Living in the Rain Living in the Rain Shadow Shadow Pune, India Pune, India sentation created by Robert L. Martinez mary Content Source: Geography Alive!
Feb 09, 2016
Living in the Rain ShadowLiving in the Rain ShadowPune, IndiaPune, India
Presentation created by Robert L. MartinezPrimary Content Source: Geography Alive!
The city of The city of PunePune, located on the , located on the DeccanDeccan Plateau in western Plateau in western IndiaIndia, , is only 115 miles from is only 115 miles from MumbaiMumbai..
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Yet Yet MumbaiMumbai receives at least 70 receives at least 70 inches of rain during the summer inches of rain during the summer
monsoons; in contrast, precipitation monsoons; in contrast, precipitation in in PunePune totals only 29 inches for the totals only 29 inches for the
entire year.entire year.
Mumbai Harbor
Between Between MumbaiMumbai and and PunePune lies a lies a mountain range known as mountain range known as
Western Ghats.Western Ghats.
As the monsoon winds rise up the As the monsoon winds rise up the slopes of these mountains, the air slopes of these mountains, the air cools and releases its moisture.cools and releases its moisture.
By the time the monsoon winds By the time the monsoon winds reach the downwind side of the reach the downwind side of the
mountains, the air retains very little mountains, the air retains very little moisture.moisture.
PunePune sits in a sits in a rain shadowrain shadow on the on the opposite side of the Western opposite side of the Western
Ghats from Mumbai.Ghats from Mumbai.
While the coastal city of While the coastal city of MumbaiMumbai must brave fro heavy rain, must brave fro heavy rain, PunePune
is spared from flooding.is spared from flooding.
The people of The people of PunePune have learned to have learned to survive with little water. In the past, survive with little water. In the past,
farmers raised sugarcane, a crop that farmers raised sugarcane, a crop that requires large quantities of water.requires large quantities of water.
Today they plant crops that are Today they plant crops that are more drought resistant, such as more drought resistant, such as
sugar beetssugar beets. .
PunePune has also tried to increase its has also tried to increase its rainfall with rainfall with cloud seedingcloud seeding, a process , a process
that involves scattering chemicals that involves scattering chemicals into clouds in order to bring about into clouds in order to bring about
rain.rain.
Rain falls when the water vapor Rain falls when the water vapor in clouds condenses into in clouds condenses into
droplets, which form around tiny droplets, which form around tiny specks of ice in the air.specks of ice in the air.
Under the appropriate conditions, Under the appropriate conditions, clouds can be seeded to encourage clouds can be seeded to encourage
this condition to occur.this condition to occur.
Usually this seeding is Usually this seeding is accomplished by spraying the accomplished by spraying the clouds from the air with tiny clouds from the air with tiny
amounts of either silver iodide or amounts of either silver iodide or dry ice.dry ice.
The hope is that water droplets The hope is that water droplets will form around these “seeds.”will form around these “seeds.”
It is hard to determine just how It is hard to determine just how effective cloud seeding has been in effective cloud seeding has been in PunePune because no one knows how because no one knows how
much rain might have fallen if there much rain might have fallen if there had been no seeding.had been no seeding.
However, for people living in a However, for people living in a rain shadow, the chance of more rain shadow, the chance of more rain makes seeding seem worth rain makes seeding seem worth
the expense.the expense.