"We present evidence that the Indian Sundarbans, a subsiding delta formed by the two major River systems of the Ganges and the Matla is experiencing the effects of climate change. Global warming, deglaciation of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayan ranges, Farakka barrage discharges and sea level rise have accelerated such changes over the last two decades. Observations of salinity over a period of 23 years (1990-2012) showed a significant long-term variation. Due to different geographical settings in the western, central and eastern sectors of the deltaic Sundarbans, the footprints of these changes were manifested in different patterns and on different scales. As human populations have expanded, the shortage of productive land in many developing countries has led to the clearance of large areas of mangrove for agriculture and aquaculture production. Demands for timber (for charcoal, building etc) and coastal development space have also been highly damaging. Mangrove forests in some areas have been reduced to mere relicts of their former ranges as a result of human exploitation. The common perception of increased salinity is due to increased evaporation resulting in an increase in salinity, and also by sea level rise which is projected between 0.9 and 8.8 mm/year.
Kakoli Banerjee; Decadal Change in the Surface Water Salinity Profile of Indian Sundarbans: A Potential Indicator of Climate Change." Scholarly peer review is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field, before a paper describing this work is published in a journal. The work may be accepted, considered acceptable with revisions, or rejected. Peer review requires a community of experts in a given (narrowly defined) field, who are qualified and able to perform reasonably impartial review.
Last date updated on April, 2024
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