Analyze the dynamics of coastal upwelling along the western continental shelf of India during the southwest monsoon: Assertion (A): Surface waters are driven offshore by sustained winds, causing nutrient-rich deep water to upwell into the photic zone. Reason (R): The Earth rotation deflects surface wind-driven transport to the left of the wind vector in the Northern Hemisphere, inducing offshore Ekman transport. Which of the following is correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Assertion (A) is correct because coastal upwelling occurs along the western shelf of India during summer monsoons, bringing cold nutrient-dense water upward. However, Reason (R) is incorrect because the Coriolis force deflects wind-driven surface water to the right of the wind vector in the Northern Hemisphere, not the left. Ekman transport operates 90 degrees to the right of the surface wind in northern latitudes. Coastal upwelling supports rich marine fisheries and biological productivity in tropical shelf waters.