Climate Changes over Bangladesh Delta: I. Slow-Onset Courses and Their Consequences
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M. A. Awal, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Crop Botany, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Averaged over a recent sixty years data, the national mean temperature and total annual rainfall of Bangladesh are found as 25.41°C and 2400 mm, respectively. National mean temperature is higher than the temperature of Rajshahi and Sylhet divisions but lower than the Barisal, Khulna, Rangpur and Chittagong divisions. National rainfall is higher than the rainfall of Rajshahi (1592 mm), Khulna, Rangpur and Dhaka divisions but lower than the Sylhet (3182 mm) and Chittagong divisions. Around 60 percent of annual rainfall is occurred during summer months from June to August and rest is distributed to autumn and spring seasons whereas the winter from December to February received a few portion, 1 to 1.5 percent. Speculating to future climate, average temperature at all divisions throughout the seasons appears to increasing trend except Rajshahi where temperature in winter is appeared to decrease. Summer rainfall was found in increasing trend except Rajshahi, Dhaka and Chittagong divisions. Appearance of drought in northwest Bangladesh is the direct effect of low rain in that region. Sea-level rise, salinity intrusion and water congestion in coastal areas of Bangladesh are most important consequences of climate change. Proper adaptation and mitigation strategies are required to face such consequences of change in climate.
Climate Change, Climate Stress, Drought, Global Warming, Rainfall, Temperature, Salinity, Sea-Level Rise, Water Logging
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