the subcontinent experiences comparatively

milder winters as compared to central Asia.
3) Pressure and Winds
The climate and associated weather conditions in India are governed by the
following atmospheric conditions:
• Pressure and surface winds
• Upper air circulation
• Western cyclonic disturbances and tropical cyclones.

(ii) Why does India have a monsoon type of climate?

Answer:
The word ‘monsoon’ usually refers to the seasonal reversal in the direction of wind
during the year. The climate of India is strongly influenced by monsoon winds.
Hence, it is said to have a monsoon type of climate.

(iii) Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of
temperature and why?
Answer:
a) The north-western part of India comprising the Thar Desert/ Indian Desert
experiences the highest diurnal range of temperature.

b) This region is devoid of any vegetation cover and is covered with sand. Sand
absorbs heat quickly during the day and loses heat very quickly at night.

c) As a result of this phenomenon, there is a wide difference between day and night
temperatures in this region. The day temperature may rise to 55°C and drop down
to near 10°C the same night.

(iv) Which winds account for rainfall along the Malabar coast?
Answer:
The south-west monsoon winds are responsible for rainfall along the Malabar
Coast.

(v) What are Jet streams and how do they affect the climate of India?
 Answer:
a) Jet streams are a narrow belt of high-altitude westerly winds in the troposphere
with speeds varying from about 110km/hr in summer to 184km/hr in winter.

b) The sub-tropical westerly jet stream blowing south of the Himalayas are
responsible for the western cyclonic disturbances experienced in the north and
north-western parts of the country during the winter months.

c) The sub-tropical easterly jet stream blowing over peninsular India is responsible
for the tropical cyclones that affect the eastern coastal regions of India during the
monsoon as well as during the October to November period.

(vi) Define monsoons. What do you understand by “break” in monsoon?

Answer:
a) The word ‘monsoon’ usually refers to the seasonal reversal in the direction of
wind over a large area during a year. In summer, it blows moist air from the ocean
to the land and in winter it blows dry air off shore.

b) “Break” in monsoon refers to the wet and dry spells of the monsoon. The
monsoon rains take place for a few days at a time and are interspersed with rainless
intervals. Breaks are related to the movement of the monsoon trough.

(vii)Why the monsoon is considered a unifying bond?

Answer:
a) Despite variations in temperature conditions across India, a sense of unity is
imposed by the monsoon.

b) The seasonal alteration of the wind systems and the associated weather
conditions provide a rhythmic cycle of seasons that binds the entire country.

c) The Indian landscape, animals, plants, the life of the people and their
occupations all revolve around the monsoons.

d) The water they provide for agriculture and the rivers that carry this water also
create a unifying bond.

3. Why does the rainfall decrease from the east to the west in Northern India.
Answer:
a) In summer, the monsoon winds blow both from the Bay of Bengal and the
Arabian Sea. The monsoons which rise from the Bay of Bengal cause heavy rainfall
in the Brahmaputra Valley and the Assam Hills as these regions lie on the
windward side of the mountains.

b) Because of the Himalayas they then take a western turn and move up the Ganga
Valley, but as they proceed through land westwards, they carry little moisture.

c) The western parts of the Northern India also lie in the rain shadow area and
therefore the amount of rainfall decreases towards the west. As such Kolkata gets a
rainfall of 162.5 cm annually and Delhi 67 cm.
4. Give reasons as to why.

(i) Seasonal reversal of wind direction takes place over the Indian subcontinent?
Answer:
a) During winter, a high-pressure area develops to the north of the Himalayas. Cold
dry winds blow from this region to the low-pressure areas over the warm oceans to
the south. These off-shore winds blow in a north east direction and usually do not
bring rain.
b) In summer, a low-pressure area develops over interior Asia as well as over north-
western India. This causes a complete reversal of the direction of winds.

c) Air moves from the high-pressure area over the southern Indian Ocean, in a
south-easterly direction, crosses the equator, and turns right towards the low-
pressure areas over the Indian subcontinent.

d) These are the Southwest Monsoon winds that blow over the warm oceans, gather
moisture and bring widespread rainfall to India.

(ii) The bulk of rainfall in India is concentrated over a few months.

Answer:
a) The rainfall received by India is largely due to the south-west monsoon winds.

b) As these winds blow over warm oceans, they bring abundant moisture to the
subcontinent.

d) They are strong and blow at an average velocity of 30 km per hour covering the
country in about a month.

e) The duration of the monsoon is between 100 to 120 days. Hence, the bulk of
rainfall received by the country is concentrated over a few months.

(iii) The Tamil Nadu coast receives winter rainfall.

Answer:
a) During the winter season, north-east trade winds prevail over India.

b) They are off-shore winds that blow from land to sea and usually do not bring
rain.

c) Because of India’s topography, however, they change their direction and become
north-easterly over the Bay of Bengal where they pick up moisture.

d) They then blow towards the Tamil Nadu Coast which receives winter rainfall
due to these winds.

(iv) The delta region of the eastern coast is frequently struck by cyclones.
Answer:
a) The delta region of the eastern coast of India is frequently struck by cyclones. In
early November the low pressure conditions over northwest India are transferred to
 the Bay of Bengal.

b) This shift is associated with cyclonic depressions.

c) The cyclonic depressions that originate over the Andaman Sea are brought in by
the sub-tropical easterly jet streams blowing over peninsular India during the
monsoon as well as during this October to November period.

d) Tropical cyclones are very destructive, causing great damage to life and
property.

