Lesson 16:Monsoons of India

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

y Ellen Persio
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS: 8 Studio Montage; 10, 11 Joe LeMonnier / Melissa Turk
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Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Story of Monsoons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How Monsoons Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Monsoons and India’s Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Living with Monsoons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Good and Bad Monsoons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

“The clouds advance like . . . armies;
their flag is lightning,
the thunder is their drum. . . .”
— Kalidasa (Ancient Indian Poet)
Introduction
A dusty wind blows through the streets. Shoppers look
to the sky. High above majestic hills, clouds build. Soon, black
clouds block the sun. Rain pours down. Thunder booms so
loud it hurts people’s ears.
Visitors run inside. But the people of the village stay
outside. They open their arms to welcome the rain. Some
cheer. The summer rains have returned!
A week later, it is still raining. Only a few people go
outside now. The rivers overflow and flood the streets. Rats
and snakes swim in the brown water. The ruthless wind and
rain makes buildings weak. Many houses have straw roofs
that leak.
Welcome to Cherrapunji, India — one of the wettest
places on Earth.
3

The Story of Monsoons
In 1860, Cherrapunji set a record. That year, 1,000 inches
of rain fell in the summer. That’s over 83 feet of rain! Monsoons
caused the rain. Monsoons are strong winds. These winds blow
from one direction in certain months. In other months, the
winds blow from the opposite direction.
These winds cause big weather changes. Most summers,
there are heavy rains. But in September, a long dry period
usually starts.
In India, monsoons are a matter of life and death. Some
years, India gets too much summer rain. Floods can hurt crops
and kill people. But too little winter rain can kill crops. Without
monsoons, India’s farmland might be a desert.
Average
Rainfall
Each Year
Summer monsoons
supply most of
India’s rainfall.
435 inches
460 inches
50 inches
Atlanta,
Georgia
Cherrapunji,
India
Mount Waialeale,
Hawaii
4

A Common Experience
People in India share a common experience. They have
all experienced the monsoons. The monsoons helped forge, or
create, Indian culture.
The story, or saga, of India and the monsoons started
millions of years ago. The monsoons play two parts in this
story. Sometimes, the monsoons are good friends. But other
times, they are enemies. Today, India’s fate, or destiny, depends
on the monsoon winds.
Monsoons affect every part of life in India.
Water buffalo
5

The Tibetan Plateau is called
the “Roof of the World.”
How Monsoons Form
People have always wondered about monsoons. How do
they work? Why do they have so much wind power? Scientists
are working to answer these questions.
One way scientists learn about monsoons is by studying
the ocean. Sand and other things sink to the bottom of the
ocean. Everything that sinks to the bottom creates sediment.
Scientists study the sediment. They want to see what is in it.
Then, they can see how India’s monsoons have changed.
Scientists think a big change took place millions of years
ago. Back then, India was an island. It drifted toward Asia. The
two pieces of land crashed together. This crash formed two of
the highest places on Earth: the Himalaya Mountains and the
Tibetan Plateau (pla TOH). Scientists think the Tibetan Plateau
made the monsoon winds stronger.
6

Land, Water, and Sun Create Monsoons
Why do monsoons blow in the first place? Monsoons start
when temperatures on land and on water differ. The sun causes
these temperature differences.
You can feel the temperature differences between land and
water. Think of the beach on a sunny day. The sand may be hot,
but the ocean may be cold! Why? Land changes temperature
faster than water does. Land soaks up the sun. It gets hot more
quickly than water.
But land cannot hold all of the sun’s heat. Land transfers
heat to the air. The air above land gets warm. Then it rises.
Ocean winds can be gentle.
Monsoons are very
powerful winds.
7

Flow of Hot and Cold Air
The ocean doesn’t heat up as quickly as land does. So, the
air above the water stays cool. Cool air is heavier than warm
air. As the warm air above the land rises, the cool air above the
ocean flows in to take its place. People on the beach feel this
cool air as a gentle sea breeze. After the sun goes down, the
breeze goes the other way. The air over land now cools more
quickly. As the warm air over the ocean rises up, the cool air
from the land blows out to sea (see diagram below).
Hot and cold air switch places during monsoon season,
too. But monsoons aren’t nice sea breezes. They are strong
winds. How Earth moves in space makes the monsoons
stronger. Differences in India’s land also affect the monsoons.
Scientists think the Tibetan Plateau affects the monsoons, too.
Air Flow at Night
Warm air rises, and cool air falls. Air moves in a cycle, or
circle, between land and sea.
8

