Marine experts have expressed alarm that climate change is contributing to a fast warming of the Indian Ocean, potentially causing species extinction.
At the opening session of a winter school in Kochi, India organised by the Central Marine Fisheries Research (CMFRI), concerns were raised that stock levels in Indian fisheries are being affected by rising sea temperatures.
Speaking at the 21-day school, a series of seminars designed to discuss the effects of climate change on marine fisheries, Dr A Ramachandran, vice chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, said that warming seas and higher carbon dioxide concentrations are making oceans more acidic. This damages the ecosystem and biodiversity leading to a drop in productivity.
This particularly affects the Indian Ocean where temperatures are rising more quickly than elsewhere. Dr A Gopalakrishnan, director of CMFRI, said: “The Indian Ocean is warming faster (0.11 degrees C per decade) faster than the Atlantic (0.07 degrees C) and the Pacific (0.05 degrees C).”
Experts warn that the sea surface temperature in the Indian Ocean will increase by 0.60 degrees by 2050.
Dr PU Zacharia, course director of the winter school and head of the demersal fisheries division of CMFRI, also expressed concern, saying that the country had experienced 24 climatic events around the Indian coasts resulting in the loss of life and property.
“Estimates of climate change impacts are essential to devise policies and suggest adaptation and mitigation measures,” he said.
The winter school is aimed at equipping scientists and other stakeholders with knowledge to assess and adapt to climate change. Twenty-five researchers are participating in the programme.
