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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Lecture – 18
Jet Streams
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Jet Streams
Secondary or Periodic Winds:
❖ These winds change their direction with a change in season. Monsoons are the best example of large-scale
modification of the planetary wind system.
❖ Other examples of periodic winds include land and sea breezes, mountain and valley breezes, cyclones and
anticyclones, and air masses.
Monsoons:
❖ The word monsoon is derived from the Arabic
word ‘mausim’ which means season.
‘Monsoon’ refers to the seasonal reversal in
the wind direction during a year.
➢ They blow from sea to land during
summers and from land to sea during
winters, due to the differential in heating
of continents and the oceans.
➢ The onset of Indian monsoon winds is very sudden and abrupt and enters the Indian landmass around
the 1st of June on the coast of Kerala. However, the monsoon winds retreat gradually around September
or October.
➢ There is no uniformity and variability in the pattern of precipitation. With the impact of climate
change, these intricacies are becoming more complicated.
❖ During summer, the trade winds of the southern hemisphere are pulled northwards by an apparent
northward movement of the sun and by an intense low-pressure core in the north-west of the Indian
subcontinent.
➢ While crossing the equator, these winds get deflected to their right under the effect of Coriolis force.
These winds now approach the Asian landmass as south-west monsoons.
➢ Since they travel a long distance over a vast expanse of water, by the time they reach the south -western
coast of India, they are over-saturated with moisture and cause heavy rainfall in India and
neighboring countries.
❖ During winter, these conditions are reversed and a high-pressure core is created to the north of the Indian
subcontinent. Divergent winds are produced by this anticyclonic movement which travels southwards towards
the equator.
❖ Tropic of Cancer receives maximum sun rays during summer, thus the low-pressure zone is created in the
Tibetan plateau region.
➢ The high-pressure zone is formed in the Indian Ocean region and winds flow from the high pressure to
low pressure.
❖ The winds flow from the Southwest direction to the northeast direction. Thus, Indian Monsoon is also
known as the Southwest monsoon. During winter, high pressure is formed in the Tibetan region and low
pressure is formed in the Indian Ocean.
❖ The winds now flow in the reverse direction from Northeast to southwest direction. It will bring rainfall to
the Tamil Nadu coast. This type of monsoon is known as the Northeast monsoon.
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Theories under the Mechanism of Indian Monsoon:

❖ Classical Concept:
➢ Winters: During winters, near Peshawar and Lake Baikal, high pressure would be maintained here
because of extremely cold temperatures. In comparison to that, the Indian Ocean is not very cold.
✓ So, it will develop low pressure. Hence, winds will start blowing from the high pressure towards
the low-pressure Indian Ocean but because they are coming from the landmasses (northeastern
side) called the North-easterlies, they will not be able to give rainfall to the entire Indian peninsula.
✓ Only the Tamil Nadu region receives rainfall from these winds because of the little moisture that
will be picked up from the Bay of Bengal.
✓ These north-easterlies will help the Arabian sailor to move towards the Arabian Peninsula.
➢ Summer: During summers, the region around Peshawar and Lake Baikal is surrounded by landmasses
entirely so intense heat is generated and a low-pressure zone is developed.
✓ During this period, the Indian Ocean is not too heated up so a high-pressure zone would be developed
upon that ocean and winds would start blowing from high pressure to the low-pressure region.
✓ Now as the winds would be blowing from water bodies towards landmasses, they would be rich in
moisture content.
✓ These winds are travelling from the south-west direction and the moisture-laden winds will bring
rainfall to the entire peninsular region. This is how the seasonal reversal of winds can be considered.
➢ These are nothing but the mega-level land and sea breeze. In this prospect, we can explain that because
there is too much variation in the land and sea temperature (day and night temperature) in the coastal areas
which impacts the movement of winds (land and sea breeze), we can surely say that they cannot predict
monsoon properly.
