The Asian Monsoon SeasonQuickTime™ and a

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A monsoon is a season of almost constant wind. It last for many months. The Asian monsoon

affects the Indian subcontinent and southeast part of Asia. Monsoons occur in other parts of the world like Australia and in some Southwest parts

of the United States.

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Answer Number 1 on your paper.

1. What is a monsoon? Do they occur anywhere else in the world? If so, where else?

Scientists say that there are two key ingredients needed to make a monsoon:1. A hot landmass2. A cooler ocean

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In India, the land heats up faster from the sun than the nearby ocean. This makes the air over the land to heat up, expand, and rise.

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As the air rises, something else happens. Cooler, moister, and heavier air from the ocean will replace it. As the cool air arrives, the winds also shift. These winds bring a lot of very heavy rain over the land.

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Answer Number 2 on your paper.

2. According to scientists, there are two key ingredients needed to make a monsoon, a _________ landmass and a ___________ ocean.

Dry winter monsoons occur from September to March. Their winds are dry because they have

lost their moisture on the land.

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Wet summer monsoons occur from June to September. They have lots of heavy rain and

wind.

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Answer Numbers 3 and 4 on your paper.

3. What are dry monsoons?

4. What are wet monsoons?

The Asian monsoon is important to the people in South and Southeast Asia where more than 60

percent of the world lives.

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Agriculture is dependent on the monsoon seasons because farmers need rain to grow their crops. If the rain does not arrive on time, farmers will not plant very many seeds because they are

scared of a drought.

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The economy is also affected by the monsoon because if farmers do not plant or grow enough crops, the price and availability of food can go

up.

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Answer Number 5 on your paper.

5. The Asian monsoon plays a major part in the lives of the people in South and Southeast Asia where more than ____ percent of the world lives. Explain how the following are heavily dependent on the monsoon seasons:

A.) agricultureB.) economy

Too much rain can also destroy crops. Young plants can be washed away. People are also

scared of monsoons because the rain can cause floods that destroy the community and can

cause deaths (like Hurricane Katrina did in the United States).

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Answer Number 6 on your paper.

6. Can too much rainfall hurt Asian life?

Answer Number 7 on your paper.

7. Do you think the monsoon’s positive effects outweigh the negative effects? Explain why.