Lake Cayuga in upstate New York is about 61 km long and 3 km wide, with an average
depth of 132 m. Strong winds occasionally push the warm surface water away from the
shore, which allows the upwelling of the cooler deep water. Why would this upwelling be
beneficial for the ecosystem in the lake?

Hello there, I see that this is an Environmental Science question.

As strong winds push the warm surface water away from the shore, it allows the upwelling of the cooler deep water. This upwelling is beneficial because as cooler water emerges, it brings the surface water's temperature down and thus allows more animal species that are not comfortable in warmer water to thrive. Some species are comfortable in warmer waters, others are not. Random thing to say, but remember that aquatic species are always more comfortable in cold waters, as dissolved oxygen increases if the temperature is low.  

c. earths continental crust is thicker than its lithosphere.

because, the lithosphere is the outermost layer of the earth/ 100 km thick and is defined by its machanical properties.the lithosphere contains oceanic and continental crust that varies in age and thickness across locations and geologic time. the lithosphere is the coolest layer of the earth in terms of temperature. the term lithosphere should not be confused with the use of "geosphere" which is used to indicate all of earth systems, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere   and biosphere. the surface of the earth can be divided into the continental crust and the oceanic crust.   the continental crust is made mostly of granite while the oceanic crust is made of basalt. the average thickness of the continental crust is 25 miles and the average thickness of the oceanic crust is 5 miles.   three types of rock, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic, make up the surface of the earth. that's why 3 option is preferable.

this is more of a statement than a question. is there answers to go along with this, or is it opinion based?