Moisture laden wind coming from Arabian Sea hits at the ranges of West...
- The orographic rainfall occurs due to the ascent of air forced by the mountain barrier. The mountain barrier should be across the wind direction. So that the moist air is forced in obstruction to move upward and get cooled.
- Orographic rainfall happens when the saturated air mass comes across a mountain, it is forced to rise.
- The rising air expands, eventually, the temperature falls, and the moisture gets condensed. The principal characteristic of this type of rain is that the windward slopes get more rainfall.
- After giving rain on the windward side, when these winds reach the other slope, they drop away, and their temperature increases. Then their ability to take in moisture increases and hence, these leeward slopes remain dry and rainless. The region situated on the leeward side is known as the rain-shadow area.
- As the summer (wet) monsoons approach the West Coast of India, they rise up the western Ghats (mountains) and the air cools. This cool air is less able to hold moisture and it is released as rainfall. This is called OROGRAPHIC RAINFALL. Orographic means that it is related to mountains.
- Hence option (b) is the correct answer
Moisture laden wind coming from Arabian Sea hits at the ranges of West...
Answer:
The type of precipitation mentioned in the given passage is Orographic Rainfall.
Explanation:
The passage describes the process of moisture-laden wind coming from the Arabian Sea and hitting the Western Ghats, resulting in rainfall. This process can be explained as follows:
1. Moisture-laden wind: The wind coming from the Arabian Sea carries a significant amount of moisture due to the evaporation of water from the sea surface.
2. Western Ghats: The Western Ghats is a mountain range that runs along the western coast of India. It acts as a barrier for the moisture-laden wind.
3. Forced ascent: As the wind hits the Western Ghats, it is forced to ascend the mountain barrier. This upward movement is caused by the topography of the region.
4. Cooling by expansion: As the air rises, it undergoes expansion due to the decrease in atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes. This expansion leads to a decrease in temperature, causing the air to cool.
5. Saturation and rainfall: As the air continues to rise and cool, it eventually reaches a point where it becomes saturated with moisture. This means that the air cannot hold any more moisture and the excess condenses into water droplets, resulting in rainfall.
The process described in the passage is characteristic of orographic rainfall. Orographic rainfall occurs when moist air is forced to rise over a mountain barrier, leading to cooling, condensation, and precipitation on the windward side of the mountains. The Western Ghats act as a natural barrier that forces the moisture-laden wind to ascend, resulting in orographic rainfall along the windward slopes.
Convectional rainfall, frontal rainfall, and cyclonic rainfall are different types of precipitation but are not applicable in this scenario. Convectional rainfall occurs due to the heating of the Earth's surface, frontal rainfall occurs at the boundary of two air masses, and cyclonic rainfall is associated with the circulation of cyclones. None of these processes are mentioned in the given passage. Hence, the correct answer is option 'B': Orographic Rainfall.
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