The important problem of the early or late onset of summer monsoon over India is addressed in the present study and found to be related to the structure and behaviour of a monsoon stationary wave that forms over the region due to land-sea thermal contrast and interacts with travelling wave disturbances in the westerlies and the easterlies associated with the subtropical belt over Asia. Depending upon the type of coupling and decoupling that occurs between the interacting waves, monsoon advances

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... towards India either slowly or speedily. Since northward-propagating monsoon depressions are found to accelerate the onset processes. the study carries out a detailed analysis of the interaction processes which give rise to such disturbances and determine their development and movement.