Asian monsoon

The seasonal reversal of winds and rainfall across South and East Asia, bringing heavy summer rains and drier winter conditions. Its circulation is shaped by land–sea heating contrasts, Himalayan topography, and the Tibetan Plateau.

Land–sea breeze: A coastal wind circulation caused by differences in how land and water heat and cool. The monsoon operates on a continental scale through a related seasonal contrast in land and ocean heating.
Indian agriculture: The cultivation of crops and livestock in India, shaped by regional climates and water availability. A large share of rain-fed farming depends on the timing and amount of monsoon rainfall.
Indian summer monsoon: The boreal-summer circulation that brings widespread rainfall to India and nearby South Asia. It is the best-known regional expression of the broader Asian monsoon.
Indian plate: A tectonic plate that moved northward and collided with Eurasia, forming the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau. Its collision with Eurasia created topography that now influences monsoon circulation.
Indian Ocean Dipole: A mode of climate variability marked by changing sea-surface temperature contrasts across the tropical Indian Ocean. Its phases can alter moisture supply and rainfall over parts of South Asia.
Intertropical Convergence Zone: A near-equatorial belt where trade winds converge, air rises, and frequent thunderstorms form. Its northward seasonal migration helps organize summer rainfall over South Asia.
Monsoon crop calendar: The seasonal schedule for sowing and harvesting crops in regions influenced by monsoon rains. Farmers time major planting decisions around the onset and progression of summer rain.
East Asian monsoon: The seasonal circulation bringing distinct wet and dry periods to China, Korea, Japan, and nearby regions. Its rainband and circulation differ from those of the Indian monsoon despite shared seasonal forcing.
Himalayan orogeny: The mountain-building process that formed the Himalayas through collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The resulting mountain barrier altered regional atmospheric circulation and rainfall.
Monsoon intraseasonal oscillation: A repeating fluctuation in monsoon rainfall and winds that shifts active and suppressed conditions across the region. Its timing and propagation help explain why seasonal totals include wet spells and breaks.

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