Experts have designed these Class 7 SST Notes Chapter 3 Climates of India Class 7 Notes for effective learning.
Class 7 Climates of India Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 3 Climates of India Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 3 Notes – Climates of India Notes Class 7
→ Fur: Thick hair covering the bodies of some animals, which keeps them warm.
→ Recapitulate: To briefly summarise
→ Alpine: Relating to high, cold, mountainous areas, like the Alps (A mountain range in Eurbpe).
→ Subtropical: A climate that is very hot in summer and cool in winter.
→ Arid: Very dry climate with very little rainfall
→ Semi-arid: A climate that is dry but gets slightly more rainfall than arid areas.
→ Equator: An imaginary line around the Earth’s middle, dividing it into northern and southern halves.
→ Perpendicular: At a right angle (900) to a surface or line.
→ Inclined: Sloping or tilted.
→ Oblique: Not straight; slanted or angled.
→ Dissipates: Spreads out and disappears.
→ Freezing point: The temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid.
→ Precipitation: Rain, snow, or other forms of water that fall from the sky.
→ Topography: The shape and features of land, like hills, valleys, and mountains.
→ Microclimate: The climate of a small, specific area that differs from the surrounding region.
→ Monsoon: Seasonal winds that cause heavy rains in summer and dry weather in winter.
→ Monsoon failure: When the monsoon brings little or no rain, harming farming and water supply.
→ Agriculture labourers: People who work on farms to grow crops.
→ Migrate: To move from one place to another, often for work or better living conditions.
→ Fuelling inflation: Causing prices of goods and services to rise.
→ India Meteorological Department: The agency that forecasts weather and tracks cyclones.
→ Glacial burst: Sudden release of water from a glacier, often causing floods.
→ Encroaching: Slowly taking over space or area, often in a harmful way.
→ Asphalt: A black, sticky material used for making roads.
→ Fossil fuels: Natural fuels like coal, oil, and gas were formed from ancient plants and animals which died millions of years ago. They were formed deep under layers of rock and soil or under sea due to heàt and pressure.
→ Greenhouse gases: Gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
→ Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from difficulties.
→ Mitigation: Steps taken to reduce the severity or seriousness of something harmful. (here global warming)
→ Sustainable: Using resources in a way that does not harm the environment or future generations.
Climates of India Class 7th Notes
WEATHER, SEASONS AND THE CLIMATE
- Weather refers to the daily atmospheric conditions, which can change rapidly from hour to hour, day to day, or month to month.
- Climate is the usual weather of a place over a long period of time at least during several decades. It follows a consistent pattern each year but can vary from one region to another.
- Seasons are related to both weather and climate.
- They bring short-term weather changes, like heat in summer or rain during monsoon, and follow a regular yearly pattern, which is part of the region’s climate.
- A season is a time of year with specific weather conditions. Most places experience four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In India, there is also a rainy season.
- The Indian year is divided into six seasons: Vasanta (spring), Grishma (summer), Varsha (rainy), Sharad (autumn), Hemanta (pre-winter), and Shishir (winter). Festivals like Vasanta Panchami and Sharad Purnima are celebrated during these seasons.
- Humans, plants, and animals adapt to seasonal changes. Crops, clothing, and animal behavior vary, like trees blooming in spring and animals growing thicker fur in winter.
TYPES OF CLIMATES IN INDIA
- The physical geography of a region greatly influences its climate.
- The Himalayas have a cold alpine climate with snowy winters and cool summers, requiring thick clothing. Hilly regions enjoy a temperate climate with cool winters and mild summers, ideal for hill stations. The Northern Plains experience a subtropical climate, with hot summers and cold winters, perfect for wheat farming.
- The Thar Desert has an arid climate with extreme heat, cool nights, and little rainfall. The western coastal strip has a tropical wet climate with monsoon rains, while the Deccan Plateau experiences a semi-arid climate with hot summers and moderate rainfall. Eastern India has a tropical climate with mild winters and distinct wet and dry seasons, influenced by the monsoons.
