Cyclone tracks in the Bay of Bengal cause more death and damage than Arabian Sea cyclones despite the latter’s growing intensity. Comment on the physical and human reasons.
Subtopic: Climatology · Tropical Cyclones
How to structure your answer
Introduction: The Indian Ocean accounts for around 7% of global cyclones, but the Bay of Bengal’s share of cyclones is roughly four times that of the Arabian Sea.
Body — three dimensions: (1) Physical reasons: warmer Bay SSTs above 28°C through year, low salinity from Ganga-Brahmaputra freshwater inflow boosting stratification, funnel-shaped coastline at the head of Bay amplifying storm surges. (2) Human reasons: high population density on Bengal-Odisha coast, low-lying delta of the Sundarbans, weaker housing stock; Andhra-Tamil Nadu coast densely settled. (3) Arabian Sea trend: warming has produced Ockhi 2017, Tauktae 2021, Biparjoy 2023 — IITM Pune attributes a 52% rise in intense Arabian Sea cyclones since 1982 to Indian Ocean warming.
Conclusion: Coastal vulnerability is rising on both seaboards; the IMD-NDMA Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and Odisha’s near-zero-death cyclone shelters offer the operational model.
Written within the word limit
142 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: The Indian Ocean accounts for about 7 per cent of global cyclones, and within it the Bay of Bengal historically generates roughly four times the Arabian Sea's cyclone load.
Body: Physically, Bay sea-surface temperatures stay above 28°C through most of the year, low salinity from Ganga-Brahmaputra freshwater inflow strengthens stratification, and the funnel-shaped coast at the head of the Bay amplifies storm surges. Humanly, dense settlement on the Bengal-Odisha-Andhra coast, low-lying delta land in the Sundarbans, and weaker housing stock raise mortality — Phailin (Odisha, October 2013) and Amphan (Bengal, May 2020) tested these vulnerabilities. The Arabian Sea is now warming sharply; IITM Pune attributes a 52 per cent rise in intense Arabian Sea cyclones since 1982 to Indian Ocean warming, evident in Ockhi (2017), Tauktae (2021) and Biparjoy (2023).
Conclusion: Odisha's near-zero-death evacuation model under the IMD-NDMA Multi-Hazard Early Warning System is now the operational benchmark for both seaboards.
What an examiner expects to see
- Bay of Bengal cyclones c. 4x Arabian Sea historically
- Bay SSTs warmer (28–30°C), low salinity strengthens stratification
- Funnel-shaped Bay head amplifies storm surge
- Cyclone Phailin, October 2013, Odisha, near-zero deaths
- Cyclone Amphan, May 2020, Bengal coast
- Cyclone Ockhi, November 2017
- Cyclone Tauktae, May 2021, Gujarat
- Cyclone Biparjoy, June 2023, Gujarat
- IITM Pune study: 52% rise in intense Arabian Sea cyclones since 1982
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Phailin (Odisha 2013) — evacuation success story
- Amphan (West Bengal 2020) — super cyclonic storm
- Tauktae (Gujarat 2021)
- Biparjoy (Gujarat 2023)