East Asia Meteorology & Oceanography Meteorology & Oceanography

60° A m ast Asia’s wind and weather is broadly determined by April to October scoring the same quality Roaring Forties L e n a u r the Asian monsoon climate. Low pressure over the groundswell as Mauritius, La Réunion, and the Cocos Islands Khabarovsk Lake 0 1000 2000 mls Irkutsk Baykal Econtinent dominates in summer as intense sunshine in the Indian Ocean; long period and groomed into clean sets M a n c h u r i a n S . Sapporo creates rising air above the landmass. A humid air-mass is on their long voyage. South China Sea regions have to make do M T P l a i n 0 1000 2000 3000 km A N Harbin drawn between this heat low and the sub-tropical Pacific High, with windswell – although it can be surprisingly big at exposed AY S Changchun introducing a weak southerly airflow into the region. In rainy South spots and the particularly windy waters of A L S e a o f MONGOLIA season, the South China Sea’s tropical zones receive ten times Taiwan. The Gulf of and most of the Philippine T J a p a n A I Tokyo Chiba Prefecture more rain than the rest of the year. This is the hottest time of Visaya Islands are well sheltered, and therefore classic flat- NORTH G o b i KOREA JAPAN South of Tokyo D e s e r t year with temperatures over 30°C. The water also warms up water destinations. Seoul Osaka to 28-30°C, enabling typhoons to build over Pacific waters A N Beijing 40o SOUTH near the equator from July to November and travel north-west hile the regions below 20° North remain tropically Yellow KOREA East Coast & Jejudo Sea – 20 to 30 rage from the up to Japan every year! Wwarm year-round, north of the Tropic of Cancer G r e a t The system reverses in autumn, as the continent from Siberia experiences the marked seasonal temperature differentials L A N S H H u a n g H e B a s i n U N A to the Himalayas cools, air pressure increases over central associated with continental eastern seaboards. Admittedly, K N Xian Shanghai Wuhan Asia, inverting the pressure differential and spreading a NE South Korea and Japan both score the southerly summer and CHINA East PLATEAU g Monsoon south down the Chinese coast. It blows most solidly northerly winter monsoons, but the air coming straight off n China O F T I B E T a P a c i f i c Ji Sea where regional strengthening helps out, like the venturi effect Siberia in winter can be bitterly cold. Hence summer’s generally n g a in the Strait of Taiwan, or the thermal and barrier effects in weaker winds are best for kiting or windsurfing onSouth NEPAL h Tai-pei C O c e a n South Vietnam. The island of Hainan in southern China and Korea’s east coast and the island of Jeju-Do. However, Penghu-Islands BHUTAN TAIWAN the Philippines get decent wind from November to March. Japan enjoys the best of both worlds in the transitional 0o The Gulf of Thailand is also touched by the NE Monsoon, months thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current keeping BANGLADESHaddy Hong Kong P w h a cer although it’s a lot weaker. At least the Malaysian Peninsula water temperatures above 14°C on the east coast of Chiba tropic of can Hanoi i Irr l i een Hainan can occasionally expect sailable SW wind in summer. Prefecture. The water’s never cooler than 17°C South of BURMA Hainan p 20o Mek Hue S o u t h p The Indonesian regions south of the equator owe their Tokyo, allowing the locals to ride their beloved Omaezaki all i Salw C h i n a Manila n Yangon ong Da Nang A conditions more to Indian Ocean weather systems. Bali lies winter long. Winter’s also wave season as low pressure storms B a y o f e Philippines I S e a S THAILAND E within the influence of the SE trades from May to September, ravage the North Pacific. But any swell sent Japan’s way has to B e n g a l S Moulmein PHILIPPINES N Gulf of VIETNAM e A they’re even stronger further east in Sumbawa but the season come off their backsides as the majority is blown easterly. Local a Thailand Bangkok Southern L 160 starts later as Hu’u Bay needs a healthy southerly component. groundswells are hence short-lived, and only big ones might E o Phnom Vietnam M Penh Ho Chi Minh Bali and Sumbawa also enjoy by far the best swell, from make it all the way down to the east coast of the Philippines. Thai-Malay Weather patterns and temperatures LANKA Peninsula Celebes PAPUA Sea NEW GUINEA

MALAYSIA

L Pontianak C o r a l S e a H E L L 0o A S 20o S I E H T I N D Sumbawa L H 100o Bali 120o 140o L Thailand IndonesiA Philippines vietnam China Taiwan South Korea japan Area 513,115 km² 1,912,988 km² 2,040 km² 331,690 km² 9,571,302 km² 36,179 km² 99,392 km² 377,835 km² Population 64 million 225.5 million 88 million 85 million 1.32 billion 22.8 million 49 million 127 million Largest Bangkok Jakarta Quezon City Ho Chi Minh City Shanghai Taipeh Seoul Tokio city 6.8 million 8.6 million 2.7 million 6.2 million 15 million 2.6 million 11 million 8.5 million Highest Fan Si Pan Yushan Halla-san Fujisan point 5,565 m 5,030 m 2,954 m 3,143 m 8,848 m (Tibet) 3,997 m 1,950 m 3,776 m Longest Chao Phraya Kapuas Cagayan Red River Jangtse Choshui Naktong-gang Shinano-Gawa river 372 km 1,150 km 350 km 495 km 6,300 km 186 km 526 km 367 km L L GDP/capita € 5,852 € 2,759 € 2,052 € 1,916 € 3,920 € 22,316 € 18,424 € 24,872 L Japan’s summer is basically poor for wind and swell, unless one enclosed waters of the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea, L of about 25 annual typhoons tracks just right. With the world’s a maximum tidal range of less than a metre has negligible highest typhoon risk, these magic swells reach Japan quite effect. In contrast, up to 2m or more occurs in Japan and the regularly – but suitable wind is far less likely, and even then it’s Andaman, East China, and Yellow Seas. Small tides of just a January July a fine line between exhilarating and devastating! metre are still noticeable on the reefs off Bali’s east coast, while L the funnel-shaped Hu’u Bay in neighbouring Sumbawa suffers -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 °C Average water and air temperatures n irregular semi-diurnal tide prevails in East Asia, with a tidal range of many metres making timing key on sensitive both a small and large high tide every day. In the virtually reefs like Lakey’s. -4 5 14 23 32 41 50 59 68 77 86 95 104 °F A

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