Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
Q2. Explain the relationship between El Niño and the Walker circulation. How does its weakening affect tropical rainfall belts? (10 M)
Difficulty Level: Medium
Reference: DTE
Why the question
ENSO-related variability is increasingly influencing monsoon predictability, tropical rainfall distribution, and climate risk assessments, making the El Niño–Walker circulation linkage a core concept in physical geography with contemporary relevance.Key Demand of the question
The question requires explaining the functional relationship between El Niño and the Walker circulation, and analysing how the weakening of this circulation redistributes tropical rainfall belts across different regions.Structure of the Answer
Introduction
Briefly introduce the Walker circulation as an equatorial zonal atmospheric system and locate El Niño within the ENSO framework as a major disruptor of this circulation.Body
- Explain how El Niño weakens the Walker circulation through ocean–atmosphere coupling and altered trade winds.
- Analyse how the weakened circulation shifts convection zones and modifies tropical rainfall belts, including monsoon and equatorial regions.
Conclusion
Highlight the significance of understanding Walker circulation weakening for predicting tropical rainfall variability and improving climate resilience strategies.