Monsoons and India’s Climate
Monsoons play a key role in India’s climate, or weather
patterns. Monsoons blow over the ocean. They blow over land.
Monsoons take place every year. India’s climate is embodied,
or made visible, by monsoons.
The Summer Monsoon
India gets very hot in the summer. The hot air above the
land rises. Cool winds from the Indian Ocean blow toward
India. The winds carry
clouds from the southwest.
When the wind bumps into Monsoon Festivals
the mountains, it pushes
People in India celebrate the
the clouds high into the sky. monsoons. They have parades.
They sing ancestral songs
The upper sky is very cold.
about relatives from long ago.
The water in the clouds
turn into big, fat raindrops.
The heavy rain falls to
the ground.
9

Cherrapunji is near the Himalayas. These mountains help make
big rainclouds.
The Winter Monsoon
In the fall, the winds change. The winds blow from the
opposite direction — from the northeast. These winds are
called the winter monsoon. The winter monsoon dumps rain
on southern India. The rest of India stays dry.
10

In the summer, winds flow from the north and south
over India. The winds meet along the red line. The air is
pushed up, and rain falls.
The Summer
Monsoon’s Path
Monsoons and
Wildlife
India’s summer
monsoon brings heavy rains India’s wildlife depends
on the monsoons. Heavy
to most of India. Cool, wet
rains mean juicy grass for
air comes from the Indian
elephants and other animals
Ocean. When it hits India’s to eat.
hot, southwestern coast, the
air splits into two parts.
The western part blows across the Arabian Sea. The
eastern part blows over the Bay of Bengal and bumps into the
Himalayas. These mountains force the winds to turn west.
When the winds turn west, they bring rain to an area of rich
farmland. This area is called India’s Breadbasket.
11

Living with the Monsoons
India’s first great civilization was the Harappan (huh
RAWP un) culture. It began in the Indus River Valley. The
Indus is one of India’s great rivers. The others are the Ganges
(GAN jeez) and the Brahmaputra (brah mah POO truh).
Many smaller rivers flow from the Himalayas. They carry
rich soil to the plains. The rivers and monsoon rains attracted
people from other areas. The soil was good for farming.
Harappan farmers grew wheat, rice, and barley.
When the monsoon rains increased, Harappan life
improved. Scientists have dug up, or unearthed, children’s
toys. They also found beautiful carved figures. All were made
with great artistry. Scientists think that people even had time
for fun, or recreational activities.
The Harappans took great care of their water supply. They
built irrigation systems. This helped farmers bring river water
to their fields. They also built tanks to store water. Many cities
had public baths. One city had indoor plumbing! They also
used the rivers for travel and trade.
12

Ruins from
long ago
Why were these buildings destroyed? Some experts
think monsoons were the reason.
A Civilization Ends
The Harappan civilization lasted more than 800 years.
Then, it disappeared. Why? Experts aren’t sure. They have two
different ideas. Both ideas have to do with monsoons.
The first idea says that monsoon rains increased. Floods
destroyed farms and cities. So, people moved to other areas.
The second idea blames monsoons, too. But the reason is
not enough rain. The monsoons may have caused a drought, or
long period of no rain. If so, people also had to move.
13

Good and Bad Monsoons
Monsoons have affected people in India for a long time.
They think about the monsoons a lot. They have strong feelings
about them, too. People see the mighty monsoons as a sign of
hope. But they also know monsoons can cause trouble.
The summer monsoon can bring good times or hard times.
India’s farmers depend on monsoon rains. But these rains may
come too late or fall too lightly. Crops may not grow.
Sometimes, the rains fall too hard and wash away young
plants. If wet weather lasts too long, crops go bad. Farmers are
hurt the most. But the whole country suffers, too.
Most workers in India are farmers. After a bad monsoon
season, many people become poor. Poor people buy less.
This means stores sell less. Factories shut down, and people
lose their jobs.
India’s leaders are trying to solve these problems. They
work to protect the water supply. They look for better ways to
predict, or forecast, the monsoons.
14

