Climate of Asia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Köppen-Geiger climate classification map for Asia.[1]

The climate of Asia is dry across its southwestern region. Some of the largest daily temperature ranges on Earth occur in the western part of

El Nino-Southern Oscillation modulates where in Asia landfall is more likely to occur. Many parts of Asia are being impacted by climate change
.

Temperature

The Southern sections of Asia are mild to hot, while far northeastern areas such as Siberia are very cold, and East Asia has a temperate climate. The highest temperature recorded in Asia was 54.0 °C (129.2 °F) at Tirat Zvi, Israel on June 21, 1942 and at Ahvaz, Iran on June 29, 2017.[2][3] West-central Asia experiences some of the largest diurnal temperature ranges on Earth. The lowest temperature measured was −67.8 °C (−90.0 °F) at Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, both in Sakha Republic of Russia on February 7, 1892 and February 6, 1933 respectively.[4]

Climate change

See also:
Climate change in Central Asia
Graph showing temperature change in Asia from 1901 to 2021. Climate change is having major impacts on many countries in the continent.

Many Asian regions are facing the increasing climate temperatures caused by the warming effects of climate change. For instance, Southeast Asian countries are already among the most highly vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change in the world.[5][6]

Precipitation

A large annual rainfall minimum, composed primarily of deserts, stretches from the

Korean Peninsula Taiwan and Japan due to the Monsoon advecting moisture primarily from the Indian Ocean into the region.[7] The monsoon trough can reach as far north as the 40th parallel in East Asia during August before moving southward thereafter. Its poleward progression is accelerated by the onset of the summer monsoon which is characterized by the development of lower air pressure (a thermal low) over the warmest part of Asia.Mawsynram in Meghalaya received annually 11872 cm of rainfall[8][9][10] Cherrapunji. The highest recorded rainfall in a single year was 22,987 mm (904.9 in) in 1861. The 38-year average at Mawsynram, Meghalaya, India is 11,872 mm (467.4 in).[11]
Lower rainfall maxima are found around Turkey and central Russia.

In March 2008,

La Niña caused a drop in sea surface temperatures around Southeast Asia by an amount of 2 °C. It also caused heavy rains over Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.[12]

Monsoon

Main article: Monsoon
Onset dates and prevailing wind currents of the southwest summer monsoons in India.

The Asian monsoons may be classified into a few sub-systems, such as the

Himalayas
, creating winds blowing storm clouds towards the subcontinent. The Himalayas act like a high wall, blocking the winds from passing into Central Asia, thus forcing them to rise. With the gain in altitude of the clouds, the temperature drops and precipitation occurs. Some areas of the subcontinent receive up to 10,000 mm (390 in) of rain. The moisture-laden winds on reaching the southernmost point of the Indian subcontinent, due to its topography, become divided into two parts: the Arabian Sea Branch and the Bay of Bengal Branch.

The Arabian Sea Branch of the Southwest Monsoon first hits the

Eastern Himalayas with large amounts of rain. Mawsynram, situated on the southern slopes of the Eastern Himalayas in Shillong, India, is one of the wettest places on Earth. After the arrival at the Eastern Himalayas, the winds turns towards the west, travelling over the Indo-Gangetic Plain at a rate of roughly 1–2 weeks per state[citation needed
], pouring rain all along its way. June 1 is regarded as the date of onset of the monsoon in India, as indicated by the arrival of the monsoon in the southernmost state of Kerala.

The monsoon accounts for 95% of the rainfall in India[

2005 Maharashtra floods. Bangladesh and certain regions of India like Assam and West Bengal
, also frequently experience heavy floods during this season. And in the recent past, areas in India that used to receive scanty rainfall throughout the year, like the Thar Desert, have surprisingly ended up receiving floods due to the prolonged monsoon season.

The influence of the Southwest Monsoon is felt as far north as in China's

local convection").[14]

Calcutta

Around September, with the sun fast retreating south, the northern land mass of the Indian subcontinent begins to cool off rapidly. With this air pressure begins to build over northern India, the Indian Ocean and its surrounding atmosphere still holds its heat. This causes the cold wind to sweep down from the Himalayas and Indo-Gangetic Plain towards the vast spans of the Indian Ocean south of the Deccan peninsula. This is known as the Northeast Monsoon or Retreating Monsoon.

