Maharashtra State PSC Model Paper 4

Anabatic wind

●     It is caused by the thermal process.

●     It occurs over the slopes which are heated by the Sun.

●     Air which is in contact with the slopes warms up and expands upward and cools down.

●     The air sinks over neighbouring valleys.

●     Anabatic winds are usually slow at only 1-2 m/s.

Katabatic wind

●     It occurs over slopes which are cooled.

●     It occurs when the air is in contact with the sloping ground which is colder as compared with air at the same level away from the hillside.

●     It tends to occur at night when the surface is cooling due to lack of heating from the Sun.

●     The dense air descends into the valley as the mountain wind.

Fohn wind

●     It is a type of dry, warm, down-slope wind.

●     It occurs in the downwards side of the mountain range.

●     The moisture in the winds condenses while crossing the mountain and precipitates.

●     While descending down from the leeward side of the slope the dry air gets warmed up and melts the snow in a short period of time.

●     It is also called ‘snow eaters’.

●     The term is usually used for the winds on the leeward side of the European Alps.

Land Breeze

●     It is a coastal breeze blowing at night.

●     It is blowing of air from land to sea.

●     It is caused by the differences in the rate of cooling in the respective surfaces of the land and the sea.

○     The land quickly loses its heat during the night while the water retains its warmth.

○     The air over the water is warmer than the air over the land and it begins to rise because of less density.

○     Low pressure will create over the water.

○     Cold and dense air from the land begins to move to the water surface.