Waters on the Edge: Inside the Indian Ocean's Warming Crisis
The Indian Ocean is heating up faster than any other ocean in the world. This two-part series unpacks what that means for the ocean, its marine ecosystems, and for us, especially, against the backdrop of a looming "super" El Niño.
A Roundglass Sustain presentationVideo by Sustain Team
Updated September 26, 2026
A Roundglass Sustain presentationVideo by Sustain Team
Updated September 26, 2026
20 min watch
The Indian Ocean is heating up faster than any other ocean in the world. This two-part series unpacks what that means for the ocean, its marine ecosystems, and for us, especially, against the backdrop of a looming "super" El Niño.
The Indian Ocean is one of the youngest, smallest oceans in the tropics, and it's landlocked in the north, unlike the Atlantic and Pacific, where water flushes freely toward the poles. That means heat gets trapped, making it also the warmest ocean basin on Earth.
But the last few years, global warming has pushed the Indian Ocean into a constant state of crisis. With another El Niño event just around the corner, what does this mean for our oceans and human and wild lives that depend on it.
In this instalment, we travel to Lakshadweep, a constellation of unique islands, to see how this is unfolding on the ground, and meet Rohan Arthur, scientist and ecologist who has been tracking it for nearly three decades.
The warning has turned far more urgent in the recent month. In September 2026, over 180 Indian scientists issued an urgent appeal, calling for preparation for a potentially devastating "super" El Niño, likely the strongest in over 1000 years. The phenomenon will spark extreme weather events such as droughts, erratic rainfall and heatwaves. It will also put marine ecosystems under severe stress, triggering widespread coral bleaching. See the urgent appeal here .
About the Author
Sustain Team
We are a driven group of people from diverse backgrounds, bound by an abiding love for India’s natural world.
