Projected changes in area of the Sundarban mangrove forest in Bangladesh due to sea level rise (SLR) by 2100

This study investigates the potential effects of 3 sea-level rise scenarios on the Sundarbans within coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

The Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, located in India and Bangladesh, is recognized as a global priority for biodiversity conservation and is an important provider of ecosystem services such as numerous goods and protection against storm surges. With global mean sea-level rise projected as up to 0.98 m or greater by 2100 relative to the baseline period (1985-2005), the Sundarbans - mean elevation presently approximately 2 m above mean sea-level - is under threat from inundation and subsequent wetland loss; however the magnitude of loss remains unclear. We used remote and field measurements, geographic information systems and simulation modelling to investigate the potential effects of 3 sea-level rise scenarios on the Sundarbans within coastal Bangladesh.

Citation

Payo, A., Mukhopadhyay, A., Hazra, S., Ghosh, T., Ghosh, S., Brown, S., Nicholls, R.J., Bricheno, L., Wolf, J., Kay, S., Lázár, A.N., Haque, A., Projected changes in area of the Sundarban mangrove forest in Bangladesh due to SLR by 2100, Climatic Change, vol.139, issue2, pp.279-291, 2016

Projected changes in area of the Sundarban mangrove forest in Bangladesh due to SLR by 2100

Updates to this page

Published 1 August 2016