what are the characteristics of the indian monsoons and how does the southern oscillation have an effect on it

Question

(what exactly is the southern oscillation?)

Answer 1

Excellent question. The Indian monsoon from an Arabic word meaning seasons is a wind pattern that oscillates between summer and winter. In the summer the winds flow into SE Asia from the S. China Sea, and into India from the Bay of Bengal and from the Arabian Sea. In the winter these winds are reversed. The driver for these winds is the heating of the Indian sub-continent. The Southern Oscillation is a reversal of pressure at opposite ends of the Pacific ocean which is tied to the El Nino phenomena. This is not a monsoonal or seasonal event as is the Indian monsoon but varies on the order of years and is not well understood from that perspective. I hope this clarifies the major differences for you.