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Relationship between coral bleaching and large-scale oscillations in the Lakshadweep archipelago

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Abstract

The coral reef ecosystems in the Lakshadweep Sea are among the least studied due to the dearth of in situ measurements. The objectives of this study were to compare the remote sensing datasets with the available in situ measurements and confirm the reliability of the former for further studies in this region. The study also examines how the sea surface temperature and salinity triggered coral bleaching during El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO)/Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) events. We found that satellite observations of sea surface temperature (r = 0.94) and salinity (r = 0.81) correlated well with in situ measurements. Such a high degree of correlation enabled us to analyse satellite data for inter-annual variations like ENSO and IOD. In the study area, coral bleaching due to salinity variation was found to be negligible. The study delineates a coral bleaching threshold temperature and the prevalence of such warm waters in the coral environment. Analysis revealed a mass coral bleaching peak during the El Niño event in 2016, with a maximum prevalence of 78 days. Similarly, significant coral bleaching events were observed in 2010 (El Niño; 63 days) and 2019 (PIOD; 56 days). Maximum temperature was noticed during the spring inter-monsoon (March to May). But from 2015, intense warming in the coral region was also noticed in the fall inter-monsoon (October). Combined with global warming, the threat of thermal stress to corals may continue in the long term, which will negatively impact the health of reef ecosystems.

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Data availability

The satellite data used in this study can be accessed freely from their respective websites, and the field survey data can be obtained by contacting the corresponding author, Muraleedharan K. R., upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors of the study are grateful to the Director and Scientist in Charge of the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa and Kochi for providing facilities throughout the paperwork. Also, we thank the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in Lakshadweep and REEF NGO in Lakshadweep for their support in conducting the field survey and express acknowledgement for the participation of the boat’s crew. We wish to record a special thanks to the staff who are working on the project MLP 2013. This is CSIR-NIO contribution no: 

Funding

The project MLP 2013 was funded by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India, and CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Centre, Kochi, Kerala, India

    Ravikumar C. Nair, Muraleedharan KR, Abdul Azeez S & Dinesh Kumar PK

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  1. Ravikumar C. Nair
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  2. Muraleedharan KR
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  3. Abdul Azeez S
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Contributions

Ravikumar C. Nair managed the field survey, data analysis, and writing of the manuscript. Muraleedharan K. R. identified the problem, field survey, analysis, and interpretation of the data. Ravikumar C. Nair and Abdul Azeez S. were involved in downloading data and preparing the figures. Dinesh Kumar P. K. administered the project and contributed to the discussion. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Muraleedharan KR.

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Nair, R.C., KR, M., S, A. et al. Relationship between coral bleaching and large-scale oscillations in the Lakshadweep archipelago. Ocean Dynamics 73, 463–474 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-023-01562-y

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