MONSOONS 



153 



in the opposite direction. These water winds temper the 

 climate of the tropics near the coasts and also render sea- 

 side resorts popular in summer. 



76, Monsoons. Over the interior of the great continent 

 of Asia the temperature becomes so high in the summer 

 months that the air above it is greatly expanded and de- 

 creases in weight. This causes a strong indraft from the 

 colder ocean. The high temperature also brings the heat 

 equator far north of the earth's equator and causes the 



Fig. 72. 



Fig. 73. 



southeast trade winds to cross the earth's equator. These 

 swing to the right on the north side of the equator and 

 proceed as southwest winds (Fig. 72), thus greatly 

 strengthening the air movement toward the heated conti- 

 nental interior. 



The winds, being heavily loaded with moisture from their 

 passage over the tropical seas, are forced to rise when they 

 come upon the high lands of India near the coast. There 

 they become cooled and deposit a great amount of rain, 

 making this southern part of Asia the place of greatest 

 rainfall on the earth. 



In the winter, when the heat equator has moved south 

 and when the continental interior has become exceedingly 

 cold, there is a strong movement of air out from it toward 

 the warmer ocean (Fig. 73). This strengthens the north- 



