Observed changes in water mass properties in the Indian Sundarbans (northwestern Bay of Bengal) during 1980-2007.

Abstract

We present evidence that the Indian Sundarbans is experiencing the effects of climate change over the last three decades. Observations of selected variables, such as the surface water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and transparency show significant long-term variation over a period of 27 years (1980-2007). Specifically, the temperature in these waters has risen at the rate of 0.5°C per decade, much higher than that observed globally or for the Indian Ocean. Increasing melting of Himalayan ice might have decreased the salinity at the mouth of the Ganges River, at the western end of this deltaic complex. At the same time, salinity has increased on the eastern sector, where the connections to the meltwater sources have become extinct due to heavy siltation of the Bidyadhari Channel. The long-term changes in dissolved oxygen, pH level, transparency and water quality are also examined. The ecological impact of such changes warrants future study.