Indian Ocean to help predict climate

In a first, Indian scientists will study climate change by observing and analysing the depths of Indian Ocean. Globally, scientists have already been studying oceans to understand climate change better, but Indian scientists will be conducting such a study for the first time. The aim of the project is to predict climate change till 2050.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, will conduct the project. The study is part of the 'Deep Sea Mission' that the ministry plans to undertake. India has been allocated an area of 0.75 million square kilometres on the Indian Ocean for the mission.

The experts will look at the long-term data set of ocean temperature and currents.

Talking about the project, INCOIS Director Dr Satheesh Shenoy said: "The climate change study is a part of the Deep Sea Mission, which we are going to undertake in the coming days. If we look at the long-term data set of ocean temperature, we can determine how the temperature has increased over the years."

"Pacific Ocean was warmer than the Indian Ocean till 1970. But later, Indian Ocean started to warm up. So far, we do not know how it is going to affect the atmosphere. These changes are expected to largely affect monsoon," he added. Dr Shenoy further said that by studying the Indian Ocean, they will not only be able to forecast the climate till 2050 but can also give long-term predictions for climate in the Indian sub-continent, till 2100.

"Through the study, we will see how the warming up is affecting the rise in sea levels, especially in areas such as Sunderbans, where climate change has already started showing its effects,"he added.

Apart from studying climate change, the Mission also includes deep sea mining to extract minerals from the ocean bed and studies for development of submersibles, which can be further used for several other experiments under the sea surface.