Consider the following statements
1. The winds which blow between 30 degrees N and 60 degrees S latitudes throughout the year are known as westerlies.
2. The moist air masses that cause winter rains in North-Western region of India are part of westerlies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer :
2 only
Solution :
The correct option is 2 only.
Let us analyze each statement to understand why this option is correct:
Analysis of Statement 1:
Westerlies (or prevailing westerlies) are blow winds that blow in the middle latitudes in both hemispheres. Specifically, they blow from the sub-tropical high-pressure belts towards the sub-polar low-pressure belts, which are located between 30o N and 60o N in the Northern Hemisphere, and between 30o S and 60o S in the Southern Hemisphere.
The statement incorrectly defines their range as blowing between 30o N and 60o S latitudes throughout the year. This range would span the entire tropical region, including the equator, where the trade winds blow instead. Therefore, Statement 1 is incorrect.
Analysis of Statement 2:
During the winter months, the north-western region of India receives rainfall from shallow cyclonic depressions known as Western Disturbances.
These moisture-laden weather systems originate over the Mediterranean Sea and are carried towards the Indian subcontinent by the westerly jet streams, which are a part of the planetary westerlies in the upper atmosphere. Therefore, Statement 2 is correct.
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