✓ The 4 long months of monsoon in the Indian subcontinent with a constant supply of moisture from
the Arabian Sea is not an easy task.
▪ This is one of the most beautiful phenomena of the Indian monsoon. That’s why the Thermal
concept was criticized. Also, this concept fails to explain the monsoon season and only focuses
on summer and winter.
❖ Dynamic Theory of Flohn:
➢ Flohn stated that the Thermal concept and temperature are not responsible for the occurrence of
monsoonal rainfall, but rather dynamic concepts like the shifting of the pressure belts.
➢ Summer: During summers, the ITCZ will move northwards.
✓ It is the zone of convergence of north-easterly and south-westerly winds. But the south easterly
winds the moment they reach the equator to meet the ITCZ, they get deflected from the original
position towards the right because of the Coriolis force.
✓ These winds then blow from the southwestern side and move towards the Indian peninsula and
hence will cause rainfall because of the presence of the Arabian Sea.
✓ This theory is incomplete because, as per the theory, the winds should continue moving from the
Arabian Sea and the rainfall should remain the same throughout.
✓ Because as per the theory, both north-easterly and south-easterly are permanent winds, there should
not be any variability in the monsoonal rainfall. So, this theory was criticized too.
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Modern Theory of Indian Monsoon:

❖ Factors responsible for Indian Monsoon:
➢ Role of Tibet: Tibet is responsible for the formation, progression, perpetuation, and consistency of Indian
monsoonal rainfall.
✓ Tibet is high in altitude and is an enormous block of highlands so during summers, it receives 2-3%
more insolation than the neighbouring areas.
✓ It acts as a mechanical barrier and a high-level heat source.
▪ So, low pressure will be developed here. At the beginning of June, STW jets were withdrawn
from India, and simultaneously, Tibet developed a low pressure because of high heating and
generated an area of rising air.

➢ After the 21st March, the sun apparently moves towards the north so will the ITCZ move toward the
ITCZ and locate itself near the Gangetic plain. During this period, low pressure develops here.
➢ Now, in Madagascar, a region called Mascarene is under the influence of a cold climate (winters in the
southern hemisphere) and high pressure develops here.
✓ So, winds were supposed to move from
the high pressure to low but here the
subtropical westerlies play a very
significant role which is present in the
upper troposphere.
✓ So, the consistency behind the Indian
monsoon is widely dependent on the
low pressure developed over Tibet.
✓ Till the time Tibet will be warm, winds will blow toward the Indian but Tibet itself will remain dry.
➢ Role of Subtropical Westerly Jet: The high pressure developed by this jet is cumulatively greater than
the low pressure of the Tibet and ITCZ.
✓ So, this intense high pressure does not allow the movement of winds towards India.
✓ The moment this jet would shift, the low pressure would derive the winds from the high pressure
(Mascarene).
➢ Role of Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ): They are high-velocity winds
in the lower troposphere. These are a unique and dominant feature of
the northern hemispheric summer and fairly persistent in its
direction.
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✓ TEJ comes into existence quickly after the sub-tropical jet has shifted to the north of the Himalayas.
✓ Recent observations have revealed the intensity and duration of heating of the Tibetan Plateau.
✓ The intensity and duration of heating of the Tibetan Plateau have a direct bearing on the amount of
rainfall in India by the monsoons.
✓ The easterly jet does not come into existence if the snow over the Tibetan Plateau does not melt
which will be followed by a weak monsoon and less rainfall.
▪ It is a seasonal wind till the time there is low pressure on the surface of the Tibetan Plateau, only
till then high pressure be constant in the upper layers and till the time gradient is intact, the wind
will move towards Mascarene.
▪ The day low pressure would be replaced from over the surface of the Tibetan Plateau, that day
itself, tropical easterly jets would cease to operate.
✓ If low-pressure develops over Tibet, it means that air is rising from the Tibetan Plateau so high
pressure would develop in the upper troposphere.
