← All questionsGS1 · 2015 · Geography ·Ocean Currents: Origin and Influence
MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks

Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence regional climates, fishing and navigation?

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9 min
200 words
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What the examiner wants

Explain why ocean currents form and how they affect climate, fisheries and shipping.

ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Primary forces: solar heating, planetary winds, gravity, Coriolis force≈35 words
  2. 2Secondary: differences in temperature, salinity and density; shape of coastlines and sea floor≈35 words
  3. 3Climate: warm North Atlantic Drift keeps NW Europe mild; cold Humboldt/Benguela help form Atacama and Namib deserts; monsoon reversal of Indian Ocean currents≈35 words
  4. 4Fishing: warm-cold mixing at Grand Banks and off Japan; upwelling off Peru. Navigation: currents aid or slow ships, fog and icebergs where cold currents meet warm ones≈35 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Factors (primary, secondary)Climate effectsFishingNavigationConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Listing currents without explaining the causes
  • No examples for each of the three effects

Draw this

  • World map with major warm and cold currents and labelled fishing grounds

Value addition

  • ExampleEl Nino weakens upwelling off Peru, sharply cutting the anchovy catch.NOAA
  • ExampleGrand Banks off Newfoundland, where the Gulf Stream meets the Labrador Current, is a major fishing ground but has frequent fog.Physical geography (NCERT)