(v) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are
drought-prone.
Answer:
a) Parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the leeward side of the Western Ghats are
drought-prone because of the scanty rainfall received by these regions during the
monsoon rains.

b) The progressive decrease in the humidity of the winds of the Bay of Bengal
branch causes the amount of rainfall to decrease from east to west in northern India.

c) As the leeward side of the Western Ghats is the rain-shadow area, the places
located in this region receive very little rainfall from the Arabian Sea branch.

5. Describe the regional variations in the climatic conditions of India with the help
of suitable examples.
Answer:
The climate of India is described as that of the monsoon type. But within this
general pattern there are certain regional variations in climatic conditions. This is
because of the variations in temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind,
humidity and altitude from place to place.

The following are a few examples which prove the above fact:

1. Range of Temperature - Temperature has great bearing on the climate, so

difference in temperature is bound to create variation in the climate. In India there
are places like, Rajasthan and south-west Punjab, where the mercury rises even up
to 55OC. On the other hand, there are places like Drass near Kargil, where the
temperature sometimes, touches as low as -450 C.

2.  Direction of the Rain-bearing Winds - The direction of the Rain-bearing winds

has a great impact on the climate of a place. The summer monsoons arising from
the Arabian Sea, because of their south-west direction, strike the Western Ghats
first and cause heavy rainfall (about 250 cm). The regions located in the leeward
side of the mountains receive little rainfall. Therefore, Western Ghats receives
heavy rainfall and the Eastern Ghats receives scanty rainfall.

3. Form of Precipitation - The form of precipitation, whether it is in the form of

light rains or heavy snow, influences the climate of an area. In winter, north-west of
 India gets some rains due to the Western Disturbances. As a result, there is little
rain in the plains of Punjab and Haryana but there is heavy snowfall in the Western
Himalayas especially in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. All this is due
to the change in the form of precipitation.

4. Amount of Rainfall - Difference in rainfall is bound to create variations in

climate. In India, there are places like Mawsynram which receives 1,187.2 cm of
rainfall annually. This is perhaps the highest rainfall all over the world. On the
other hand, there are places in India, especially in Rajasthan, which gets 20 cm of
annual rainfall.

6. Discuss the mechanism of monsoons.

Answer:
To understand the mechanism of the Indian Monsoon, it is first important to
understand the few facts which affect the mechanism of Monsoon in India. These
are:

1. Differences in heating and cooling of land and sea (land gets heated rapidly and
sea takes time in absorbing and releasing heat) creates low pressure area on land
and high pressure area over the sea.

2. The shift of the position of Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the
Ganga Plains during summers.

3. The presence of high pressure area to the east of Madagascar.

4. Intense heating of the Tibetan Plateau

5. The movement of the westerly jet stream to the north of the Himalayas and the
presence of the tropical easterly jet stream over the Indian peninsula during
summer.

SOUTHWEST MONSOON
6. Since there is development of high pressure areas over the seas in south, the
warm winds blowing over the Indian Ocean pick up enough moisture and strike
the Indian Sub-continent in the first week of June.

7. The Monsoon winds then get divided into two branches- the Arabian Sea
branch and the Bay of Bengal branch.

8. While the Arabian Sea branch reaches Mumbai by the 20th of June, the Bay of
Bengal branch rapidly approaches the north-eastern part of the country by the
first week of June.

9. The Monsoon begins to retreat by early September from the north western parts
of the country. By early December, the Monsoon completely retreats from the
entire country.

7. Give an account of weather conditions and characteristics of the cold season.

ANSWER:
 1. In India, the cold weather season begins from mid-November and lasts till
February.

2. December and January are the coldest month. During this period temperature
varies from 10OC to 15OC in northern plains and the average temperature is between
24°–25° Celsius, in southern parts of the country.

3. Days are warm and nights are cold.

4. Frost is common in the north and the higher slopes of the Himalayas experience
snowfall. A high pressure area develops over the northern plains due to the cold
climatic conditions.

5. Only two parts of the country receive rain during this season. First is the north-
western part of the country which receives rainfall caused by the Western Cyclonic
Disturbances which originates in the Mediterranean regions. They cause the much-
needed winter rains over the plains and snowfall in the mountains.

6. Although the total amount of winter rainfall locally known as ‘mahawat’ is

small, they are of immense importance for the cultivation of ‘rabi’ crops.

6. Second is the coast of Tamil Nadu which gets rainfall in winter because of the
Retreating Monsoons which blow over the Bay of Bengal.

7. The peninsular region does not have a well-defined cold season. There is hardly
any noticeable seasonal change in temperature pattern during winters due to the
moderating influence of the sea.

8. Give the characteristics and effects of the monsoon rainfall in India.

1. The Monsoon, winds are not steady winds and are pulsating in nature.

2. The duration of the monsoon is between 100- 120 days from early June to mid-
September.

3. Around the time of its arrival, the normal rainfall increases suddenly and
continues constantly for several days. This is known as the ‘burst’ of the monsoon.

4. The monsoon is known for its uncertainties. It has alternate wet and dry spells,
also known as ‘breaks’ in the Monsoon. The alternation of dry and wet spells varies
in intensity, frequency and duration.

5. Rainfall during the Monsoon season is unevenly distributed throughout the

country. While the Western Ghats and north-eastern parts of the country receive
more than 200 cm of rainfall annually, the Eastern Ghats and north western parts of
the country receive comparatively less rainfall.

Effects of the monsoon rainfall in India

6. The rainfall provides required water to set the agricultural activities in motion.
7. Irregular or scarce rainfall may lead to droughts which may hit the Indian
economy hard.

8. Excessive rainfall may also result in floods leading to loss of crops, lives and
property.