Climate change will lead to extreme winds, tall waves along Indian coasts, finds study

With experts warning of climate change and an increasing frequency of extreme events, a new study paints a grim picture for coastal regions of India.

Scientists have found that regions in the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, and South Indian Ocean could experience higher wave activity in the future.

This could pose a threat to coastal communities in the region, which are already one of the most vulnerable to climate change due to their exposure to severe inundation globally. With increased wave activity, the threat of inundation could affect the shoreline configuration, damage to infrastructure, saltwater intrusion into groundwater, destruction of crops, and affect the human population with a range of socio-economic consequences.

The study published in the journal ‘Climate Dynamics’ Springer, states that extreme wind waves will impact coastal regions along the east and west coast of India and countries bordering the Indian Ocean rim having implications on coastal flooding and shoreline changes.

EXTREME WAVES TO HIT INDIAN SHORES

Scientists performed a detailed investigation of future extreme wind-wave projections and their relationship with wind speed, sea level pressure, and sea surface temperature. The research was conducted between the mid-and end of century period under two different greenhouse gas emission scenarios projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) called RCP4.5 and RCP8.5.