✓ Now both the Mascarene and the Madagascar regions lie in the Southern hemisphere and have
high pressure (wind moving in a clockwise manner) because of the winter season so winds are
coming down.
✓ In the upper troposphere, a low-pressure region would be developed and the winds would start
blowing from the high pressure to low-pressure zone (anti-clockwise manner) and would finally
descend upon Mascarene.
✓ TEJ is responsible for better monsoon in India because it pushes the monsoon-bearing winds further
towards India by intensifying the high pressure over Mascarene.
✓ The winds moving in a clockwise direction in the high-pressure zone will interact with the sub-
tropical jet, some part of the sub-tropical jet will get transformed into a Tropical easterly jet.
➢ Somali Jet: The progress of the southwest monsoon towards India is greatly aided by the onset of the
Somali jet that transits Kenya, Somalia, and the Sahel.
✓ It was observed to flow towards the
northern part of the island of
Madagascar.
✓ It strengthens permanent high
pressure near Madagascar and also
helps to drive S-W monsoons
towards India at a greater speed
and intensity.
✓ Now the Ethiopian highlands
develop low pressure which is how
the moisture-laden winds are attracted toward the low pressure and result in rainfall after striking the
highlands.
✓ Now the winds after striking get diverted and help in the movement of SW monsoon towards India.
➢ Influence of El Nino and ENSO
➢ Shifting of ITCZ
➢ Role of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD): Positive IOD winds over the Indian Ocean blow from east to west
(from the Bay of Bengal towards the Arabian Sea). This results in the Arabian Sea (the western Indian
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Ocean near the African coast) being much warmer and the eastern Indian Ocean around Indonesia
becoming colder and dry.
✓ It is good for the Indian monsoon as more evaporation occurs in warm water.
✓ In the negative dipole year, the reverse happens making Indonesia much warmer and rainier.
✓ Bay of Bengal has higher temperatures in comparison to the Arabian Sea so there would be
development of low moisture and the moisture content of the winds will also be low. We cannot say
that with positive IOD, rainfall will always be good.
Land Breeze and Sea Breeze:
❖ It influences only a narrow strip of 20-30 km along
the coast. The land and sea absorb and transfer heat
differently. During the day, the land heats up faster
and becomes warmer than the sea.
❖ Therefore, over the land, the air rises giving rise to
a low-pressure area, whereas the sea is relatively
cool and the pressure over the sea is relatively high.
Thus, a pressure gradient from sea to land is created
and the wind blows from the sea to the land as the
sea breeze.
❖ In the night, the reversal of the condition takes
place. The land loses heat faster and is cooler than
the sea. The pressure gradient is from the land to the
sea and hence land breeze results.
❖ In coastal cities like Mumbai, Puducherry, etc.
these land and sea breeze distributes the
temperature and maintain moderate weather
conditions. It also helps in the reduction of
pollution.
Jet Streams:
❖ Jet streams are upper tropospheric westerlies (geostrophic winds) with high velocity. They blow from west
to east in a continuous manner and circumvent the earth.

➢ These are also termed the primary winds because jet streams are permanent and are dominant throughout
the globe. Jet streams are also called three-dimensional winds because they have length, breadth, and
depth.
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➢ As per WMO, jet streams are strong upper-level circulation that generally flows westerly and varies as
per the season in the upper troposphere at an average height of 8 -10 km from the ground.
➢ They originate in the region with different temperatures in the upper atmosphere, so they originate over
sub-tropical high-pressure belts and sub-polar low-pressure belts. They do not form over the equator
because both have similar properties.
❖ Upper Tropospheric Winds: A fully developed jet stream flowers in a meandering manner. This meandering
path of a jet stream is known as Rossby Waves.
❖ Three Dimensionality of Jet Streams: In the inner portion of a jet stream, the wind blows at a faster rate
because of less friction in comparison to the outer layers. This inner layer is known as the jet stream current.
