Indian Ocean Dipole and Monsoon Forecasting
Question
With reference to 'Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.
IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
- 2.
An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon.
Options
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect because the Indian Ocean Dipole is characterized by a difference in sea surface temperature between the tropical WESTERN Indian Ocean and the tropical EASTERN Indian Ocean (not Pacific Ocean). The IOD is an internal mode of climate variability within the Indian Ocean basin, measured between the Arabian Sea/Somali coast region and the south-eastern Indian Ocean near Indonesia. Statement 2 is correct as the IOD phenomenon can indeed modify or influence the impact of El Niño on the Indian monsoon. When IOD and El Niño occur simultaneously, their combined effect determines the monsoon intensity. The IOD index (DMI) is used by meteorologists to forecast monsoon behavior. > IOD is West-East Indian Ocean SST dipole; it modulates El Niño's monsoon impact. Answer: (b).
Question details
Year
2017
Paper
GS Paper 1
Question
Q66
Subject
Environment
Sub-topic
Oceanography and Meteorology
Type
Statement-based
Difficulty
Hard
Nature
Static
Source hint
NCERT Geography - Indian Climate and Oceanography
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