El Nino, which is usually linked with a weak Indian monsoon, refers to the warming of the surface waters of which ocean?
- A.The Atlantic Ocean
- B.The Pacific Ocean
- C.The Indian Ocean
- D.The Arctic Ocean
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Pacific Ocean. El Nino is the periodic warming of the surface water of the central and eastern Pacific off the coast of Peru and Ecuador, and the name, meaning the child, was given by fishermen because it appears around Christmas. The warm water shifts the belt of rising air and rainfall eastwards, away from the Indian region, so an El Nino year is often a year of deficient monsoon rainfall in India. La Nina is the opposite phase, with cooler than normal water, and usually goes with a good monsoon.
Options A, C and D name the wrong oceans. The Indian Ocean has its own pattern, the Indian Ocean Dipole, which also affects the monsoon, but El Nino is a Pacific phenomenon.
Read the full article: Climate and Rainfall of India: Monsoon, Seasons and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allWhat causes rainfall on the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu in the beginning of winters?
- A.North-Eastern Monsoon
- B.Local Air Circulation
- C.Temperate Cyclones
- D.South-West Monsoon
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As the monsoon retreats in October and November the wind direction reverses and air moves from the land towards the sea.
Read the full explanation →In which state of India is the rain caused by a lightning storm called Cherry Blossom?
- A.Gujarat
- B.Meghalaya
- C.Uttarakhand
- D.Karnataka
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The pre-monsoon thundery showers of Karnataka are called cherry blossom showers or blossom showers because they help the coffee plants of the Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan belt to flower.
Read the full explanation →In India, during October-November, with the apparent movement of the sun towards the south, the ______ over the northern plains becomes weaker.
- A.Upper level trough
- B.Monsoon trough
- C.Lee trough
- D.Inverted trough
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The monsoon trough is the belt of low pressure that lies across the northern plains during the rainy season and guides the depressions that bring rain.
Read the full explanation →The line joining the areas having the same rainfall is called:
- A.Isobar
- B.Isohyet
- C.Isotherm
- D.Isohaline
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An isohyet is a line drawn on a map through all the places that receive the same amount of rainfall in a given period.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following pairs of type of climate and area is NOT correct? I. Semi-arid steppe climate - Punjab. II. Monsoon with dry summer - Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu.
- A.Only I
- B.Neither I nor II
- C.Only II
- D.Both I and II
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In the Koeppen classification as applied to India, the semi-arid steppe climate marked BShw covers parts of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and the drier interior of the peninsula, where rainfall is low but not as low as in a true desert.
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