The Asian Monsoon: Causes, History and Effects

The Asian monsoon is one of the most dramatic climatic phenomena on Earth, with far reaching environmental and societal effects. Almost two thirds of humanity lives within regions influenced by the monsoon. With the emerging Asian economies, the importance of the region to the global economy has never been more marked. The Asian Monsoon describes the evolution of the monsoon, and proposes a connection between the tectonic evolution of the solid Earth and monsoon intensity. The authors explain how the monsoon has been linked to orbital processes and thus to other parts of the global climate system, especially glaciation. Finally, they summarize how monsoon evolution since the last Ice Age has impacted human societies, as well as commenting on the potential impact of future climate change. This book presents a multi-disciplinary overview of the monsoon for advanced students and researchers in atmospheric science, climatology, oceanography, geophysics, and geomorphology.

• Unifies key developments in monsoon reconstructions, to show the link between tectonic evolution and regional and climate systems • Offers new insights into how human society has been influenced by monsoon through a discussion of human and climate interactions • Shows the effects that monsoon has had on the geology of mountain building, illustrating how climate may have helped build the Himalayas