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Source: The post is based on the article “Study traces high rainfall in Northern Bay of Bengal than the other parts of India for the last 10000 years” published in PIB on 19th January 2023.
What is the News?
According to a study, regions surrounding the Northern Bay of Bengal(BoB) received higher precipitation than the other parts of India for the last 10,200 years.
About India’s Dependence on Monsoon
Agriculture in India is heavily dependent on the Indian Summer Monsoon rains(ISMR).
The Bengal Basin or the ‘Bengal region’ being located at the trajectory of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) branch of the ISM is very sensitive to changes in the Indian Summer Monsoon(ISM) strength.
Even a minor change in ISM strength may have adverse effects on the agrarian-based socioeconomic conditions of the region.
About the study on Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall(ISMR)
The study traced the dynamics of Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall(ISMR) over the 10000 years – a period which witnessed the development and fall of numerous ancient civilizations around the world, many of which were associated with climate instability.
It found that regions surrounding the northern Bay of Bengal(BoB) received higher precipitation than the other parts of India for the last 10200 years.
The study also explored the drivers influencing the variability of the monsoon in the Indian part of the Bengal Basin. It found that:
– Millennial-scale variations in the ISMR may largely be attributed to changes in solar insolation and dynamics of Inter tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ– area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge)
– Centennial scale variations may be collectively triggered by phenomena like North Atlantic Oscillation, El Nino Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole.