General Studies 1

Corals are calcareous rocks, formed from the skeletons of minute sea animals, called polyps. The polyps extract calcium salts from seawater to form hard skeletons which protect their soft bodies. The corals live in colonies fastened to the rocky seafloor. … Continue reading →

Basics Definition: Ocean currents are the continuous, predictable, directional movement of seawater driven by gravity, wind, and water density. Move in two directions  Horizontal movements are referred to as currents,  Vertical changes are called upwellings or downwellings. Factors Affecting Ocean … Continue reading →

Basics What is it?: The periodic rise and fall in the sea level is known as Tide. Caused due to The gravitational force exerted on Earth by the Sun. The gravitational force exerted on Earth by the Moon. Rotation of … Continue reading →

Basics Waves are nothing but the oscillatory movements that result in the rise and fall of the water surface. Waves are a kind of horizontal movement of ocean water. They are actually the energy, not the water as such, which … Continue reading →

Basics Salinity means the total content of dissolved salts in Sea or Ocean. Salinity is calculated as the amount of salt dissolved in 1,000 gm of seawater. It is generally expressed as ‘parts per thousand’ (ppt). A salinity of 24.7 … Continue reading →

Factors Affecting Temperature Latitude The surface temperature of the oceans declines from the equator towards the poles as the Sun’s rays are vertical on the equator and become slanting as one move towards the poles. Prevailing Winds Direction of the … Continue reading →

Basics About 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Oceans form a single, large, continuous body of water encircling all the landmasses of the Earth. They account for four-fifths of the Southern Hemisphere and three-fifths of the Northern … Continue reading →

Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate Distribution 50o North – 100o South from the equator. It is found in the Amazon basin, Congo basin, and South – East Asia. Climate There is great uniformity of temperature throughout the year. The mean monthly … Continue reading →

What is it? Jet streams are strong, upper tropospheric flows that are quasi-horizontal in nature. They originate due to differential heating of the earth’s surface and form at the boundaries of adjacent air masses with significant temperature differences. Characteristics of … Continue reading →

What is it? It is a mid-latitude cyclone that intensifies rapidly. It has low pressure at its center, weather fronts and an array of associated weather, from blizzards to severe thunderstorms to heavy precipitation. Reasons for the Formation Storms form … Continue reading →