India relies on its monsoon season to deliver the majority of its precipitation to the country each year. Agriculture is a vital industry in India which requires there to be a consistent rain season in order to ensure the growth of its crops. Without the monsoon, India would not have a reliable or sufficient rain source to support its agriculture and would thus cripple its economy and endanger the lives and health of its giant population. Considering the importance of agricultural production in India and the reliance each and every species in the region has for the monsoon, it is one of the most important natural phenomenons that occur in India.
Before going into more detail about the implications the monsoons have on India, here is a brief description of the causal factors that lead to the formation of the monsoon, or more specifically the South Asian monsoon. This monsoon forms each year as a result of a rapid reversal of wind circulation from the traditional Hadley cell circulation that ordinarily is found in that region of the world (Molnar, Boos, & Battisti 2010). This change of wind pattern, coupled with the geographic obstacles of the Tibetan plateau and the Himalayan mountain range which alter the wind’s current, contribute towards the formation of the South Asian monsoon. However, it is important to note that the study of the South Asian monsoon is ongoing and the exact causes of its formation are constantly being debated. This aside, the monsoon is still an intriguing and mystifying weather pattern that is vital to the existence of the Indian people.
Right before the monsoon season begins in May, India often begins to worry about whether or not the monsoon will come. However, when studying the history of the monsoon, one realizes that the coming of the South Asian summer monsoon is one of the most reliable events on the calendar (Gadgil & Rajeevan, 2008). The amount of rainfall fluctuates only slightly from year to year and in the last 132 years only 17% of the time has been spent in so called drought conditions. On the other hand, when a severe drought does come the negative impact on the Indian GDP can reach between 2-5%(Gadgil & Rajeevan, 2008). Thus, when a drought season does come, which is not particularly common, a significant impact is felt throughout India. With the negative impact that comes from the drought season, one may think that if there was an excess of rainfall in a given year, which occurs 14% of the time, that the agriculture industry would receive a boom in production. Unfortunately, this is not the case and there is very little additional positive impact of surplus rainfall on production (Gadgil & Rajeecan, 2008). Fortunately for India, the monsoon regularly occurs, allowing its agriculture to consistently support its population.
The very existence of the monsoon is a unique natural occurrence in the Indian region. A climate that is ordinarily hot and dry is able to support the massive Indian population due to the rain that comes with the monsoon season. All told, the monsoon season accounts for 80% of the average annual rainfall over India (Gadgil & Rajeevan, 2008). The dependence on the monsoon is so great that the agricultural practices and migration patterns of the population have evolved to accommodate and utilize this weather pattern(Gadgil, 2006). Farmers plant their crops based on the timing of the monsoon season. Given modern technology and the ability of meteorologists to predict with increased accuracy the arrival of the monsoon season, farmers are able to plant their crops at the most opportune time. In addition to farmers planning their crops around the monsoon cycle, various plant and animal species native to India have adapted their life cycles to better accommodate the climate. For example, many trees in India will bloom during the peak of the dry season which allows their seeds to be ripe and prepared to sprout when the rain comes (Gadgil, 2006). Also, elephants’ migration patterns are contingent on the monsoon season. They travel to the rain forests when the monsoon season ends and then head to the deciduous forests just before the monsoon season picks up again in order to accommodate the fluxes in climate (Gadgil, 2006). The learned behavior patterns of various species when the monsoon season arrives and exits verifies how important this event is to the survival of all organisms who live in the monsoon zone.
The South Asian monsoon is a natural phenomenon that is unique in several ways, from the way it is formed to the vital role it plays in the lives of millions of people. The monsoon dictates the success or failure of the agriculture season for India each year and over time has led to the evolution of species whose very life cycles are contingent on the monsoon’s annual arrival. Without the monsoon, India’s development would have been vastly different and the India as we know it today would not exist.
References:
Molnar, P., Boos, R., Battisti, D.S. (2010). Orographic controls on climate and paleoclimate of Asia: thermal and mechanical roles for the Tibetan plateau. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 38, 77-102.
Gadgil, S., & Rajeevan, M. (2008) The Indian monsoon: 5. Prediction of the monsoon. Resonance, 13(12), 1117-1132.
Gadgil, S. (2006) The Indian monsoon:1. Variations in space and time. Resonance, 11(8), 8-21.
No comments:
Post a Comment