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GCSE Gg Case Study - Monsoon climate |
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A Climate type & it's impact on people & the environment
Monsoon climate in Southern Asia - LEDC
What are the causes?
- 1. Intense heat from the sun heats the ground forcing air to rise rapidly
- 2. Air rises and cools rapidly causing intense periods of heavy rain.
- 3. Moist cold air is sucked in from the Indian ocean to replace the rising warm air
- 4. Himalayas stop the movement of the rain. The rest of the rain falls on the mountains.
How does the monsoon affect peoples' lives?
- On June 1st rain begins.
- It rains for 3 months.
- People spend a lot more time indoors.
- There is an intensive period of rice planting as the soil becomes more workable.
- For 3 months of the year, the city of Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) is under water.
- One quarter of the whole of Bangladesh is flooded by the Monsoon rains each year.
- In Nepal the farmers cut terraces into the hillsides. Trees have been cut down for fuelwood and for house building. The Monsoon rains wash soil off the hillsides and into rivers.
What are the social, economic and environmental impacts?
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Positive impacts
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Negative impacts
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Social
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- Relief from heat, refreshing rain
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- In cities like Calcutta, flooding can occur as the sewers can't cope
- Flooding makes it hard to get around and go to work
- In Dhaka, flooded streets allow disease to spread easily increasing illness
- Rivers are fast flowing and dangerous for people. Boats sink trying to cross the rivers, people die
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Economic
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- Allows crops to be irrigated
- Jobs provided; umbrella mender
- Hotels in Goa run Monsoon holidays for people to enjoy the weather
- Rice crop can be planted as the ground is soft enough to take the seedlings
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- Fishermen can't go out and catch fish in rough seas
- Crops can be destroyed
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Environmental
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- Helps vegetation grow
- Rain fills rivers for rest of year
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- Flooding in cities
- Increased soil erosion in Hymalayan mountains due to deforestation. Valuable soils are washed away by overcultivation of land
- Rivers become silted up increasing the likelihood of flooding downstream
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D.Drake 2008
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