Question map
Which one of the following is not a resultant of the El Nino effect ?
Explanation
El Niño is a complex climatic phenomenon characterized by the warming of surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean [3]. It results in the distortion of equatorial atmospheric circulation, specifically the Walker Cell, where the ascending branch shifts eastward [4]. This shift causes trade winds to weaken or even reverse their direction [4]. Consequently, the flow of South-East Trade Winds towards the Indian Ocean is disrupted or weakened, rather than being a resultant flow [5]. The warming leads to irregularities in sea water evaporation and a deepening of the thermocline, which suppresses the upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water [6]. This lack of nutrients causes a significant reduction in phytoplankton (plankton) levels, which subsequently reduces fish populations, severely impacting marine ecosystems and local fisheries [7]. Therefore, option 2 is the incorrect statement regarding El Niño's effects.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 29: El Nino, La Nina & El Nino Modoki > El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) > p. 413
- [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate of India > Possible Causes of El-Nino > p. 13
- [4] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems > General Atmospheric Circulation and its Effects on Oceans > p. 80
- [5] https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/ninonina.html
- [6] https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/gtmba/files/PDF/pubs/ElNinoLaNina.pdf
- [7] https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/el-nino-s-grip-on-climate-25816069/