India lost 250 sq km coast in 15 yrs due to Antarctic storms
COLD THREAT IITKharagpur scientists analysed data from 8 satellites collected over 21 yrs
Over the past 15 years, India has lost more than 250 sq km of its coastline due to rising sea levels and increased erosion. Now a team of scientists from IIT Kharagpur has found that the culprit could be sitting somewhere near the Antarctic region – nearly 7000 km away.
Analysing data collected by eight satellites over a period of 21 years, a team of scientists led by PK Bhaskaran, head of the ocean engineering and naval architecture department of IIT Kharagpur, has found that strong waves and stormy winds originating from the icy continent are triggering the erosion of the Indian coastline.
“Sea storms triggered by climate change and global warming have increased near the Antarctic region over the past 20 years. These have been generating high waves and stormy winds, which travel thousands of kilometres to reach the Indian coast. These have been changing the erosion and sedimentation patterns in both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea,” Bhaskaran said.
It takes just around four to five days for these waves to reach the Indian coast, which play havoc with wind speed, wave heights and ocean currents, which in turn aggravate the erosion. The pattern of sedimentation is also changing as scientists are witnessing in the Sunderbans area.
“In the Bay of Bengal region, the height of waves has increased by nearly 1.4 m and speed of winds has increased by 3.1 metres per second over the past two decades. The trend is almost the same for the Arabian Sea,” he added.
The cumulative result is increased erosion along the Indian coastline.
Earlier a team of 10 scientists from the Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad — a key unit of ISRO — and the Central Water Commission under the water resources ministry studied changes along the country’s 8,414 km shoreline, including those of island groups such as Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
They pointed out that around 3,829 km (45.5%) of the coast is under erosion, 3,004 km (35.7%) is getting accreted, while only 1,581 km (18.8%) of the coast is more or less stable.
The Nicobar Islands lost the maximum area — around 94 sq km. States such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal too lost land to sea erosion.
“Climate change has influenced weather patterns across global oceans. It is matter of serious concern which can have long-term repercussions. To improve climate projections, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report has also highlighted the need and importance for wind-wave climate study,” said Indian Meteorological Department, Kolkata deputy director general Sanjeeb Bandyopadhyay.