Until this decade, the Indian Ocean was not well monitored. Today, the Indian Ocean Observing System helps with both weather monitoring and climate modeling.
Indian Ocean
Cyclone Tauktae Documents a Climate Trend in the Tropics
The western Indian Ocean has been warming at a rate faster than any other region in the tropical oceans, a pattern that is contributing to more frequent and intense storm activity.
What Causes Centennial Changes in the Indonesian Throughflow?
Transient long-term changes in the strength of the Indonesian Throughflow are unexpectedly linked to circulation changes in the remote high-latitude North Atlantic.
New Volcano, Old Caldera
Researchers suggest a magma chamber sits within an old submarine caldera structure that extends into the mantle. Nearby, a new underwater volcano emerged with a flurry of seismicity.
Tracing the Moisture That Nourishes the World’s Highest Glacier
Using data from weather stations on and around Mount Everest, scientists find that the Khumbu Glacier receives most of its moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
Human Activity Makes India’s Coastlines More Vulnerable
Researchers propose the creation of an anthropogenic vulnerability index to help guide conservation policy decisions.
A Lost Haven for Early Modern Humans
Sea level changes have repeatedly reshaped the Paleo-Agulhas Plain, a now submerged region off the coast of South Africa that once teemed with plants, animals, and human hunter–gatherers.
Earthquakes Reveal How Quickly the Ocean Is Warming
By timing sound waves set in motion by earthquakes, scientists have estimated that the Indian Ocean is warming by roughly 0.044 K per decade.
The Bay of Bengal and the Curious Case of the Missing Rift
In a classic detective story, clues from data new and old helped researchers reveal the puzzling chain of tectonic events that followed the Early Cretaceous split between India and Antarctica.
Mysterious Engine of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation
Understanding the fundamental physics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation, a phenomenon that occurs over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, remains a challenge in tropical atmospheric research.