living in the rain shadow pune, india

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.