Statement I : The Doldrums is a low pressure area around the Equator where the prevailing winds are calm Statement I : Low pressure is caused by the heat at the Equator which makes the air rise and travel both Northwards and Southwards

Statement I is correct as the Doldrums, or the Equatorial Low Pressure Belt, is characterized by extremely calm air movements and light winds [2]. This belt lies between 10° N and 10° S, where trade winds from both hemispheres converge [5]. Statement II provides the correct scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Intense solar insolation at the Equator causes the air to heat up, expand, and rise through convection, creating a low-pressure zone [3]. As this air ascends to the top of the troposphere, it diverges and travels both Northwards and Southwards toward the poles [3]. This vertical movement of air (ascending currents) rather than horizontal movement is what results in the characteristic calm surface conditions of the Doldrums [4]. Thus, the thermal heating and subsequent air circulation patterns directly cause the low pressure and calm winds described.

Sources

1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 23: Pressure Systems and Wind System > Equatorial Low-Pressure Belt or 'Doldrums' > p. 311
2. [2] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 14: Climate > Pressure and Planetary Winds > p. 139
3. [5] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) > p. 30
4. [3] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems > General circulation of the atmosphere > p. 80
5. [4] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 9: Atmospheric Circulation and Weather Systems > Pressure and Wind > p. 79