4
Question 4
Which of the following is/are correct
inference/inferences from isothermal maps in
the month of January?
1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.
Select the answer using the code given below :
1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.
Select the answer using the code given below :
AOptions
A
A) 1 only
B
B) 2 only
C
C) Both 1 and 2
D
D) Neither 1 nor 2
BSolution
1. Statement 1 is correct. In January, it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Landmasses cool down more rapidly and to a greater extent than oceans. Therefore, isotherms (lines connecting points of equal temperature) tend to bend equatorward (southward) over continents, indicating colder temperatures, and poleward (northward) over oceans, indicating relatively warmer temperatures. So, they deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect. The presence of the warm Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift makes the North Atlantic Ocean significantly *warmer* than comparable latitudes on land, especially in winter. This warming effect causes the isotherms to bend *poleward* (northward) over this region, not make the ocean colder. Cold ocean currents (like the Labrador Current) would make an area colder, but the primary influence here is the warm currents mentioned, which lead to a northward bending of isotherms due to higher temperatures. The statement incorrectly attributes a cooling effect to warm currents and misrepresents the bending direction under such conditions.
2. Statement 2 is incorrect. The presence of the warm Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift makes the North Atlantic Ocean significantly *warmer* than comparable latitudes on land, especially in winter. This warming effect causes the isotherms to bend *poleward* (northward) over this region, not make the ocean colder. Cold ocean currents (like the Labrador Current) would make an area colder, but the primary influence here is the warm currents mentioned, which lead to a northward bending of isotherms due to higher temperatures. The statement incorrectly attributes a cooling effect to warm currents and misrepresents the bending direction under such conditions.
CStrategy
This question tests understanding of land-sea temperature contrast and the influence of ocean currents on isotherms, particularly in winter. Remember that land heats and cools faster than water. Warm currents cause isotherms to bend poleward (towards higher latitudes), and cold currents cause them to bend equatorward (towards lower latitudes).
DSyllabus Analysis
Geography: Climatology (Temperature Distribution, Isotherms, Ocean Currents).
EQuestion Analysis
This is a conceptual and factual question from Climatology, focusing on the interpretation of isothermal maps and the influence of ocean currents. Statement 1 is a fundamental principle, while Statement 2 contains a significant factual error regarding the effect of warm currents like the Gulf Stream. Medium difficulty.