Context
But marine heatwaves have been on the rise in the waters around India, says a study.
What are Marine Heatwaves?
- Marine heatwaves (MHWs) areperiods of extremely high temperatures in the ocean.
- MHWs can last for weeks or even years. They can affect small areas of coastline or span multiple oceans.
- Impact: These events are linked to
- coral bleaching
- seagrass destruction
- loss of kelp forests
- affecting the fisheries sector adversely
Reasons
- Anthropogenically-driven climate change
- Unusual weather patterns
- Disruptions in ocean currents and mixing
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Major events
- An underwater survey showed that 85% of the corals in the Gulf of Mannar near the Tamil Nadu coast got bleached after the marine heatwave in May 2020.
- Emerging studies have reported their occurrence and impacts in the global oceans, but are little understood in the tropical Indian Ocean.
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