Ocean heat waves in the Indian Ocean are reducing monsoon rainfall over central India

Ocean heat waves in the Indian Ocean are reducing monsoon rainfall over central India

According to a recent study, marine heat waves (MHW) in the Indian Ocean are reducing the monsoon rainfall in central India.

This study has been done by the Climate Change Research Center (CCCR) under the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

Key findings

The western Indian Ocean region experienced the largest increase in ocean heat waves (1.5 events per decade) during 1982 to 2018. This is followed by an increase in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (0.5 events per decade).

Consequences of increase in marine heat waves in the Indian Ocean:

  • Monsoon rains are declining over central India.
  • Monsoon rains are increasing over the southern peninsular region.
  • These changes are caused by heat waves in response to fluctuations in monsoon winds.
  • Ocean heat waves occur when the seawater temperature exceeds a seasonally variable limit (usually the 90th percentile) for 5 consecutive days.

Reason for MHW:

  • Ocean heat waves are generated in response to the warming of surface waters in the Indian Ocean and El Nino events in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Locally, MHWs are formed by the decline in evaporation-induced cooling due to extreme amounts of solar radiation and weak wind flow.
  • Weak winds in the western Indian Ocean also reduce the heat carried by ocean currents from the equatorial regions to the north. This intensifies the MHW.

Source – The Hindu

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