A Wonderleaf question
Why do some places get monsoons?
a real page from the book
Some places get monsoons when a wide area of land warms much faster than the nearby sea. Rising warm air lowers pressure over land, so damp ocean winds flow in. When that moisture climbs and cools, it falls as seasonal rain.
A monsoon is not only rain; it is a yearly change in wind. In cooler months, the land chills sooner than the water, so the breeze can head back toward the sea. That is why South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of West Africa can plan around monsoon seasons.
Wonder words
- monsoon
- pressure
- moisture
- condense
Try it out
Touch a pillow and a window, then guess which cools faster after sunset and how that could steer wind.
Read the whole picture book
Watercolour scenes, straight answers, about three minutes cover to cover.
Open the picture bookKeep wondering
- Why do mountains change the weather?
- Why do clouds change shape?
- How do meteorologists predict the weather?
- How does the water cycle move water around Earth?
- Why is fog close to the ground?
- How are hurricanes and tornadoes different?
One more wonder: Why is space so dark?
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