Question map
El Nino current appears along the coast of which one of the following?
Explanation
El Niño is a warm ocean current that appears along the coast of Peru and Ecuador in the eastern Pacific Ocean [2]. Under normal conditions, the cold Peruvian Current (also known as the Humboldt Current) flows northward along the South American coast, facilitating the upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water [2][t1]. During an El Niño event, the equatorial counter-current strengthens and flows from west to east, replacing the cold Peruvian Current with warm tropical water [c1][c4]. This phenomenon typically occurs around December, earning it the name 'El Niño' or 'Child Christ' [c2][t3]. The accumulation of warm water along the Peru coast disrupts the thermocline and suppresses upwelling, leading to significant climatic shifts such as heavy rainfall in the arid coastal deserts of South America and severe droughts in Australia and Indonesia [c1][c5][t4].
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 29: El Nino, La Nina & El Nino Modoki > 29.2. El Nino > p. 413
- [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate of India > EL-NINO AND THE INDIAN MONSOON > p. 9