Physical Mechanisms

All monsoon climates share three basic physical mechanisms. These are;

differential heating between the land and oceans,

Coriolis force due to the rotation of the earth and

the role of water which stores and releases energy as it changes from liquid to vapor and back.

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It is the combined effect of these three mechanisms which produces the monsoon's characteristic reversing high winds and precipitation. In the case of the Indian Ocean Monsoon the first and third mechanisms are more intense than any other place in the world. This combines with local orographic effects to produce the legendary "monsoons" of the Indian subcontinent.