Abstract
The mean monthly brightness values pertaining to India and neighbourhood (50°E to 100°E and 20°S to 40°N) as available from ESSA III and ESSA V satellite global data for the period February 1967 to January 1968, have been analysed and studied. The zone of maximum brightness, which indicates the region of most intense clouding in the lower latitudes, has been found centred at 7.5°S from February to April, shifted progressively northward reaching 22.5°N during July-August and then retrieved southward. The patterns of brightness distribution considered season-wise have shown remarkable continuity from latitude to latidute. The findings help suggest that the basic flow of the Indian summer monsoon stems from regions south of the equator.
