Page:Physical Geography of the Sea and its Meteorology.djvu/397

Rh and August, when the south-west monsoons are at their height, is,

The line S.W. represents the mean barometric declivity of the south-west monsoons at their height, and indicates that at their northern edge, supposed to be the parallel of 30° north, the barometer stands at about 29.45 inches. This barometric declivity indicates that the south-west are stronger than the north-east monsoons, and observations show that they are.

692. The summer rains of Cherraponjie.—These are the winds—the south-west monsoons—which, coming from the sea, carry into the interior rains for the great water-shed of India. They bear with them an immense volume of vapour, as is shown by the rivers, and confirmed by the rain-fall of Cherraponjie, and at 126 other stations. Cherraponjie is 4,500 feet above the sea level. It reaches quite up to the cloud region, and receives a precipitation of 537⅓ inches during the south-west monsoon, from May to August inclusive. Col. Sykes reported to the British Association, at its meeting in 1852, the rain-fall at these 127 places, which are between the parallels of 20° and 34° in India. According to this report, the south-west monsoons pour down during the three summer months upon this water-shed 29¾ inches of rain. The latent heat that is liberated during the