Tides – Peculiarities & Significances

by Goutham Krishna Tides are the long shallow-water waves generally found in the ocean and sea by the gravitational attraction of the moon, rotation of Earth and to a relatively lesser extent by the gravitational attraction of the sun. The imbalance between Earth’s centripetal force and the above-mentioned gravitational forces acting on Earth’s surface creates

Coral Reefs of India

by Goutham Krishna Coral reefs are a unique underwater ecosystem composed of reef-building coral species. Coral reefs are considered the most diverse and rich marine ecosystem on the planet, hosting about 25% of all marine species within an area less than 0.1% of the world oceans. Due to this peculiarity of the coral reef ecosystem,

Occurrence of Tropical Cyclones in the Indian Coast

by Goutham Krishna Tropical cyclones can be defined as rapid rotating storms originating over warm tropical and subtropical oceans, with a low-pressure centre and the presence of spiralling clouds in the surroundings. They are one of the most devastating natural hazards that can cause immense damage once it makes landfall. The Arabian Sea and Bay

Estuaries of Kerala: an overview

by Goutham K Estuaries can be defined as partially enclosed bodies of water found in the coastal areas, where the freshwater from rivers, lakes or streams mixes with the saline water from the ocean.  Brackish water formed by the mixing of saline and freshwater is a peculiarity of estuaries.  Estuaries are delicate ecosystems where diverse

Travelling Back Home

by Aswin Sankar If we take a walk in Chennai’s coastal area by 11:00pm – 04:00am during January to March we can see those females, who won the race with a rabbit in our kindergarten books, who were born in this coastal area a decade ago, travelling back home to lay their eggs. Yes, they’re

Shielding from sunlight, shadowing coral reefs

The loyal tube of sunscreen becomes your life savior at the beach on days when the sun blazes against your skin. The lotion squirmed out of the tube is as essential to you sometimes as is water to fish. This lotion, however, is an (un)necessary evil. Its inconspicuous disadvantages make it a lethal threat to

Besant Nagar Beach: Beach Mornings

It was around 8:00 am, the day after Christmas that I visited Besant Nagar Beach for a walk. The water was cold while the sand was humid. 26th December 2004 is remembered for the Tsunami and Ocean Earthquake that affected throngs of coastal households. What caught my attention was the beautiful Beach Morning creepers and

“Treasure-houses of marine life”

by Abitha Begam Have you ever heard of marine life sanctuaries? I know we are quite familiar with bird sanctuaries, but what is these marine life sanctuaries? Marine life sanctuaries are places that come under protected areas where the intervention of humans is restricted. They are completely secured by the Government and its regulations. India

Floating Plastic Islands!

by Abitha Begam Have you ever imagined an island made of plastics with a beach, lined with a plastic coastline? Yes! Kudos guys, we have made it. Have you ever thought about where all our plastic wastes are? Where does it go? Where does it gets settled? It’s yes! Obviously, the answer would be to

Faunas of the Indian Ocean

by Abitha Begam India is not only a country of diverse cultures, languages but also has a very rich biodiversity, one such type is the Indian ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean counting after the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, which stretches from Africa to Australia. It has been the home of