Question.
Which part of India does experience the highest diurnal range of temperature and why?
( Chapter - 4 Climate, Cass 9 NCERT Contemporary India -I )
Answer.
The diurnal range of temperature means the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature of the same day. The diurnal range of temperature is higher in the place where there is a considerable difference in temperature between day and night.
In general, continentality (greater distance from the ocean) causes the highest diurnal range of temperature because the ocean prevents the surrounding atmosphere from becoming too hot during the day and too cold during the night. However, other factors such as low cloud cover, urban heat, low vegetation cover, absence of water bodies, and low presence of greenhouse gases also lead to a large diurnal range of temperature.
The desert part of India (Western Rajasthan) has the highest diurnal range of temperature as the day temperature reaches up to 50°C and the night temperature drops to 15°C, so there is a difference of 35°C in diurnal range of temperature which is the highest in India.
The desert part of India (Western Rajasthan) has the highest diurnal range of temperature due to the following reasons:
They are far from the sea.
There is less vegetation cover and also the absence of water bodies which reduces the moisture production in the atmosphere. Moisture in the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas that traps heat and keeps nights warm; But due to less presence of moisture in the atmosphere, the nights are cool here.
Due to the absence of clouds during the day, more insolation reaches the ground, which increases the day's temperature.
Due to the above two reasons, the desert part of India heats up quickly during the day and cools down quickly at night.
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