Question 93 from UPSC CSE 2021 - Geography

Question

Consider the following statements:
1. In the tropical zone, the western sections of the oceans are warmer than the eastern sections owing to the influence of trade winds.
2. In the temperate zone, westerlies make the eastern sections of oceans warmer than the western sections.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Both 1 and 2

Strategy: Identify the wind systems in each latitude zone and correlate their direction with the resulting ocean surface temperature patterns. Match trade winds in the tropics to western warming and westerlies in temperate zones to eastern warming.

Key Info: Ocean surface temperatures exhibit zonal variations driven by global wind belts and their associated currents.

- **Trade Winds (Tropical Zone)**: Prevailing easterlies near the equator drive surface water westward. This results in warmer western sections of tropical oceans, such as the western Pacific Warm Pool, and causes upwelling of cooler water along eastern margins like Peru and West Africa.
- **Westerlies (Temperate Zone)**: In the mid-latitudes (roughly 30–60°), westerly winds push surface water eastward. This creates warm currents along eastern continental coasts (e.g., the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio), while western margins experience cold equatorward currents (e.g., California Current, Canary Current).
- These wind-driven currents create significant climatic and biological differences between west and east coasts. Notable examples include the Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Peru (Humboldt) Current, and Canary Current. This dynamic also underlies major climate phenomena like El Niño, which can temporarily reverse these temperature patterns in the tropical Pacific.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Neither 1 nor 2