Question

The primary cause of monsoons is __________.

• A. difference between annual temperature trends over land and sea
• B. Seasonal reversal of winds
• C. Humidity difference
• D. All the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All the above

Monsoon is not just any heavy rain that lasts for a long time. Rather, monsoon is like a giant sea-breeze. A normal sea breeze changes daily, with the day-to-night change of land temperature as the sun rises and sets; monsoons change seasonally. Most of the time during the summer, the land is warmer than the ocean. This causes air to rise over the land and air to blow in from the ocean to fill the void left by the air that rose. As you know, rising air leads to cloud formation and precipitation. These monsoon clouds that form are full of moisture from the ocean, so they can produce heavy rainfall for long periods of time. Because the land stays warmer than the ocean for most of the summer and the ocean is a constant source of moisture, these heavy rains last for months at a time. A monsoon climate is marked by dry winters and wet summers. About a quarter of the globe experiences a monsoon climate.