FACTORS DETERMINING THE CLIMATE
• The climate of a place is influenced by several factors.
(a) Latitude: Places near the Equator are warmer due to direct sunlight, whereas as we move from equator to north or south pole it becomes cooler and cooler with each increasing latitude, therefore, polar regions are cooler. In India, Kanniyakumari and the Nicobar Islands are warmer, whereas Srinagar is cooler.
(b) Altitude: As altitude increases, temperatures decrease, making hill stations and mountain regions cooler. Popular tourist spots such as Shimla, Tawang, Ooty, Munnar, Shillong, Darjeeling, and Nainital are known for their cooler climate, whereas the higher peaks of the Himalayas remain covered in snow due to extremely low temperatures.
(c) Proximity to the sea: Temperatures in coastal areas, like Mumbai, Chennai, Goa, remain mild due to ocean influence, while inland areas, like Nagpur, experience extreme heat in summer and cold in wintet, known asa continental climate.
(d) Winds: Winds affect temperature, humidity, and rainfall. In summer, winds from the west bring hot air, causing heatwaves, while cold winds from the Himalayas make it cooler in winter. Winds from the sea bring moisture, causing rain, like the monsoons.
(e) Topography: Topography also affects climate. The Himalayas and Karakoram ranges shield India from the cold Central Asian winds, while the flat Thar Desert remains exposed to hot, dry winds. The Western Chats also play a key role in the southwest monsoon.
THE MONSOONS
- Due to the unique distribution of land and sea across regions like Australia, Africa, and South Asia, monsoon winds are formed.
- These winds are crucial to life in India, as they bring rainfall that fills rivers, waters the soil, and helps crops grow.
- In summer, the land heats faster than the ocean, creating low pressure. Moist winds from the ocean move inland, bringing heavy rain.
- in winter, the land cools more quickly than the ocean, creating high pressure over the land. Winds blow towards the sea, leading to dry conditions across large parts of the Asian continent.
- In June, the southwest monsoon brings rain to India, starting from the south and moving north, with the Western Chats getting heavy rainfall.
- During winter, the winds reverse as the northeast monsoon, bringing some rain to eastern and southern India after passing over the Bay of Bengal.
CLIMATE AND OUR LIVES
- Climate is closely linked to our lives.
- Many festivals are connected with seasons and agriculture in India.
- The climate affects the economy, as a poor monsoon damages farming, causes water shortages, raises food prices, and forces people to move to cities, especially during climate disasters.
CLIMATES AND DISASTERS
- India’s varied weather patterns cause extreme events such as cyclones, floods, and landslides, impacting lives, agriculture, and economies.
(a) Cyclones- Cyclones form when low atmospheric pressure over the sea draws air from surrounding areas, bringing moisture and rain, which intensifies into strong winds. The winds spiral inwards, forming clouds, and the calm, clear centre of the storm is known as the ‘eye of the cyclone.’
(b) Floods- Floods occur when water overflows onto dry land. During monsoons, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam are affected, while in the Himalayas, sudden glacial bursts cause destructive floods.
(c) Landslides – Landslides are sudden movements of rocks and soil down a slope. They are common in the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Heavy rain, earthquakes, and volcanic activity often trigger them, while deforestation, unplanned construction, and blocked water flow increase the risk.
(d) Forest fires – Rapidly spreading fires in forests or grasslands, known as forest fires, are common in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. They destroy forests, harm wildlife, worsen air quality, and force communities to relocate, causing major environmental and economic damage.
CLIMATE CHANGE
- Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather patterns, driven mainly by human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and harmful industrial practices.
- Burning fossil fuels adds too many greenhouse gases to the air, making the Earth hotter and changing the climate. This affects farming, jobs, and daily life. India and other countries are trying to fix this by using clean energy and reducing pollution, but it’s not easy while also trying to grow the economy.