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Sea temperature impacts climate

Wed, 11 July 2012

By A Staff Reporter — MUSCAT — Scientists who investigated the changes in the sea surface temperature (SST) and associated environmental parameters such as rainfall and sea surface height in the Sea of Oman and the western Arabian Sea off Masirah Island, found statistically significant rise in mean temperature in the Sea of Oman.

The sea surface height (SSH) anomalies showed large variability in the sea level occurred simultaneously in the Sea of Oman and along the east coast of Oman. Analysis of algal blooms indicate that during the post-1990s the large fluctuations in the SSH are associated with harmful algal blooms which resulted in fish mortality in the region. Researchers Y V B Sarma and Anesh Govender from the Department of Marine Science and Fisheries of the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University, conducted the study by analysing a 50-year (1961-2010) record of SST off Muscat and off Masirah along Oman.

The variability of SST was fairly constant in the Sea of Oman while it was declining off Masirah after 1981-1991. The decadal signal of SST in both areas indicate a regime shift in the SST towards warmer ocean surface. The researchers explained that the local weather and marine environmental factors changed around Oman in recent years making it imperative to investigate the SST dynamics of the seas around Oman.

“Anomalous increase in the sea surface temperature (SST) by 2°C was noticed weeks before intense weather systems striking Oman coast during 2007 (Gonu) and 2009 (Phet),” they said. Increased summer heating and reduced winter cooling rendered upper ocean warmer after 1984 with an increase in SST of 0.32°C off Muscat and 0.53°C of Masirah above the annual mean.

Dr Sarma said that this may lead to the upper ocean becoming acidic and unsupportive of marine life. The SSH variability is considerably large particularly post-1990s and the harmful algal blooms (HABs) events increased ever since. The increase in the frequency of harmful algal blooms and intense weather systems noticed during this decade (2000-2010) are associated with an increase in the SST.