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The monsoon circulation in the Northern Indian Ocean (NIO) is unique since it develops in response to the bi-annual reversing monsoonal winds, with the ocean currents mirroring this change through directionality and intensity. The interaction between the reversing currents and topographic features have implications for the development of the Island Mass Effect (IME) in the NIO. The IME in the NIO is characterized by areas of high chlorophyll concentrations identified through remote sensing to be located around the Maldives and Sri Lanka in the NIO. The IME around the Maldives was observed to reverse between the monsoons to downstream of the incoming monsoonal current whilst a recirculation feature known as the Sri Lanka Dome (SLD) developed off the east coast of Sri Lanka during the Southwest Monsoon (SWM). To understand the physical mechanisms underlying this monsoonal variability of the IME, a numerical model based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was implemented and validated. The model was able to simulate the regional circulation and was used to investigate the three-dimensional structure of the IME around the Maldives and Sri Lanka in terms of its temperature and velocity. Results revealed that downwelling processes were prevalent along the Maldives for both monsoon periods but was applicable only to latitudes above 4°N since that was the extent of the monsoon current influence. For the Maldives, atolls located south of 4°N, were influenced by the equatorial currents. Around Sri Lanka, upwelling processes were responsible for the IME during the SWM but with strong downwelling during the NEM. In addition, there were also regional differences in intra-seasonal variability for these processes. Overall, the strength of the IME processes was closely tied to the monsoon current intensity and was found to reach its peak when the monsoon currents were at the maximum.

Two severe heat waves triggered coral bleaching and mass mortality in the Maldives in 1998 and 2016. Analysis of live coral cover data from 1997 to 2019 in shallow (5 m depth) reefs of the Maldives showed that the 1998 heat wave caused more than 90% of coral mortality leaving only 6.8 ± 0.3% of survived corals in all the shallow reefs investigated. No significant difference in coral mortality was observed among atolls with different levels of human pressure. Maldivian reefs needed 16 years to recover to the pre-bleaching hard coral cover values. The 2016 heat wave affected all reefs investigated, but reefs in atolls with higher human pressure showed greater coral mortality than reefs in atolls with lower human pressure. Additionally, exposed (ocean) reefs showed lower coral mortality than those in sheltered (lagoon) reefs. The reduced coral mortality in 2016 as compared to 1998 may provide some support to the Adaptive Bleaching Hypothesis (ABH) in shallow Maldivian reefs, but intensity and duration of the two heat waves were different. Analysis of coral cover data collected along depth profiles on the ocean sides of atolls, from 10 to 50 m, allowed the comparison of coral mortality at different depths to discuss the Deep Refuge Hypothesis (DRH). In the upper mesophotic zone (i.e., between 30 and 50 m), coral mortality after bleaching was negligible. However, live coral cover did not exceed 15%, a value lower than coral survival in shallow reefs. Low cover values of corals surviving in the mesophotic reefs suggest that their role as refuge or seed banks for the future recovery of some species in shallow-water reefs of the Maldives may be small. The repeatedly high coral mortality after bleaching events and the long recovery period, especially in sites with human pressure, suggest that the foreseen increased frequency of bleaching events would jeopardize the future of Maldivian reefs, and ask for reducing local pressures to improve their resilience.

Coral bleaching spreads to Maldives, devastating spectacular reefs.

Coral bleaching spreads to Maldives, devastating spectacular reefs.

Preliminary findings of a comprehensive scientific survey examining the impact of the climate change-related 2016 mass bleaching in the Maldives indicate that all reefs surveyed were affected by the event. Approximately 60% of all coral colonies assessed - and up to 90% in some sites - were bleached.

Preliminary findings of a comprehensive scientific survey examining the impact of the climate change-related 2016 mass bleaching in the Maldives indicate that all reefs surveyed were affected by the event. Approximately 60% of all coral colonies assessed - and up to 90% in some sites - were bleached.

Chinese warships enter East Indian Ocean amid Maldives tensions.

Oxford University researchers are playing a key role in the first systematic survey of ocean life in the Maldives, from the surface to 1000 metres deep. This will enable the Maldivian Government to develop conservation and sustainable development policies, so that the oceans continue to protect and provide for the Maldivian people.

Manta ray populations worldwide are vulnerable to sublethal injuries resulting from human activities, e.g., entanglement in fishing line and boat strikes, which have the potential to impact an individual's health, fitness, and behaviour. Sublethal injuries and physical abnormalities also occur naturally from predation events, deformity, parasites, and disease. To determine the type and frequency of anthropogenic and natural originated injury events affecting Mobula alfredi and M. birostris in the Maldives, we examined data from the Manta Trust's Maldivian Manta Ray Project (MMRP) database, which contains 73,638 photo-identification (photo-ID) sightings of the two manta ray species from 1987 to 2019. The likely origin of each injury or physical abnormality was determined based on visual assessment of the photo-ID images. Multiple injuries to an individual originating from the same event were grouped for analysis. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to investigate the relationship between the occurrence of injury events and the explanatory variables sex and maturity status for both species, with the additional variable site function (cleaning, feeding, cruising) investigated for M. alfredi. Spatial and temporal variations in M. alfredi injury events, and their origin and type, were investigated by calculating the percentage of injury events per sighted individual at each Maldivian atoll, and per re-sighted individual in each year from 2005 to 2019. For both species, injury events were predominantly of natural origin, with predatory bites being the most frequent type. The most common anthropogenic injury type was entanglement in fishing line. Injuries to M. alfredi were significantly more likely to be observed on juveniles than adults, males than females, and at cleaning stations as opposed to feeding or cruising sites. Neither sex nor maturity status were significant explanatory variables for the occurrence of injuries to M. birostris. Highest percentages

Somali pirates hijack Iran cargo ship in Maldives.

Training centre for fishermen to open in Maldives.

Manta rays lacking libido in empty blue seas around the Maldives.

Ferry Capsizes in Maldives.

Ferry Capsizes in Maldives.

Maldives President Yameen Abdul GAYOOM escaped unhurt Monday from a blast on his speedboat as he returned home after preforming hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Maldives President Yameen Abdul GAYOOM escaped unhurt Monday from a blast on his speedboat as he returned home after preforming hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Malaysia has said it will send a team to the Maldives to inspect debris found on the archipelago to determine whether it might be related to missing MH370.

Malaysia has said it will send a team to the Maldives to inspect debris found on the archipelago to determine whether it might be related to missing MH370.

No climate breakthrough in Durban: Maldives.

In the Maldives, one of the world's lowest-lying countries, new and urgent solutions are needed to protect the islands from the impacts of climate change. Tourist resort owners and local communities are joining government authorities in efforts to make the islands more resilient.

Luxury resorts in the Maldives are going green.

The causes of coastal flooding in the Maldives are more complex than previously thought, according to a new study from the University of Southampton.

Constance Halaveli Preserving the Pristine Environment of the Maldives.

CSIRO is working with local partners in the Maldives to develop coral restoration methods to assist with reef recovery.

A Maldives Beach Awash in Bioluminescent Phytoplankton Looks Like an Ocean of Stars.