SALINITY: A MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR IN THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE BLUE ECONOMY

The inshore region of the Bay of Bengal is one of the less-studied regions of the world ocean in terms of sustainability of Blue Economy while being one of the most exploited bodies of water to benefit a considerable chunk of the Indian population. For the first time, thirty-six years of in situ data at two locations in the northwestern Bay preferably in the lower Gangetic delta region has been analyzed to identify long-term trends in salinity. The salinity values obtained for Jharkhali and Haldia, situated in the lower Gangetic delta region exhibit extreme contrasting profiles. Jharkhali shows an increasing trend, whereas Haldia shows a pronounced decreasing trend of salinity with the passage of time. The results point towards the vulnerability of Jharkhali station towards corrosion of engineering structures, which might exert a negative impact on the sustainability of Blue Economy in this region.