How does UDA help in Climate Change Risk Assessment? A case for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
Akash Prasad, IIT BOMBAY
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Key Highlights
- The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has warmed by approximately 1.2°C over the past century, leading to significant changes, including expanding the Indian Ocean Warm Pool (IOWP).
- Warming has caused higher sea levels and shifts in climate dynamics, potentially disrupting critical rainfall patterns for countries like India.
- Expanding Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs) and declining net primary production (NPP) threaten marine life, leading to shifts in fish populations and potential declines in India’s marine fish catch by 10% to 30% by 2050.
- India’s blue economy, crucial for GDP and livelihoods, is threatened by coastal flooding, erosion, and infrastructure vulnerability, requiring policy interventions for re-skilling and upskilling.
- The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) are essential for addressing ocean governance challenges through enhanced surveillance, monitoring technologies, and adaptive strategies for sustainable resource management and coastal resilience.
Over the years, the ocean’s climate change risk has been increasing alarmingly. The past decade has recorded some of the highest-ever sea surface temperatures (SST) and events like coral bleaching in several ocean regions. Given the accelerating rate of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, it is very likely that in the coming years, climate change will significantly disrupt the entire marine ecosystem. This disruption will indirectly affect humanity, threatening livelihoods and reducing the contribution of the blue economy to the world.
The Indian Ocean region, experiencing the highest increase in the net ocean heat content (OHC) in the 21st century compared to other oceans, is particularly vulnerable. This ocean caters to approximately 33% of the world’s population despite covering only 20% of the Earth’s water surface. Therefore, there is an urgent need to adopt a framework that addresses the climate change problem in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), considering factors such as the unique features of tropical waters, socio-cultural, economic, and political conditions of the local people, and the impact of climate change on the underwater ecosystem. Despite the formation of various global groups like COP and UNEP and the signing of various agreements by the world leaders to tackle climate change, no impactful on-ground result has been achieved till now.
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Akash Prasad, IIT BOMBAY
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Akash Prasad is an undergraduate from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical and material science. He is currently an intern at the Maritime Research Center (MRC), where his primary focus is scientific climate change risk assessment research.