They blow at a height of 5-12 km.
❖ Winds always move in the direction perpendicular to the coriolis force.
❖ Jet streams are a part of the thermal gradient winds along with location:

➢ Jet streams will originate over regions having a maximum difference of temperature in the atmosphere.
➢ Jet Streams will never be found over the equatorial low-pressure belt because there is no difference in
temperature so there will be no rise in pressure difference which is the sole reason behind the rising of
winds.
✓ So as seen, jet streams will only be found in Sub-Tropical High-Pressure Belt (30-35 degrees N
and S) and Sub-Polar Low-Pressure Belt (60-65 degree north and south latitudes).
➢ The speed of jet streams varies with season. During winters, as the temperature gradient is high, jet streams
are stronger. With the apparent movement of the sun towards the north and south, the jet stream
shifts accordingly.
Types of Jet Streams:
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Permanent Jet Streams:

❖ Sub-Tropical Westerly Jet: Formed above 30-35 latitude. Move-in upper troposphere to the north of the
subtropical surface high-pressure belt. Also known as stratospheric subpolar jet streams.
❖ Polar Front Jet: Formed above the convergence zone ( 40-60 degrees) of surface polar cold air mass and
tropical warm air mass. These move in an easterly direction but are irregular.
NOTE:
❖ Temperature difference is more near the poles during the winter and is less during summer near the equator.
Now, if the temperature difference is greater, the pressure difference will also be greater, and finally, the
difference in velocity will also be greater which is why Polar Front jets are stronger than Sub-tropical
jets.
Meandering of jet streams:
❖ Jet streams will always meander because when they
travel across landmass and ocean surfaces, there is a
temperature difference which will eventually bring
about a difference in pressure and velocity.
➢ Once the speed becomes less, they will start
meandering. When jet streams move at great
speed, they will never meander but when their
speed or velocity decreases, they will start
meandering.
❖ With the increased global warming, there will be
more meandering of jet streams as there will be less
difference in temperature, pressure, and velocity.
➢ The more there will be meandering, the more air masses will get the space to go up and down.
➢ The air mass of the poles will come down and the air mass of the tropics will go up. That is why Chicago
witnessed a -20 degree temperature and France witnessed heatwaves.
Influence of Jet Stream on Indian Monsoon:
❖ There is summer and a lot of heating during March, April, and
May but no rainfall because the hot air that tries to rise is
pushed back down by these upper tropospheric winds and this
air subsides.
❖ Once the ridge of the jet stream shifts beyond the Himalayan
region due to the apparent movement of the sun, a low-pressure
zone forms over the Indian subcontinent, and the SW monsoon
winds cause rainfall.
➢ So, in India, we calculate the burst of monsoon based on
the movement of jet streams.
Importance of Jet Streams:
❖ They affect the weather conditions of the area they visit.
❖ Responsible for causing rainfall in winter (western disturbances). The presence of south-westerly jets (near the
Himalayas), does not allow the monsoonal winds to come to the Indian peninsula. Hence, the sudden onset of
monsoon is attributed to this jet.
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❖ Carries temperate cyclones from the west to the interiors of Asia. during winters, these jet streams pick up
moisture from the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea and bring moist winds to India during the winter season.
This westerly wind gives rainfall and is known as a western disturbance. The western disturbances are
important because:
➢ They give much-needed rainfall or moisture to the rabi crops and crops of temperate regions that require
snowfall. Example: Apple cultivation in Kashmir.
➢ The snowfall in the Himalayas supports the perennial nature of the river. This in turn has helped the
development of canal irrigation in India.
➢ Modern aviation industries also use the direction of jet streams for their movement. These jet streams
have an important impact on global climate and weather patterns.
➢ This rainfall helps in reducing the incidences of pests.
➢ It also helps in recharging groundwater, drought mitigation, and storage of water for future purposes.
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