
India's Changing Monsoon Patterns, Warmer Climate Threaten Bay of Bengal's Marine Life: Study
Future projections show climate change-induced warmer surface waters, strong freshwater run-off and weaker winds could lead to sharp fall in marine productivity in Bay of Bengal
India's changing monsoon patterns and continuously warming climate could drastically weaken the Bay of Bengal's ability to support marine life – a crucial part of the region's food supply. The latest study has long-term consequences for fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
Flanking India's vast east coast, the Bay of Bengal supports densely populated regions that rely heavily on marine resources for food and livelihoods. Even though it covers just 1% of the global ocean, the Bay of Bengal supplies nearly 8% of the world's fishery production.
'Millions of people living along the Bay of Bengal rely on the sea for protein, particularly from fisheries. The productivity of these waters – the ability of the ocean to support plankton growth – is the foundation of the marine food web. If ocean productivity declines, it will powerfully affect the ecosystem, ultimately reducing fish stocks and threatening food security for coastal communities," said author Professor Yair Rosenthal from the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University.
The team from Rutgers University, the University of Arizona, and collaborators from India, China and Europe found that both extremely strong and extremely weak monsoon periods over the past 22,000 years caused a nearly 50% reduction in food available from marine life at the surface. They published their findings in the peer-reviewed Nature Geoscience.
This may occur because the monsoon, which provides over 75% of the annual rainfall over the country during four months from June to September, is also essential for providing freshwater to the region. However, due to global warming and rising temperatures, this is changing because the southwest monsoon is becoming more erratic and extreme over the years.
INDIA'S MONSOON TURNING MORE ERRATIC
According to researchers, the extreme conditions in the past stopped the deep and surface waters from mixing, blocking nutrients from reaching the upper layers where marine life depends on them. With climate change expected to make the monsoon more intense and erratic, those extremes provoking stratification of the ocean layers, the food supply produced by the Bay of Bengal may be threatened, they said.
This is likely because the monsoon rainfall controls the volume of river discharge into the Bay of Bengal. The freshwater significantly changes oceanographic conditions and affects the feeding cycle of fish and plankton. When monsoon rains are too intense, a freshwater layer can cap the ocean surface, blocking nutrients from below. Without nutrients, plankton growth drops – and with it, the entire food chain, including fish. Weaker monsoons also suppress nutrient delivery by reducing ocean circulation and wind-driven mixing.
The study showed that the productivity of the Bay of Bengal's waters collapsed during periods of very weak monsoons – a period between 17,500 and 15,500 years ago, and very strong monsoons, such as those in the early Holocene, a time marked by rapid warming and sea level rise because of melting glaciers, occurred between about 10,500 and 9,500 years ago.
The team's future projections showed that warmer surface waters, strong freshwater run-off and weaker winds could create conditions for a sharp fall in marine productivity in the Bay of Bengal.
'The relationship between monsoons and ocean biology we have uncovered in the Bay of Bengal gives us real-world evidence of how marine ecosystems have reacted to warming and monsoon shifts and may do so in the future," said Rosenthal highlighting the need for sustainable management of fisheries and coastal resources as the impacts of climate change accelerate.
ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON OCEANS
The team studied the fossil shells of foraminifera – tiny single-celled plankton that live in the ocean and build calcium carbonate shells, since they preserve information about the environment they grew in, acting like natural recorders of past ocean and climate conditions.
top videos
View all
By analysing their chemistry and tracking the abundance of certain types that thrive in productive waters, they reconstructed long-term changes in rainfall, ocean temperatures and marine life in the Bay of Bengal. 'Together, these chemical signals helped us understand how the monsoon and ocean conditions responded to global climate changes over the past 22,000 years," said lead author geoscientist Kaustubh Thirumalai from the University of Arizona.
The sediments analysed were recovered from the seafloor by scientists aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution, funded by the National Science Foundation-funded as part of the International Ocean Discovery Program.
tags :
news18 specials
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
April 29, 2025, 12:47 IST
News india India's Changing Monsoon Patterns, Warmer Climate Threaten Bay of Bengal's Marine Life: Study
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
How will Earth take its last breath? New research gives a detailed description of how life on planet will meet its end
A new study, employing NASA's planetary modeling, predicts Earth's oxygen will vanish in roughly one billion years, much sooner than previously thought. Led by Toho University, the research highlights the sun's aging process as a key factor, causing increased water evaporation, rising temperatures, and a failing carbon cycle. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What has the research revealed? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Researchers shorten Earth's lifeline A groundbreaking study by researchers at Toho University, using NASA's advanced planetary modeling, has predicted a major shift in Earth's atmosphere that could make life as we know it in Nature Geoscience, the research suggests that Earth's oxygen could vanish in about one billion years—shedding new light on the long-term evolution of our planet's team ran 400,000 simulations to model how Earth's atmosphere might change as the sun grows hotter with age. While the predicted changes lie far in the future, the findings offer critical insights into planetary science and the eventual fate of Earth's study titled "The Future Lifespan of Earth's Oxygenated Atmosphere" explores a future in which oxygen becomes increasingly scarce due to natural changes in the planet's systems. Led by Kazumi Ozaki, an assistant professor at Toho University in Tokyo, the research examines the geological and astronomical factors influencing long-term shifts in Earth's role of the Sun One of the core factors leading to oxygen depletion is the sun's inevitable aging process. As the sun ages, it will gradually become hotter and brighter. This increase in solar radiation will significantly impact Earth's climate, leading to a series of irreversible changes:As temperatures rise, Earth's water bodies will evaporate more rapidly, increasing atmospheric water vapor levels. This warming will also cause surface temperatures to escalate, gradually creating conditions unsuitable for sustaining life. The heat will disrupt the carbon cycle—a crucial process that regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide—weakening its ability to maintain balance. As a result, plant life will begin to die off, stopping the production of oxygen through photosynthesis. Over time, these cascading effects will lead to a dramatic loss of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, rendering the planet increasingly research revealed that as the carbon cycle deteriorates, the atmosphere will revert to a composition reminiscent of early Earth, characterized by high levels of methane and low oxygen. This transformation mirrors the state before the Great Oxidation Event—a period when Earth's atmosphere became rich in oxygen due to the proliferation of photosynthetic scientific models suggested that Earth's biosphere would last up to two billion years, primarily due to overheating and the eventual depletion of CO₂ necessary for photosynthesis. However, this new research narrows the timeframe, suggesting a much earlier end to oxygen Ozaki emphasized that while the eventual demise of Earth's biosphere was acknowledged, pinpointing the timing and the precise process of deoxygenation remained elusive. This study, using advanced supercomputer simulations, provides a clearer understanding by simulating numerous potential scenarios.


