Earth  ID: 4397

Monsoons: Wet, Dry, Repeat...

The monsoon is a seasonal rain and wind pattern that occurs over South Asia (among other places). Through NASA satellites and models we can see the monsoon patterns like never before. Monsoon rains provide important reservoirs of water that sustain human activities like agriculture and supports the natural environment through replenishment of aquifers. However, too much rainfall routinely causes disasters in the region, including flooding of the major rivers and landslides in areas of steep topography.

This visualization uses a combination of NASA satellite data and models to show how and why the monsoon develops over this region. In the summer the land gets hotter, heating the atmosphere and pulling in cooler, moisture-laden air from the oceans. This causes pulses in heavy rainfall throughout the region. In the winter the land cools off and winds move towards the warmer ocean and suppressing rainfall on land.
 

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Visualization Credits

Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC): Lead Visualizer
Horace Mitchell (NASA/GSFC): Animator
Ryan Fitzgibbons (USRA): Producer
Dalia B Kirschbaum (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
George Huffman (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Gail Skofronick Jackson (NASA/GSFC): Scientist
Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.): Visualizer
Trent L. Schindler (USRA): Visualizer
Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC): Visualizer
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4397

Mission:
Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)

Data Used:
also referred to as: Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS)
Model - UMD
CPC (Climate Prediction Center) Cloud Composite
Data Compilation - Climate Prediction Center (CPC) - 2014-2015
Global cloud cover from multiple satellites
GEMS/Soil Moisture
Model - NASA NSIPP
GEMS stands for Goddard Earth Modeling System. It is also known as the NSIPP Global Climate Model.
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Earth
NASA Earth Science Focus Areas >> Atmospheric Composition
NASA Earth Science Focus Areas >> Weather and Atmospheric Dynamics