Andaman Sea For Study

Recent Discovery & Significance:
Recently, the Union Petroleum Minister announced the discovery of natural gas in the Andaman basin. This confirms the geological evaluations that have been in existence that the area has a lot of hydrocarbon deposits and thus it can be used in the future as a source of energy to India.

Geographic and Tectonic Location:
The Andaman Sea is a semi-enclosed marginal sea of the northeast Indian Ocean, bordered by the Indian coast and Myanmar to the north, and the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra (Indonesia) to the east and south. It is a very complicated and seismically active area, which is at the convergent boundary of the Indian, Sunda and Australian tectonic plates. This continuous collision has created the Andaman Basin, which is most notable by the most prominent feature, the Andaman Trench, where the Indian Plate is under the Eurasian Plate. This practice predisposes the area to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Ecological Significance & Biodiversity:
The sea is a biodiversity hot spot in the world, which sustains important marine ecosystems. These are large coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests. These ecosystems support a wide variety of species, including endangered animals like the Dugong, Whale Shark, and Devil Manta Ray. It is also a key habitat to various dolphin species, such as the Irrawaddy Dolphin, four species of sea turtles, and a key stopover point on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway by migratory birds.

Political Jurisdiction and Climate:
The sea contains most of the islands, including the Andaman and Nicobar group, which are a Union Territory of India. Myanmar has other islands such as the Coco Islands. It has a tropical climate with two monsoons, the southwest (May-September) and the northeast (November-February) that have a great impact on the marine conditions.