Monsoons: Wet, Dry, Repeat...

  • Released Thursday, June 23rd, 2016
  • Updated Friday, August 25th, 2023 at 12:06AM
  • ID: 4397

This visualization shows the Asian monsoon and how it develops using observational and modeled data. It also showns some of the impacts.
This video is also available on our YouTube channel.

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.

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.

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.

Water evaporates from the ocean, then condenses into clouds and heavy rainfall that winds carry across the region.

Water evaporates from the ocean, then condenses into clouds and heavy rainfall that winds carry across the region.

The monsoon rains provide important reservoirs of water, including increased soil moisture, which sustains human activities like agriculture and supports the natural environment.

The monsoon rains provide important reservoirs of water, including increased soil moisture, which sustains human activities like agriculture and supports the natural environment.

Too much rain is a trigger for flooding. Notice the floods snaking down rivers in the region.

Too much rain is a trigger for flooding. Notice the floods snaking down rivers in the region.

Landslides can be triggered when extreme rainfall intersects topography; this is especially prevalent during the monsoon season.

Landslides can be triggered when extreme rainfall intersects topography; this is especially prevalent during the monsoon season.

In the summer, moisture-laden winds blow towards Asia from the ocean, carrying rainfall. In the winter, dry winds blow away from the continent.

In the summer, moisture-laden winds blow towards Asia from the ocean, carrying rainfall. In the winter, dry winds blow away from the continent.

In the summer the land gets hotter, heating the atmosphere and pulling in cooler air from the oceans. In the winter the land cools off and winds move towards the warmer ocean. Notice that there is a day-night temperature difference that varies around the seasonal averages.

In the summer the land gets hotter, heating the atmosphere and pulling in cooler air from the oceans. In the winter the land cools off and winds move towards the warmer ocean. Notice that there is a day-night temperature difference that varies around the seasonal averages.

The diurnal cycle is seen as heat from the sun moves around the Earth. Surface temperatures from the MERRA atmospheric model are shown.

MERRA surface temperatures color bar (blue, green, yellow, red)range: 243.15 to 283.15 Kelvin

MERRA surface temperatures color bar (blue, green, yellow, red)

range: 243.15 to 283.15 Kelvin

GPM/IMERG liquid precipitation color bar (green, yellow, red)ranges: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10, 20, 50 mm/hr

GPM/IMERG liquid precipitation color bar (green, yellow, red)

ranges: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10, 20, 50 mm/hr

GPM/IMERG frozen precipitation color bar (cyan, blue, magenta)ranges: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10, 20, 50 mm/hr

GPM/IMERG frozen precipitation color bar (cyan, blue, magenta)

ranges: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10, 20, 50 mm/hr

Soil ,oisture index color barrange: 0 to 1

Soil ,oisture index color bar

range: 0 to 1

Global Flood Monitoring System color bar (transparent, blue, magenta)ranges: 0., 0.0, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 9999

Global Flood Monitoring System color bar (transparent, blue, magenta)

ranges: 0., 0.0, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 9999

Landslides are indicated with a circular glyph

Landslides are indicated with a circular glyph

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Missions

This visualization is related to the following missions:

Datasets used in this visualization

IMERG
Data Compilation NASA/GSFC 2014-2015

Dataset can be found at: http://pmm.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/document_files/IMERG_ATBD_V4.4.pdf

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Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS)
Model UMD
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CPC (Climate Prediction Center) Cloud Composite
Data Compilation Climate Prediction Center (CPC) 2014-2015

Global cloud cover from multiple satellites

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MERRA
Analysis 2014-2015
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Soil Moisture (Collected with the GEMS sensor)
Model NASA NSIPP

GEMS stands for Goddard Earth Modeling System. It is also known as the NSIPP Global Climate Model.

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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.