In South Asia, the season for monsoon usually takes place between June and September. The region experiences a deluge of rain which is crucial for agriculture in the area. However, climate change is changing the severity and duration of the monsoons, possibly changing the region permanently.
Read: Cyclone Tauktae Rings Warning Bells For An Impending Climate Change
A new study by experts indicates that the monsoon season in India is possibly going to be more dangerous and wetter due to global warming. The paper was published in the Science Advances journal recently. It provides further evidence backing the theory of how global warming is modifying the monsoons. The paper studies the past one million years to predict future monsoons.
The Monsoons Will Be A Disaster Season
Over twenty percent of the population of the world is directly affected by the monsoons. It destroys or nourishes crops, causes floods that devastate, takes lives, as well as spreads pollution. The recent study aims to be a guide for how much more such phenomenon will happen.
But how did they get the million years’ worth of data? No time machines were used. Rather, researchers looked at the mud. They drilled samples out of the Bay of Bengal in the north part of the Indian Ocean. This region is the drainage area for the monsoons.
The samples of the core had a length of 200 meters. A season that had more rainfall had resulted in a higher amount of freshwater draining into the area, thus resulting in the surface having a reduced salinity. The surface plankton then dies and falls down layer-wise at the bottom sediment. The planktons’ fossil shells are inspected by the researchers. The scientists can then find out how saline the water was at the time.
They found out that periods of low salinity and high rainfall followed periods when there was more CO2 in the atmosphere, the volume of global ice was lower, and winds bearing moisture in the region had increased. Presently, the situation is happening once more, with human-induced global warming.
Read: Sea Level Rise: Ominous Effect Of Global Warming And Climate Change
As such, the researchers warn that dire consequences await this change in monsoons. Every year, the rainfall is getting more and more destructive. As such, if it gets any worse, the struggles of the region might never be overcome.
