Oceans absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming. They are the key to our economy and the driving force for monsoons, flywheel of climate and origin of hazards such as cyclones, tsunamis and sea level rises, said Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) director T. Srinivasa Kumar on Tuesday.
Addressing an online dialogue on the occasion of the ‘World Ocean Day’ on the theme ‘The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods’, he said oceans produce at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen and are the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
Former director of the National Institute of Oceanography and chairperson of the Research Advisory Council of INCOIS Satish Shetye, a world-renowned physical oceanographer, delivered a talk on ‘Physics of the Ocean at India’s doorstep; on the importance of ocean observations in understanding the shelf currents along the Indian Coast. IIT-Kharagpur researcher Sunanda Narayanan highlighted the importance of Early Career Ocean Professionals, a press release said.
