The Kuroshio is a north flowing Ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. Which one among the following statements regarding this is not correct ?
It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Ocean
It transports warm, tropical water northward towards the Polar region
The warm water of the Kuroshio current sustains the coral reefs of Japan
It begins off the coast of Japan and flows northward
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2014
A) It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic Ocean: Both are strong, warm, western boundary currents in the Northern Hemisphere. This statement is correct.
B) It transports warm, tropical water northward towards the Polar region: This is the primary function and characteristic of a warm current flowing poleward. This statement is correct.
C) The warm water of the Kuroshio current sustains the coral reefs of Japan: The warm waters allow coral reefs to exist in higher latitudes than they otherwise could. Southern Japan (Ryukyu Islands) and parts of the mainland coast influenced by the Kuroshio have coral reefs. This statement is correct.
D) It begins off the coast of Japan and flows northward: The Kuroshio current originates from the North Equatorial Current in the western Pacific, flowing westwards and then turning north near the Philippines and Taiwan. It then flows northward along the east coast of Japan before turning eastward into the North Pacific as the Kuroshio Extension. Therefore, it flows *along* the coast of Japan but does *not* begin there. Its origin is further south and west. This statement is incorrect.