Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
- 1.Giant icebergs have a bearing on primary productivity and food chains of the Southern Ocean.
- 2.Melting of giant icebergs can produce climate change effects and impact world fisheries.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Iceberg meltwater brings iron and nutrients that boost phytoplankton, the base of ocean food chains, and giant icebergs account for up to 20 percent of the carbon stored in the Southern Ocean. So icebergs affect productivity and food chains, and their melting bears on climate and on fisheries.
- ✓ 1. Phytoplankton are the ocean’s primary producers. Meltwater from giant icebergs ‘supports hitherto unexpectedly high levels of phytoplankton growth’, so icebergs bear on primary productivity and the food chains built on it.
- ✓ 2. Giant icebergs are ‘responsible for storing up to 20 percent of carbon in the Southern Ocean’, so their melting affects carbon storage and hence climate; and the phytoplankton growth they drive is the base on which fish stocks depend.
Remember · Link each fact to its direct consequence: phytoplankton lead to food chains and fisheries; carbon storage leads to climate.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·