Monsoons in Poetry
The wet monsoon season can bring sadness. This feeling is
embodied in a poem.
The Twelve Seasons of the Farmer
The sky has been torn open . . .
The river became flooded,
The crop is destroyed,
The cattle died from hunger . . .
And how is your peace my husband?
I do not have any happiness.
A Monsoon Joke
Can weather forecasters predict monsoons? This Indian joke
suggests that they cannot!
Army Officer: Hello. Weather Office? The General arrives
tomorrow. We want to have an outdoor party for him. But
we need good weather! Is there any chance of rain?
Meteorologist: Hmm . . . let me look at my computer. I have
some charts here, too. Good news! It looks like you will
have a nice sunny day!
Officer: Oh, thank you very much! Listen, why don’t you
come to the party?
Meteorologist: I’d love to . . . if it doesn’t rain.
15

Managing Monsoons
Scientists use data from satellites and computers to
forecast monsoons. The computers cost a lot of money. Plus, the
results aren’t perfect. Monsoons are complex weather systems.
Even a tiny change can affect the whole system.
Some monsoons bring a lot of rain. Others bring very
little. Either one can be deadly. Keeping a stable water supply
takes a lot of work. Huge dams help prevent floods. Ditches
and pipes bring water to dry areas. People collect rainwater
on rooftops and in wells. Still, floods and droughts remain a
problem for India.
The Problem of Deforestation
For many years, farmers have burned India’s forests to
make more farmland. This deforestation hurts the soil. Tree
roots bring water into the soil. Roots and leaves also protect the
soil from wind and rain. Without forests, the soil becomes dry
and thin. Heavy monsoons wash and blow away this poor soil.
16

Conclusion
Big trucks create clouds of dust as they roll into the village.
People wait as the truckers unload their goods. Huge barrels of
water land with a thump. Boxes of fruits and vegetables follow.
People with money push ahead. The rest just watch. Later, they
will walk miles to small streams, hoping to collect some water.
This scene looks very different than the one we saw on
Page 3. But it takes place in the same spot — Cherrapunji
— a few months after the rains ended. Deforestation makes
this winter dry spell worse. The ground is rocky and dry in
many places.
Less rain falls in the summer now. People worry that the
summer rains might be less and less. Scientists think it’s too
early to tell. Cherrapunji no longer gets as much rain as it did
before. But its summers are still very wet.
Scientists keep studying the monsoons. Are the monsoons
changing? Could Cherrapunji turn into a desert? Or will it stay
a wet place? For now, no one knows the answers.
17

Glossary
deforestation (dee for ust AY shun) n. the cutting down of large
areas of trees
drought (drowt) n. a long period of dry weather with no rain
irrigation (eer uh GAY shun) n. a system for moving water from
place to place
sediment (SED uh mint) n. bits of soil, rock, or plants that settle
to the bottom of water
18

Responding
TARGET SKILL Compare and Contrast
How are the summer and winter monsoons
different? How are they the same? Copy and
complete the diagram below.
Summer
Monsoons
Both
Winter
Monsoons
? unpredictable ?
?
Write About It
Text to World Suppose that you are a writer
for a travel magazine. Make a list of travel
tips for tourists visiting India in the summer
monsoon season.
19

TARGET VOCABULARY
ancestral
artistry
destiny
embodied
forge
majestic
recreational
ruthless
sagas
unearthed
TARGET SKILL Compare and Contrast
Examine how two or more details or ideas are alike
and different.
TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Briefly tell the
important parts of the text in your own words.
GENRE Informational Text gives facts and examples
about a topic.
Write About It
In a famous quotation, Aung San Suu Kyi said,
“Please use your freedom to promote ours.”
What freedoms do you value most? Why? Write
a letter to the editor of a Burmese newspaper
explaining the freedoms you have and why they
are important to you.
20

Level: W
DRA: 60
Genre:
Informational Text
Strategy:
Summarize
Skill:
Compare and Contrast
Word Count: 2,070
6.4.16
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
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