Inaboxjack

Hi there, was looking for a meterology forum but there doesnt appear to be one, so i thought i'd try on this one. I'm currently trying to identify the principle monsoon climate regions, in terms of the continents or countries affected, and then explain how they relate to the changing position of the ITCZ. I have identified the principle monsoon regions (e.g south central asia, west africa, the americas) - but am struggling to directly correlate the ITCZ to them. In strict terms, monsoon means the reversal of wind patterns - and not the more colloqiual 'perpetual rainfall'. I guess I could talk about how the ITCZ brings rain to these regions - but what I think I need to know is how the migration of the ITCZ influences wind patterns (E.g - what influence does it have on anticyclones etc) that subsequently bring monsoon weather. Can anybody enlighten me? How would you answer?

Hi there, I hope i've posted on the right forum! Just a quick query: I'm trying to deduce which of two clay soils is better for building a house on. My first problem is trying to find out what clays they are. My first clay has a cation exhange capacity of 54.9, so am i right in thinking this is kaolinite? My other clay has a CEC of 3, so i'm thinking this is a hydrous oxide clay? Can anybody give me an indication as to what properties I need to be thinking off when considering which of these is best for house building? E.g - if the clay had been montmorrilonite - I would have known it has a tendency to swell, so a good reason not to consider it for house building. But I dont know about the properties of either of the above clays in terms of house building!!! Hope someone can help! cheers for reading, inaboxjack