Question

<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> “The warming of the Indian ocean has several climatic impacts including the cascading effects on the working of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current”. Discuss.

Answer 1

Answer:

Introduction:
Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean rose by one degree Celsius on average between 1951-2015. This temperature rise was 0.3°C higher than the global average of 0.7°C

Body:
Reasons for warming of the Indian Ocean
Due to global warming, increased temperatures are warming the oceans.
Ozone depletion i.e. occurring due to more carbon particles released in the atmosphere is responsible for more incoming solar radiation, warming the Indian Ocean
More carbon sequestration by oceans and water bodies is leading to an increase in the temperature of Indian Oceans

Impacts of warming of the Indian Ocean:

On Oceans:
Ocean warming may lead to deoxygenation in the ocean that means a reduction in the amount of oxygen dissolved in the ocean.
It leads to sea-level rise due to the thermal expansion of seawater and continental ice melting.
On marine species and ecosystems
Marine fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals face very high risks from increasing temperatures, including high levels of mortalities, loss of breeding grounds and mass movements as species search for favourable environmental conditions.
It causes coral bleaching, thus disturbs the coral ecosystem
It benefits the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC):
Atlantic Meridional overturning current (AMOC) is a large system of ocean current in the Atlantic ocean between the north and the south. It allows water to continually mix and heat and energy are distributed all around.

However, in the last two decades, AMOC is slowing down. In the Atlantic ocean, more precipitation tends to balance the evaporation thus maintaining a balanced salinity.
Impact of Indian Ocean warming on Atlantic meridional overturning current:
Indian ocean is warming, creating more low pressure and thus air from high pressure including the Atlantic Ocean comes to the Indian ocean.
This will lead to an increase in precipitation in the Indian ocean and a decrease in the Atlantic ocean.
Less precipitation will not be able to dilute the salt present in the ocean, this will cause more salinity.
This saline water coming to the north will get cold much colder and sinks faster. This enhances the speed of AMOC.

Conclusion:
However, if global warming continues the warming and other oceans will get warm then this advantage of the Atlantic ocean may go.