OCEAN WARMING- A WARNING BELL

OCEAN WARMING- A WARNING BELL

The flamingo point in Mumbai was deserted this year. The pink migrating birds had not been much spotted. India experienced a delay in monsoon for two long dry weeks disrupting the agricultural calendar before the Southwest Monsoon winds finally reached Kerela. The stable and calm paleoclimatology of the Arabian Sea has now been replaced with harsh cyclones that have raided the Indian terrain for the recent years consequently with accelerating intensity and frequency. 

We may wonder about the cause of such erratic changes. The reason is- OCEAN WARMING. The El-Nino effect of the Pacific Ocean have a widespread impact from Australia to the Indian subcontinent. The unpredictable surface warming that happens with a two-to-seven-year gap has been characterised by a spike in ocean temperatures and has increased the strength and speed of the ocean currents. 

Marine ecosystems face the threat of climate change and an unexpected heating up of the ocean waters. The pH level of the waters is also declining due to acid rain, human activities, and intense heat. The oceans play an important role in the process of hydrolysis or the exchange of water between the different spheres of life. Water has a high specific heat capacity and specific latent heat value which enables oceans to absorb the excessive heat of the surroundings. About 90% of the warming caused due to greenhouse gases have been effectively stored in the ocean. But we have continuously produced GHGs causing this unusual warming, disturbance in the ecological balance and the ocean’s sustainability. 

Corals get bleached and the sensitive marine animals become vulnerable to extinction. The issue is aggravated by the plastic pollution and industrial discharge of chemicals into the waterbodies. It is grave and needs immediate action. However, the positive part is that it is still not too late to save the oceans. Small but significant steps can resolve this issue. We can practice plastic sequestration, forestation of coastal areas, usage of renewable resources and reduced pollution unitedly. We must strive for an environmentally enriched earth for a better future. Thus, let’s protect the health of our oceans. NO BLUE, NO GREEN. NO WATER, NO LIFE

-Hetvi Ashar,10C