Publication abstracts


Title: Oceanographic Studies in the Bay of Bengal
Author: Dr. Eugene C. La Fond
Date: 1957
Abstract:
The Indian Ocean remains one of the unexplored frontiers of our earth. It encompasses nearly 5,000 miles of coast-line and stretches hundreds of miles to the south, east, and west. It has an area 23 times as great as that of India itself and is the only major ocean named after a country. It is only fitting, therefore, that the study of this vast body of water has been taken up as a major subject here in India. The Andhra University, a pioneer in many fields, has introduced the scientific study of the north-eastern part of the Indian Ocean - the Bay of Bengal into its curriculum, and some of the progress in this field is here reported.
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Title: The Bay of Bengal
Author: Dr. D.V. Subba Rao
Date: 2000
Abstract:

The Bay of Bengal has several remarkable features. It has a huge influx of fresh water from several major rivers, it is affected by intense northeast and southwest monsoon winds, of which the latter breed cyclones. In the bay there is a seasonal anticyclonic coastal current which is seasonally replaced by a cyclonic current, and unlike most coastal regions, there is a western boundary coastal upwelling.

The Bay supports various tropical biotopes such as brackish lakes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, and offshore waters with a great diversity of marine fauna and flora. The steadily growing coastal population (~55 million) utilizes the coastal zone for several purposes. Increasing development pressure from urban settlements, industry, fishery, mariculture, ports and harbours has resulted in the alteration of coastline, loss of critical habitats, and pollution of the environment, giving rise to serious environmental and socio-economic problems. Massive education of the public about the environment, impending disasters, mitigation measures, and the need for conservation of resources and sustainable development are all crucial to our understanding or use of this unique sea. There is a need for the creation of a coastal zone management authority empowered to implement environmental regulations, and a need to establish regional scientific programmes.
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Title: Marine Sciences of the Seas around India between 1874 and 2000 and Prospects for the New Millennium
Author: Dr. D.V. Subba Rao
Date: 2002
Abstract:

From an oceanographer's perspective, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea constitute an ideal laboratory. The round of meteorological, hydrological, and biological events is governed by a) influx of large freshwater from several major rivers, b) intense northeast and southwest monsoon winds of which the latter breeds cyclones in the Bay of Bengal, unique to these waters. Additionally, these waters support various tropical biotopes such as estuaries, mangroves, brackish water lakes, coral reefs, islands, and offshore waters with a great diversity of fauna and flora. The steadily growing coastal population (~ 200 million) heavily utilizes the coastal zone for urban settlements, fishing, mariculture, marine transport, recreation, offshore oil and gas exploration, and dumping of wastes.

The pursuit of marine science during the British colonial rule (pre-1947) was limited to only a few individuals and was purely descriptive. In contrast, independent India has acquired certain capabilities in marine science comparable with other similar nations. This review is not intended to represent a comprehensive coverage of all themes of marine sciences in India but identifies one striking singularity, that is, its rapid growth in the past decade resulting in a a large institutional framework capable of mounting challenging research programs at sea. While presenting the progression of marine sciences in India, I discuss some salient features of the seas adjacent to India, the crucial problems confronting the coastal zone and marine environment in the new millennium and their social relevancy.
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