Lok Sabha Question No. 4092 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Effects of Global Warming on Maritime Flora and Fauna
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ajay Nishad, Chandan Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4092 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## Effects of Global Warming on Maritime Flora and Fauna

## 4092.  SHRI AJAY NISHAD SHRI CHANDAN SINGH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  or  proposes  to  conduct  any  detailed  study about global warming and erosion of water bodies as a result thereof;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  technology  being  used  or  to  be  used  to  solve  this issue; and
- (c) whether the  Government  has  conducted  any  study  in  regard  to  the  affect  of  global warming on maritime flora and fauna and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) and (b)Impact of climate change on water bodies is a dynamic process and quantum of this  impact  varies  from  time  to  time  due  to  variable  nature  of  climatic  conditions.  While country-wide assessment has not been performed to examine the impacts of climate change on  soil  erosion  and  sedimentation,  there  are  studies  conducted  at  the  river  basin  scales  in different regions of  India that suggest an increase in soil erosion and sedimentation due to climate change. The observed and projected increase in erosion is mainly due to increase in heavy rainfall events and associated floods in the observed and projected future climate.

Further,  various  agencies  of  the  Government  of  India  undertake  research  and development studies on the effect  of  climate  change  on  various  dimensions  of  water  from time  to  time  depending  upon  the  prevailing  conditions  gauging  the  systematic  linkages between climate and water.

The National Hydrology Project is being implemented which has resulted in improved extent, quality and accessibility of water resources information and strengthened the capacity of water resources management institutions in India. For the implementation of this project, modern  technologies  like  Lidar  mapping,  Real  Time  Data  Acquisition  System  through telemetry,  Supervisory  control  and  data  acquisition (SCADA)  system  for  Water  Resources management and advanced information technology-based information system were used.

The  Central  and  State  Governments  take  all  possible  steps  for  the  preservation, conservation and management of water bodies (including lakes, wetlands etc.) in the country which inter-alia include Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) started in 2019, a time bound campaign with a mission mode approach intended to improve water availability in the water stressed blocks of 256 districts in India, Namami Gange Programme for conservation of river Ganga, notification  of  the  Wetlands  (Conservation  and  Management)  Rules,  2017  for  protection, conservation and management of wetlands, etc.

(c) As  per  the  Special  Report  on  'The  Ocean  and  Cryosphere  in  a  Changing  Climate' released in September 2019 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), since about 1950 many marine species across various groups have undergone shifts in geographical range and seasonal activities in response to ocean warming, sea ice change and biogeochemical changes, such as oxygen loss, to their habitats. This has resulted in shifts in species composition, abundance and biomass production of ecosystems, from the equator to the poles. However, in some marine ecosystems, species are impacted by both the effects of fishing and climate changes. The report also states that the coastal ecosystem is affected by ocean  warming,  including  intensified  marine  heat  waves,  acidification,  loss  of  oxygen, salinity  intrusions  and  sea  level  rise,  in  combination  with  adverse  effects  from  human activities on ocean and land.

As per information provided by the Indian Space Research Organization, a long-term study was carried out (1982-2018) on five major coral reef regions of India based on the modelled and satellite derived Sea Surface Temperatures (SST). The study found that Indian coral reef regions  have  different  regional,  thermal  and  bleaching  thresholds  corresponding  to  their individual warmest months and warmest quarters. A prototype coral bleaching alert system based on  these  regional  thresholds  has  also  been  developed  and  hosted  at  VEDAS  geoportal (vedas.sac.isro.gov.in).

Time series data on sea surface temperature and the abundance of green microscopic plants  in  the  Exclusive  Economic  Zone  (EEZ)  of  Arabian  Sea  and  Bay  of  Bengal  was obtained  from  satellite  data  during  2003-2019.  Analysis  long-term  data  showed  a  significant change in sea surface temperature since 2014. The southern area of Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal  showed  sea  surface  temperature  above  the  long  term  mean.The  years  2015  and 2016,had the  warmest  sea  surface  temperatures  in  the  region.  Correspondingly, the production  of  green  microscopic  plants  (estimated  as  concentration  of  chlorophyll  -  a pigment) as revealed from chlorophyll images decreased below the long term and was lowest during  2015-2016.  These  years  also  corresponded  to  the  strongest  El-Niño  years  of  the decade.

Further, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has also been entrusted to  carry  out  the  climate  change  impact  studies  on  Indian  marine  fisheries  sector  through multiple projects  viz  'National  network  project  on  climate  change'  (2004-2007),  'National Innovations  in  Climate  Resilient  Agriculture'  (NICRA)  (2010-2020)  funded  by  Indian Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR),  and  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and Climate Change funded project entitled 'Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies for  Marine  Fisheries  of  India'  (2017-2020).  The  preliminary  investigations  reveal  strong correlations of sea surface temperature change with abundance of marine plankton species, fish  eggs  and  larvae.  The  studies  of  marine  fauna  reveal  that  variations  in  oceanographic parameters- sea surface temperature, current speed, wind and rainfall, etc. do have influence on the food and feeding, maturity and spawning, distribution range, abundance and catch of several marine fish species.

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