Tropical Monsoon Forests

Throughout the world, the tropical monsoon climate experiences abundant rainfall like that of the tropical rain forest climate, but it is concentrated in the high-sun season. Such forests are called Tropical Monsoon Forests.

Distribution of Tropical Monsoon Forests

They are located in the monsoon climate beyond the equatorial region between 10° and 25° and North and South of the equator. The countries are along the coastal regions of southwest India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, South western Africa, French Guiana, and northeast and south-eastern Brazil.

Salient Features of Tropical Monsoon Rainforests

The major controlling factor over the monsoon climate is its relationship to the monsoon circulation. Monsoon circulation of Asia exhibits an onshore flow of air (air moving from ocean towards land) during the summer or high-sun season, and offshore air flow (air moving from land toward water) during the winter or low-sun season. The change in direction is due to the difference in the way water and land heat. In India, the west coastal lowlands, the Western Ghats, and southern parts of Assam have this climate type. It is characterized by high temperatures throughout the year, even in the hills. The rainfall here is seasonal, but heavy and is above 78 cm in a year. Most of the rain is received in the period from May to November, and is adequate for the growth of vegetation during the entire year. December to March are the dry months with very little rainfall. The heavy rain is responsible for the tropical wet forests in these regions, which consists of a large number of species of animals. Evergreen forests are the typical feature of the region. The adjacent graphics shows the location of Tropical Rain Forests and Tropical Monsoon Rainforests throughout the world.