Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form.
No water enters the Red Sea from rivers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct: The Red Sea lies between the extremely arid desert regions of northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Precipitation here is very low and irregular, whereas the rate of evaporation is very high.
Statement 2 is correct: No permanent or perennial river regularly flows into the Red Sea. Some wadis may produce brief local runoff after rainfall, but this is not considered regular river inflow.
The Red Sea’s principal natural water exchange occurs in the south through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, connecting it with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
The combined effect of extremely low precipitation, absence of regular river inflow and high evaporation gives the Red Sea relatively high salinity.