Consider the following statements: 1. Ocean currents are dominated b

Consider the following statements:

1. Ocean currents are dominated by huge surface gyres that are driven by the global surface wind pattern.
2. Equatorial currents move cold water westward and then poleward along the east coasts of continents.

With regard to the statements given above, which of the following is correct ?

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Both the statements are correct and statement 2 is the correct explanation of statement 1.

Both the statements are correct, but statement 2 is not the correct explanation of statement 1.

Statement 1 is correct, but statement 2 is false.

Statement 1 is false, but statement 2 is correct.

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CDS-2 – 2024

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Statement 1 is correct: The primary driving force for large-scale surface ocean currents are the prevailing winds, which exert friction on the water surface. These wind-driven currents are organized into large, rotating patterns called gyres in the major ocean basins. Statement 2 is incorrect: Equatorial currents are typically driven by the trade winds and flow westward. However, these equatorial currents carry *warm* water away from the equator. When these currents reach the western boundary of an ocean basin, they turn poleward along the east coasts of continents, forming major *warm* currents like the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic and the Kuroshio Current in the Pacific. Cold currents typically flow poleward along the *west* coasts of continents (e.g., California Current).

Surface ocean currents are largely driven by wind and the Coriolis effect, forming gyres. Warm currents generally flow from the tropics towards the poles, while cold currents flow from higher latitudes towards the equator.

Ocean gyres typically consist of a westward-flowing equatorial current, a poleward-flowing warm current along the western boundary, an eastward-flowing current in the mid-latitudes, and an equatorward-flowing cold current along the eastern boundary.

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