The climate on planet Earth is very diverse. Somewhere almost every day it rains, and in another place you can not hide from the heat. And yet weather conditions obey their own laws. And just by looking at the world map, a specialist with a high degree of confidence will be able to say what kind of climate is in one or another point on the globe. Do you know that, for example, the Russian Far East and India have the same type of climate? Surprising but true.
Monsoon climate on planet Earth
So, what are the main features of this type? Well, firstly, the monsoon climate is typical for those areas of our planet where the wind direction changes in winter and summer. And on a more global scale - the movement of air masses. A monsoon is a wind that generally blows from the mainland in winter and from the sea in summer. But often the opposite is also true.
Such winds can bring both heavy rainfall and suffocating heat. And therefore, the main characteristic feature of the monsoon climate is the abundance of moisture in summer and its almost completeabsence during the cold season. This distinguishes it from other types, where precipitation is more or less evenly distributed throughout the year. There are, however, places on Earth where this is not so obvious. In some areas of Japan, for example, the climate is also monsoonal. But due to the geographical location and features of the relief, it rains there almost all year round.
In general, the monsoon climate is common only at certain latitudes. As a rule, these are subtropics, tropics and subequatorial belt. For temperate latitudes, as well as for equatorial zones, it is not typical.
Varieties
Mainly because of the terrain and latitude, the monsoon climate is usually divided into several types. And, of course, each of them has its own characteristics. A temperate monsoonal climate is found in the Russian Far East, China, North Korea and partially in Japan. In winter, there is little precipitation in this area, but it is quite cold due to air masses from Eastern Siberia. More moisture in summer. But in Japan it's the other way around. The average temperature of the coldest month in the region is minus twenty, and the warmest month is +22.
Subequatorial
Distributed mainly in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. In addition, the climate of tropical monsoons (as it is also called) is found at the corresponding latitudes of Africa and in the southern regions of Asia and America. It's as warm here as it is in the tropics.
The subequatorial climate of tropical monsoons is divided into several subtypes. All of them belong to the corresponding zones of the Earth. So thiscontinental, oceanic, as well as monsoons of the western and eastern coasts. The first subtype is distinguished by a sharp difference in precipitation by season. In winter, they are practically absent, and in summer almost an annual norm falls. Examples include the African states of Chad and Sudan.
The oceanic subtype of tropical monsoons is characterized by an insignificant amplitude of both annual and daily temperatures. As a rule, it is from 24 to 28 degrees Celsius. The dry period in these places does not last long.
West coast monsoons are Indian and West African. In the dry period, there is also almost no precipitation, but in the rainy season, they are simply an anomalous amount. This happens, for example, in some places in India. And Cherrapunji has the highest rainfall in the world at 21,000 millimeters!
In this climate, the course of annual temperatures is also unusual: their maximum occurs in spring.
The eastern coast monsoon also features a long rainy period. However, the maximum moisture occurs at the end of summer or in September, as in Vietnam, where only seven percent of precipitation falls during the dry season.
Monsoon climate of the Far East
Basically, such conditions exist in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, as well as on Sakhalin. Winter in these places is dry: it accounts for 15 to 25 percent of the annual rainfall. Spring also doesn't bring much rain.
Monsoon from the Pacific Ocean prevails in summer. But it only affects the climate of the coastaldistricts.
In the lower reaches of the Amur, winter, on the contrary, is snowy, the average temperature is minus 22. Summer is also not hot: within plus 14.
On Sakhalin, the winter is severe, but in the south-west of the island it is much warmer due to the Sea of Japan. Summer is cool.
In Kamchatka, the temperature in January varies from -18 to -10 degrees Celsius. The same can be said about July: from +12 to +14 respectively.
Monsoons have a significant impact on the climate of many regions of the planet. It is impossible to say unambiguously whether it is positive or negative. However, people should always be prepared for the weather surprises inherent in this type of climate. Perhaps in the future we will have to deal with such manifestations of it more often, such as, for example, the spill of the Amur.
