How does the movement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) influence monsoons?

The annual north-south movement of the ITCZ helps to produce monsoons. A monsoon is a pattern of wind circulation that changes with the season and generally results in wet summers and dry winters in parts of Africa and Asia. In the Northern Hemisphere spring, land heats more rapidly than the adjacent ocean. Air above the land becomes warmer and thus rises. Relatively cool air flows from over the ocean to the land to take the warmer air's place. Continued heating causes this humid air to rise, condense, and form clouds and rain. In autumn, the land cools more rapidly than the adjacent ocean. Air cools and sinks over the land, and dry surface winds move seaward. The intensity and location of the monsoon activity depend on the position of the ITCZ. The monsoons follow the ITCZ south in the Northern Hemisphere's winter and north in its summer.