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Correct Answer: Option (C) — El Nino and Southern Oscillations
Concept & Option Breakdown
Standard Reference VerifiedEl Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) refer to the periodic warming of central and eastern equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures coupled with atmospheric pressure shifts. Strong El Niño episodes disrupt the Walker circulation and shift the convective rain belt eastward, which historically correlates with suppressed convective activity and weak or deficient monsoon rainfall over the Indian subcontinent.
El Niño correlates with suppressed/deficient Indian monsoon rains, whereas La Niña generally promotes normal to above-normal monsoon rainfall.
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