Continental drift theory by Alfred Wegener (1912) is regarded as the source of most ideas which lead to formation of plate tectonic theory. Wegener was a climatologist. He found fossils of those animals in a climatic region where they should not be. For instance, if you find fossils of penguins (which live in cold climate) … Read more
Coriolis Force and Pressure Gradient Force (PGF) along with Frictional Force are three important forces which determine the direction, speed and curvature of winds both horizontally and vertically. What is Coriolis Force? Coriolis force is the force which is exerted by the rotating Earth on the objects moving on its surface. For example, any moving … Read more
Monsoon is derived from an Arabic word ‘mausin’ which refers to the seasonal reversal of winds. The Arab traders used to sail their ships to India with the help of these winds. Monsoon in India is an annual phenomena and acts as the rhythm to which most socio-cultural and economic phenomenon align. Definition of Monsoon? … Read more
Presently, North India is reeling under very hot weather. A common person hears the news of heat wave very often during the months from March to June in India. In this article we will discuss the exact definition of heat waves and the reason of heat waves. What is Heat Wave? We, often, think that … Read more
What is El Nino? El Nino is a recurring warm ocean current on the west coast of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Normally on the western coast of Latin America, a cold current flows from the south pacific ocean towards the equator. This cold current is known as Humboldt Cold Current (Fig. 1). The Humboldt current … Read more
What are Corals and Coral Reefs? Coral or coral polyps are lime secreting small marine invertebrates. Their dead bodies result in built up of coral reefs. They live in large colonies. When these corals die, their skeleton accumulate on one site. The continued accumulation and compaction of these skeletons leads to the formation of coral … Read more
Based on the evidences of Earth, the scientist has formed a largely uniform opinion about interior of the earth which is as follows: Earth’s interior has three major layers having different composition, density and state. These layers are 1) Crust; 2) Mantle and 3) Core 1. Crust Crust extends to about 5-30 km in case … Read more
Since we can not directly observe the interior of the earth, we have to depend upon the evidences of interior of the earth. Scientists have always wondered about the structure, composition, temperature and the state of matter in the interior of the earth. The deepest borewell in the history of human beings is Kola Superdeep … Read more
Definition of Air Mass An air mass is a huge body of air having homogeneous temperature and moisture (humidity) condition over a large area. The properties of an air mass convey the climatic condition of its source region. There are different types of air masses based on source region. Source regions of air masses are … Read more
There is primarily three types of rainfall based on the means of condensation of moisture in the air. The rising hot air cools at dry adiabatic and wet adiabatic lapse rate which leads to condensation of water vapor present in rising air at high altitude. Subsequently, the condensed water droplets coalesce to form larger water … Read more