SSC
'El Nino', a Spanish term meaning 'the Christ child', refers to the periodic appearance of:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Warm ocean water off the coast of Peru
Detailed Solution
El Nino is the periodic warming of the surface waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, especially off the coasts of Peru and Ecuador. It usually appears around Christmas time, which is why Peruvian fishermen named it "El Nino", meaning "the Christ child" or "the little boy".
Normal conditions:
- Normally, trade winds blow from east to west across the tropical Pacific.
- They push warm surface water towards Indonesia and Australia in the west.
Off the coast of Peru, cold, nutrient-rich water rises from below (upwelling), supporting rich fisheries. The cold Peru (Humboldt) current flows along this coast.
During El Nino:
- The trade winds weaken or even reverse.
- Warm water spreads eastward towards South America.
- Upwelling off Peru weakens, and the warm water reduces the supply of nutrients, so fish catches fall sharply.
- Weather patterns change across the world.
Effects of El Nino:
- Heavy rain and floods in Peru, Ecuador and the southern USA.
- Droughts in Indonesia, Australia and southern Africa.
In India, El Nino years are often linked with weaker south-west monsoon rainfall and droughts, although not always. For example, 2002, 2009 and 2015 were El Nino years with poor monsoons.
La Nina:
La Nina ("the little girl") is the opposite phase. The trade winds become stronger, the eastern Pacific becomes cooler than normal, and the western Pacific becomes warmer.
La Nina is often associated with good monsoon rainfall in India.
ENSO:
- El Nino and La Nina, together with the related changes in air pressure called the Southern Oscillation, are known as ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation).
- ENSO events occur irregularly, about every 2 to 7 years.
Why not the other options?
- ✗El Nino is a warm-water phenomenon in the Pacific, not a cold Atlantic current, a desert wind or a Siberian storm.
Quick tip
Remember: El Nino = warm water off Peru (weak trade winds) = often weak Indian monsoon; La Nina = cooler eastern Pacific = often good monsoon.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Oceans & Hydrosphere Questions
View all ›- Q1.The theory of continental drift was proposed by:
- Q2.The process by which water on the ground surface seeps into the soil is called:
- Q3.Which is the largest and deepest ocean in the world?
- Q4.Which is the only ocean named after a country?
- Q5.Before the formation of the Himalayas, the region where they now stand was occupied by the:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Oceans & Hydrosphere — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Oceans & Hydrosphere, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the hydrosphere: the oceans and seas of the world, ocean relief features such as trenches and ridges, ocean currents, tides, waves, salinity, and the world's major lakes, straits, gulfs and islands. Questions commonly ask about the largest and deepest ocean (the Pacific, with the Mariana Trench), warm and cold ocean currents, the causes of tides, and which water bodies a strait connects. For example, the Palk Strait separates India and Sri Lanka, and the Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Practise the oceans and hydrosphere questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.