Fifty years ago | Origin of monsoon in Tibet

New Delhi, Oct. 14: A recent Leningrad report locating the origin of monsoon in Tibet has not come as a surprise to Indian meteorologists, one of whom had propounded this theory as early as 1958.

The theory was propounded by Dr. P. Koteswaram, Director-General of Observatories, at a symposium as “monsoons of the world” 16 years ago.

He had stated that the heating of the Tibetan plateau was an important factor in initiating and maintaining the monsoon circulation.

A report from Leningard on Oct. 12 had quoted Soviet scientists as having concluded that the monsoon originated over the Tibetan mountains and not over the ocean. The scientists reached this conclusion after a study of data collected during the Monsoon Expedition (Monex) organised by Indian and Soviet scientists last year.

Until the Monex, the general belief had been that the monsoon was caused by moist currents over the southern part of the Indian Ocean, which after crossing the Equator, approached the Indian peninsula as the south-west monsoon between June and September. The impelling force triggering the monsoon circulation was believed to be the high pressure belt in the southern hemisphere which intensified and pushed air across the Equator in spurts known as monsoon pulses.

Dr. Koteswaram’s 1958 hypothesis was that the Tibetan plateau which extends upto five km in height was heated directly by the sun’s rays and contributed to the heating of the upper half of the atmosphere where weather is formed.

Published - October 15, 2024 05:20 am IST