RAS question
Which is the correct pair of warm and cold ocean currents in the same ocean?
Correct answer: (A) Gulf Stream (warm) and Labrador Current (cold) — North Atlantic.
The Gulf Stream is a warm current and the Labrador Current is a cold current, and both belong to the North Atlantic ocean-current system.
Explanation
The correct pair is Gulf Stream and Labrador Current because both are part of the North Atlantic circulation while contrasting sharply in temperature and direction. NOAA describes the Gulf Stream as a major component of ocean circulation in the Northwest Atlantic, and this warm current flows northward along the eastern coast of the United States. The Labrador Current, by contrast, flows southward along the western boundary of the Labrador Sea; NOAA notes that its associated Labrador Shelf Water is the coldest and freshest water entering the Northeast Shelf ecosystem. Their meeting zone near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland explains the classic geography link: warm and cold currents in the same ocean create fog-prone, biologically productive waters.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Peru Current is wrongly labelled warm here; it is a cold current, so the temperature pairing fails.
- (C) Gulf Stream is wrongly labelled cold, and the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio are not in the same ocean-current system.
- (D) Kuroshio and Benguela are not in the same ocean: Kuroshio belongs to the North Pacific, while Benguela belongs to the South Atlantic.
Concept
This tests the world-geography concept of warm and cold ocean currents and their ocean-wise distribution. RAS repeats this area because currents connect physical geography with climate, fog, fisheries and map-based elimination.