Warning Bell of Climate Change in the Lower Gangetic Delta

Abstract

Abstract
Climate change and subsequent temperature rise, sea level rise and acidification are the major threats to mangrove ecosystem of the world. Several researchers observed through short term and long term experiments, that climate change induced fluctuations of temperature, salinity and pH pose a serious threat to the coastal ecosystem. In this article, three basic indicators of climate change have been selected in the frame of Indian Sundarbans namely surface water temperature, salinity and pH of the aquatic sub-system to scan the pulse of climate change in this mangrove dominated delta in the lower Gangetic region. The ecosystem receives the tidal water from Bay of Bengal and thus serves as a natural experimental ground to observe the trend of the selected indicators over a period of more than two decades. Our investigation strongly confirms the foot prints of climate change in this delta region.
Keywords: Climate change, Deltaic complex, Salinity, Fishery