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Q80 (IAS/2015) Geography › World Physical Geography › World climatic regions Official Key

"Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up, dark clouds form, then rain comes with thunder and lightning. But rain is soon over." Which of the following regions is described in the above passage?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The passage describes a classic equatorial climate daily pattern. Due to great heat in the equatorial belt, mornings are bright and sunny, with much evaporation and convectional air currents set up, followed by heavy downpours of convectional rain in the afternoons from towering cumulonimbus clouds[1]. Heavy thunderstorms (cumulonimbus clouds) occur almost every afternoon[2] in equatorial regions. The key distinguishing feature is the daily repetitive pattern ("each day is more or less the same") with afternoon convectional rainfall and thunderstorms, which is characteristic of the equatorial belt's intense heating and high humidity. In contrast, Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry summers and mild, wet winters[3], while monsoon regions have seasonal rather than daily rainfall patterns. Savannah climates experience distinct wet and dry seasons, not daily afternoon thunderstorms.

Sources
  1. [1] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Glimate > p. 151
  2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Precipitation > p. 425
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Q. "Each day is more or less the same, the morning is clear and bright with a sea breeze; as the Sun climbs high in the sky, heat mounts up,…
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Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 5/10
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Statement 1
Is the following daily weather pattern characteristic of the Savannah climate: clear bright mornings with a sea breeze, rising midday heat, afternoon dark clouds, thunder and lightning, and brief heavy rain?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Glimate > p. 151
Strength: 5/5
“As one goes further north and south of the equator, particularly in coastal districts open to the influences of the Trades, the tendency is towards a monsoonal pattern with the heaviest rainfall coming in the summer months, i.e. June, July and August in the northern hemisphere and December, January and February in the southern hemisphere. Due to the great heat in the equatorial belt, mornings are bright and sunny. There is much evaporation and convectional air currents are set up, followed by heavy downpours of convectional rain in the afternoons from the towering cumulonimbus clouds (see Chapter 14). Thunder and lightning often accompany the torrenti The relative humidity is constantly high (over 80 per cent) making one feel 'sticky' and uncomforta-”
Why relevant

Describes equatorial/coastal tropical areas where mornings are bright, strong evaporation drives convection and heavy afternoon downpours often with thunder and lightning.

How to extend

A student could use this rule to suspect that a daily convective-afternoon-rain cycle points toward an equatorial/tropical convection-dominated regime rather than a strictly seasonal savannah regime.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Glimate > p. 150
Strength: 4/5
“Temperature. The most outstanding feature of an equatorial climate is its great uniformity of temper- Nature throughout the year. The mean monthly temperatures are always around 27 °C (80 °F) with very little variation. There is no winter. Cloudiness and heavy precipitation help to moderate the daily temperature, so that even at the equator itself, the climate is not unbearable. In addition, regular land and sea breezes assist in maintaining a truly equable climate. The diurnal range of temperature is small, and so is the annual range. Figs. 15.2(a) and (b) show the rhythm of climate experienced in two different equatorial regions, one on a lowland (Kuala Lumpur) and the other on a highland (Bogota).”
Why relevant

States equatorial climates have uniform high temperatures and that cloudiness and regular land/sea breezes moderate daily temperature—consistent with daily sea-breeze/afternoon convection cycles.

How to extend

Combine with local map (coastal vs inland) to check if regular sea breezes and small diurnal ranges match the described daily cycle.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 14: Climate > Land and Sea Breezes and Monsoons > p. 141
Strength: 4/5
“Land and sea breezes are, in fact, monsoons on a smaller scale. Both are basically caused by differential heating of land and sea, the former in a diurnal rhythm and the latter in a seasonal rhythm. During the day, the land gets heated up much faster than the sea. Warm air rises forming a region of local low pressure. The sea remains comparatively cool with a higher pressure so a sea breeze blows in from sea to land. Its speed or strength is between 8-32 km.p.h. (5-20 m.p.h.) and it is generally Fig. 14.21(a) Sea breeze (day) stronger in tropical than temperate regions.”
Why relevant

Explains the mechanism of sea breezes (daytime onshore winds caused by land heating) and notes they are stronger in the tropics.

How to extend

A student could check whether the location is coastal/tropical to judge whether the 'sea breeze by morning' part of the pattern is plausible.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > UPSC Prelims 2012] Which one of the following is the characteristic climate of the Tropical Savannah Region? > p. 438
Strength: 5/5
“[UPSC Prelims 2012] Which one of the following is the characteristic climate of the Tropical Savannah Region? • a) Rainfall throughout the year• b) Rainfall in winter only• c) An extremely short dry season• d) A definite dry and wet season”
Why relevant

Gives a defining feature of the Tropical Savannah climate: a definite dry and wet season (seasonal rainfall pattern).

How to extend

Use this seasonal rule to contrast with a daily convective-rain pattern—if rainfall is strongly seasonal, daily afternoon showers as the dominant pattern are less likely to be the savannah's main character.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > thunderstorms > p. 51
Strength: 4/5
“As a result, giant cumulus-nimbus clouds can create dramatic weather moments-squall-line of heavy precipitation, lightning, thunder, hail-blustery winds and tornadoes (Fig. 8.22). Tousands of thunderstorms occur on earth at any given moment. Te equatorial regions experience many of them, as exemplifed by the city of Kampala in Uganda. Tis city records on an average about 242 thunderstorms days a year – a record.”
Why relevant

Notes that equatorial regions experience many thunderstorms (example: Kampala ~242 thunderstorm days/yr), implying frequent daily convective storms in equatorial belts.

How to extend

A student could compare thunderstorm frequency for the region in question: very frequent daily storms point toward equatorial climate rather than a savannah with largely seasonal rainfall.

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