Directions : The following 05 (Five) items consist of two statements,

Directions : The following 05 (Five) items consist of two statements, Statement I and Statement II. Examine these two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the code given below :
Code :

  • Both the Statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I.
  • Both the Statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I.
  • Statement I is true but Statement II is false.
  • Statement I is false but Statement II is true.

52.
Statement I: There is high salinity in Red Sea.
Statement II: Rate of evaporation is high in Red Sea.

Both the Statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I.
Both the Statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I.
Statement I is true but Statement II is false.
Statement I is false but Statement II is true.
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-1 – 2016
The correct answer is A) Both the Statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I.
Statement I is true. The Red Sea has one of the highest salinities among the world’s seas, typically ranging between 36 to 41 parts per thousand (ppt), significantly higher than the average ocean salinity of around 35 ppt.
Statement II is true. The Red Sea is located in a hot and arid region with high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, leading to very high rates of evaporation. It also receives very little freshwater input from rivers or significant rainfall. High evaporation removes pure water, leaving the salts behind, which directly increases the concentration of salt in the remaining water body. Therefore, high evaporation is the primary reason for the high salinity of the Red Sea.
Other factors contributing to the Red Sea’s high salinity include limited exchange of water with the open ocean (Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Sea through narrow straits) and its location over a rift valley system which might involve subsurface brine inputs in some areas, although evaporation is the dominant factor for the overall high salinity.