While traveling towards the Indian Ocean, the dry cold wind picks up some moisture from the

air streams which produce clear skies over India. Meanwhile, a low pressure system develops over South-East Asia and Australasia and winds are directed toward Australia known as a monsoon trough
.

The East Asian monsoon affects large parts of

Yangtze River Basin
and Japan (June) and finally to North China and Korea (July). When the monsoon ends in August, the rain belt moves back to South China.

Severe weather

Tornadoes

Main article: List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks in Asia

Bangladesh and the eastern parts of India are very exposed to destructive tornadoes. Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Japan have the highest number of reported tornadoes in Asia. The single deadliest tornado ever recorded struck the Manikganj District of Bangladesh on 26 April 1989, killing an estimated 1,300 people, injuring 12,000, and leaving approximately 80,000 people homeless.[17] Throughout China, an estimated 100 tornadoes may occur per year with a few exceeding F4 in intensity, with activity most prevalent in eastern regions.[18] During the period of 1948 until 2013, 4763 tornadoes were confirmed in China.[19]

Tropical cyclones

World tropical cyclone activity between 1945 and 2006
Main articles: North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone and Typhoon

Many portions of Asia bordering the Indian and Pacific oceans are regularly affected by tropical cyclones. In southern Asia, Bangladesh is vulnerable to storm surge flooding from landfalling tropical cyclones. The low-lying and populated country has a history of the deadliest tropical cyclones. On November 12, 1970, a cyclone struck Bangladesh, then known as East Pakistan, producing a 6.1 m (20 ft) storm surge that killed at least 300,000 people. This made it the deadliest tropical cyclone on record.[20] The cyclone wrecked about 400,000 houses, 99,000 boats, and 3,500 schools. The local government's lack of response to the storm was a partial factor in the Bangladesh Liberation War, one of the first instances in which a natural disaster led to a civil war.[21] In neighboring Myanmar, Cyclone Nargis struck the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta in May 2008 with strong winds and a 3.7 m (12 ft) storm surge. Nargis killed an estimated 140,000 people, becoming the country's worst natural disaster on record, and left more than US$10 billion in damage, with more than 700,000 homes damaged or destroyed, leaving more than 1 million people homeless.[22][23][24] Cyclones in the Indian Ocean have hit Asia as far west as Yemen, as demonstrated by Cyclone Chapala striking the country in October 2015.[25][26] The strongest cyclone on record in the Bay of Bengal was a super cyclonic storm in 1999, which made landfall in the eastern Indian province of Odisha in October 1999 with winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). The cyclone killed 9,887 people across Odisha, with 1.6 million houses damaged or destroyed, causing US$1.5 billion in damage.[27][28][29]

The

subtropical ridge. During El Niño years, the position of the subtropical ridge increases the threat to Japan.[30]

References

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  4. ^ Global Measured Extremes of Temperature and Precipitation. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on 2007-06-21. The climate of Asia also depends on the Western Ghats.
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  6. ^ Øverland, I., Vakulchuk, R. et al. 2017. Impact of climate change on ASEAN international affairs: Risk and opportunity multiplier. NUPI Report. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320895346
  7. ^ W. Timothy Liu; Xiaosu Xie; Wenqing Tang (2006). "Monsoon, Orography, and Human Influence on Asian Rainfall" (PDF). Proceedings of the First International Symposium in Cloud-prone & Rainy Areas Remote Sensing (CARRS), Chinese University of Hong Kong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
  8. ^ National Centre for Medium Range Forecasting. Chapter-II Monsoon-2004: Onset, Advancement and Circulation Features. Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  9. ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Monsoon. Archived 2001-02-23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  10. ^ Dr. Alex DeCaria. Lesson 4 – Seasonal-mean Wind Fields. Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  11. Tribune News Service. Archived from the original
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  12. ^ Hong, Lynda (2008-03-13). "Recent heavy rain not caused by global warming". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  13. ^ Official Web Site of District Sirsa, India. District Sirsa. Archived 2010-12-28 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-12-27.
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  17. ^ Chris Dolce (17 April 2014). "The Deadliest Tornado in the World". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
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  23. ^ "10 years after, Cyclone Nargis still holds lessons for Myanmar". The Conversation. May 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
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External links
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