Describe the main aspects of monsoon climates.

To what extent
are they distinctive from other tropical climates? [16]
Tropical climates cover the area of the Earth between 23 degrees north and
south of the equator. According to the Koppen-Geiger system of climate
classification, the tropical regions in Asia and Africa can be classified into 4 main
types: equatorial tropical wet (Af), tropical monsoons (Am), tropical savanna
(Aw), and low-latitude tropical desert climates (Bwh). Among these 4 tropical
regions, they differ in terms of their climate characteristics their temperature
and precipitation in terms of annual levels and their annual distributions.
The tropical monsoons (found in the Am climate zones) refer to seasonal reversal
of surface winds resulting in a climatic pattern in which heavy precipitation
alternates with hot and dry conditions annually. The monsoon climate takes place
on the coastal margins of the continental landmasses in the tropics extending
approximately across 5 to 20 degrees north and south of the equator. Since it is
near the equator, there is a relatively constant high-sun period, thus a high
annual temperature all year round between 27 to 30 degrees Celsius. The annual
temperature of the Am regions is very similar to all other 3 climatic zones in the
tropics, as all locations are found near the equator with high insolation all year
round. For instance, the annual temperature is high at 27 degrees Celsius in Af
zones, about 25 to 35 degrees in both Aw and Bwh regions. As such, despite
being different climatic zones, they are all, after all, found in the tropics with
constantly high annual temperatures. In terms of annual temperatures, monsoon
climate zones are not distinctive from other zones.
However, in terms of annual and diurnal temperature ranges, Am is distinctive
from the other 3 climatic zones due to slight variations in latitudes and effects of
cloud covers. In the monsoonal Am climatic zones, there is a small annual
temperature range (ATR) of about 3 to 5 degrees Celsius due to the lack of
seasonal variations. The slight annual temperature range is due to the periods of
equinoxes during March and September period as the Sun is directly overhead
the region during high-sun periods, similar to that in Af climatic zones. However,
Bwh tropical zone is found the furthest away from the equator, thus experiences
the greatest amount of seasonal variation of temperature (due to the tilt of the
Earths axis thus differential heating of the higher latitude regions throughout the
year, thus varying high-sun and low-sun periods) of an ATR of about 15 degrees
Celsius, much higher than that in Am. The largest difference in terms of
temperature variation is the diurnal temperature range (DTR) which Am has a
smaller DTR, of roughly 5 degrees Celsius, compared to Aw and Bwh regions
which can go up to 15 and 40 degrees Celsius mainly due to the difference in
cloud covers. Lack of clouds in Aw and Bwh regions result in high insolation
received during the day and high insolation loss at night, thus a large DTR,
compared to presence of clouds in Am region. All in all, DTR is more distinctive in
Am than other regions compared to ATR. ATR and DTR differences are mainly due
to differences in latitudes (high and low-sun seasonality) and differences in cloud
covers respectively.
Annual rainfall is more distinctive in the Am region, especially during monsoon
seasons, due to the interplay of the factors: differential heating of land and sea,
movement of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), and presence of upper
atmospheric jetstreams. From June to August, the sun is overhead the northern
hemisphere, thus intense heating is experienced over the Asian continent, thus a
low pressure zone is experienced, with the ITCZ over this low pressure zone,

compared to a cold air over Australia with a zone of high pressure experienced.
This forms a pressure gradient force to cause moist winds flowing from Australia
to Indian subcontinent. These moist South Easterly trade winds move towards
the ITCZ and are deflected eastwards across the equator due to Coriolis effect,
transforming into South West monsoon winds. The role of tropical easterly jet
streams (TEJ) is important to quickly disperse the rising air masses over the
Indian subcontinent to ensure a continual development of large area of low
pressure zone near the surface for the South West monsoon winds to be
converged and drawn in. The warm moist air (due to picking up of moisture over
the oceans) goes through convective uplift or forced to rise orographically to
result in the formation of clouds and heavy rainfall during this period of wet
monsoon period, with rainfall as high as 1000mm during the wet season but as
low as 50mm during the dry season in India. The dry monsoon takes place from
November to January when high pressure is experienced over India but low
pressure over Australia which result in an eventual North East monsoon wind
flowing onto Australia instead.
The seasonal variation seen in Am climate is distinctive compared to other
tropical climates. Af regions, located just 0 to 10 degrees North and South of
equator, experience constantly high rainfall throughout year with no dry season
mainly due to the lack of seasonality and the permanence of the ITCZ low
pressure belt that leads to constant convergence of trade winds that lead to
convergent uplift of air masses to lead to heavy rainfall from cumulonimbus
clouds throughout year. Next, for Bwh regions, the permanence of the
Subtropical High Pressure Belt (STHPB) leads to constant warm air sinking
downwards through adiabatic warming that suppress uplift of air masses,
contributing to little precipitation of as low as 25mm annually in Cairo Egypt, for
example, compared to high rainfall in the Am region of Mangalore at 3400mm
annually. The presence of cold ocean currents from the higher latitude areas that
flow into the lower latitude zones that cause warm winds that flow over the Bwh
regions to be cooled to lower the environmental lapse rate inhibits uplift of air
masses. This, thus, also reduces precipitation over Bwh. Lastly, for Aw climates,
despite similar distribution of rainfall, the reasons for such distribution is different
when compared with Am climate. Unlike Am climate, monsoon winds are not the
cause of distribution of rainfall, but the seasonal shift of ITCZ near Af regions. The
wet season coincides with the high-sun periods when the overhead sun moves
north to bring the ITCZ near it to result in convective uplift of air masses to
contribute to heavy convective rainfall from May to October of as high as 380mm
in rainfall, compared to dry season with the dominance of the STHPB that
contribute to offshore trade winds to bring about dry air over to the Af region and
its subsequent lack of rainfall of as low as 0mm from December to February. The
interplay of different factors resulted in the largest variation of rainfall
throughout the year in Am, compared to all 3 other tropical regions.
In conclusion, the tropical monsoon Am climatic characteristics are less
distinctive in terms of annual temperature due to their presence within the same
tropical regions. However, Am climates are highly distinctive in terms of annual
and diurnal temperature ranges due to the relative distance from the equator
and the differences in cloud cover. The most distinctive feature of Am climates is
the large rainfall distribution throughout the year due to wet and dry monsoon
periods compared to constantly high rainfall in Af, and constantly lack of rainfall
in Bwh.