Coastal Communities Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise

Context: A recent study conducted by Indian Scientists has indicated that the coastal regions could experience higher wave activity in the future.

Key findings of the study

• The regions in the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, and South Indian Ocean could experience higher wave activity.
• The extreme wind waves will impact coastal regions along the east and west coast of India.
• The countries bordering the Indian Ocean rim have implications on coastal flooding and shoreline changes.
• The change in wave heights is maximum for the South China Sea with a maximum of 23 % rise by the end of the end-century.
• The change in winds and waves over the western tropical Indian Ocean is consistent with changes in sea-level pressure variations and warm ocean temperatures.

Significant increment in sea surface temperature over the Arabian Sea, ranging between 1.5 and 2.0º C.

• The regions over the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf can experience higher warming rates.
• The seasonal signatures in the extreme wind-wave patterns over the Indian Ocean directly correlate with the location of extreme wind activity.
• The end-century projections identified the hotspot locations of extreme wind activity over the central Bay of Bengal.