By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Apr 2: The study by India’s premier Ocean research institute has noted the increasing dry spells during the months of July and August, which are fall out of the rapid ocean warming.
 
The study paper presented by Goa-based National institute of Oceanography’s (NIO)  researcher Dr Rameshkumar M R has revealed that the number of dry spell days, which are called as break days in scientific term, are on rise.
 
Dr Rameshkumar’s research is based on the data collected about monsoons between 1971 till 2007. The study unearthed an important fact that the dry spells during the July and August months, which otherwise contribute for 61 per cent of the rainfall during the monsoons.
 
The NIO researchers are also wary of the long breaks, means dry days for a long span.
 
Dr Rameshkumar stated that the data is collected from two institutes – National centre for Environmental Prediction and National centre for Atmospheric Research, which helped them to get into indepth analysis.
 
The study revealed the weakening of the moister transport through peninsular India.
 
Usually, the convection over Bay of Bengal is strong and this results in active monsoon condition in peninsular India.  “However, the warming of the ocean, particularly in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean has led to convection being strong there.”
 
This has led to break in the monsoon condition during the peak monsoon period of July-August.
 
The researcher stated that there is one degree rise in Ocean temperature, which has resulted in the shift of the convection from Bay of Bengal to the Eastern Indian Ocean.
 
“It has also led to the diversion of the moisture carrying winds away from the Peninsular India,” he added.
 
He said that a large number of the columns of moisture from the surface to about 10 km height were moving out of the Indian landmass into adjoining seas.
 
“This indicates a weakening of monsoon activity in recent years,” Dr Kumar said adding that during the post mid-1970s there was less rainfall over Indian subcontinent due to divergence.