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
How will Earth take its last breath? New research gives a detailed description of how life on planet will meet its end
A groundbreaking study by researchers at Toho University, using NASA's advanced planetary modeling, has predicted a major shift in Earth's atmosphere that could make life as we know it impossible. Published in Nature Geoscience, the research suggests that Earth's oxygen could vanish in about one billion years—shedding new light on the long-term evolution of our planet's atmosphere. The team ran 400,000 simulations to model how Earth's atmosphere might change as the sun grows hotter with age. While the predicted changes lie far in the future, the findings offer critical insights into planetary science and the eventual fate of Earth's biosphere. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search ads Learn More The study titled "The Future Lifespan of Earth's Oxygenated Atmosphere" explores a future in which oxygen becomes increasingly scarce due to natural changes in the planet's systems. Led by Kazumi Ozaki, an assistant professor at Toho University in Tokyo, the research examines the geological and astronomical factors influencing long-term shifts in Earth's atmosphere. What has the research revealed? The role of the Sun One of the core factors leading to oxygen depletion is the sun's inevitable aging process. As the sun ages, it will gradually become hotter and brighter. This increase in solar radiation will significantly impact Earth's climate, leading to a series of irreversible changes: Live Events As temperatures rise, Earth's water bodies will evaporate more rapidly, increasing atmospheric water vapor levels. This warming will also cause surface temperatures to escalate, gradually creating conditions unsuitable for sustaining life. The heat will disrupt the carbon cycle—a crucial process that regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide—weakening its ability to maintain balance. As a result, plant life will begin to die off, stopping the production of oxygen through photosynthesis. Over time, these cascading effects will lead to a dramatic loss of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, rendering the planet increasingly uninhabitable. The research revealed that as the carbon cycle deteriorates, the atmosphere will revert to a composition reminiscent of early Earth, characterized by high levels of methane and low oxygen. This transformation mirrors the state before the Great Oxidation Event—a period when Earth's atmosphere became rich in oxygen due to the proliferation of photosynthetic organisms. Researchers shorten Earth's lifeline Earlier scientific models suggested that Earth's biosphere would last up to two billion years, primarily due to overheating and the eventual depletion of CO₂ necessary for photosynthesis. However, this new research narrows the timeframe, suggesting a much earlier end to oxygen production. Kazumi Ozaki emphasized that while the eventual demise of Earth's biosphere was acknowledged, pinpointing the timing and the precise process of deoxygenation remained elusive. This study, using advanced supercomputer simulations, provides a clearer understanding by simulating numerous potential scenarios.


Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
New tools offer breakthrough in tackling 'hidden hunger' in India
NEW DELHI: A new toolkit developed by The George Institute for Global Health (GIGH), India, in collaboration with Rutgers University, US and other international partners, promises to reshape India's response to malnutrition by helping map and understand its complex food environments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The study, published in Current Developments in Nutrition, addresses how availability, affordability, and access to food influence nutritional outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like India. The GIGH is an independent medical research organisation with a focus on improving the health of millions worldwide, particularly those living in disadvantaged settings. Established in 1999 and headquartered in Sydney, it operates major research centres in India, China, and the UK. Led by Shauna Downs of Rutgers and featuring Suparna Ghosh-Jerath from The George Institute, the research introduces a 'Food Environment Toolbox' that includes seven practical tools such as participatory mapping and market assessments. These tools were piloted across rural, urban, and peri-urban areas in India and Cambodia. India's food landscape is shifting rapidly, with growing market dependence not matched by better nutrition. 'We developed the toolbox through an iterative process, ensuring it reflects the realities of LMICs,' said Dr. Ghosh-Jerath. The country continues to battle a double burden—widespread nutrient deficiencies alongside rising diet-related diseases. National surveys reveal severe anaemia among women and children, underscoring the need for diet quality over mere calorie sufficiency. The new toolkit could enhance key nutrition schemes like POSHAN Abhiyaan, ICDS, and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme by aligning them more closely with regional food realities. 'The tools were adaptable across diverse contexts,' noted Dr. Downs, calling them a 'timely step toward more effective, evidence-based nutrition policy.'