Rising Sea Levels Erode Half Of Bangladesh's Biggest Island: Study

CLIMATE SCIENCE

From a size of 6,400 square kilometres (3,968 square miles) in 1965, Bhola island near the mouth of the Bay of Bengal is now only half its original size. (Note: dotted line is a political boundary, not a reference to previous size of island)

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AFP) Jun 15, 2005
River currents strengthened by rising sea levels have devoured half of Bangladesh's biggest island in 40 years, leaving half a million people homeless, researchers said Wednesday.

From a size of 6,400 square kilometres (3,968 square miles) in 1965, Bhola island near the mouth of the Bay of Bengal is now only half its original size.

If the erosion continues at the same rate, it will completely disappear over the next four decades, said Mohammad Shamsuddoha, who carried out the research for the Dhaka-based non-governmental organisation The Coast Trust.

River erosion is a perennial problem in Bangladesh which is criss-crossed by a network of 230 rivers.

But Shamsuddoha said rising sea levels were responsible for the erosion of coastal islands such as Bhola that were not previously vulnerable to the problem.

"The erosion of Bhola island only started in the 1960s. Before that the size was stable and only a small amount of erosion took place on one side," he told AFP.

"But from the mid-1960s the erosion began and the rate has accelerated over the years," he said.

The government estimates that six million people out of the country's 140 million population, are displaced each year due to river erosion.

The study, entitled "Climate Change, Disaster and the Bangladesh Coastline", used satellite images and archive maps dating back to the 1950s to assess the loss of land.

It concludes that rising sea levels caused the Bhola erosion by creating stronger currents in the rivers surrounding the island.

"As a result (of the rise in sea levels), river currents have become fiercer at the mouth of the sea, continuously undercutting the land masses of the isles situated on estuaries," he said.

Bhola, one of six southern islands, is home to 1.6 million people. It is bordered on one side by the Meghna river and on the other by the Tetulia river.

Last year scientists in neighbouring India warned that the country's coastal areas could see a rise in sea levels of about half to one metreto 3.3 feet) by 2020.

All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

CLIMATE SCIENCE

Britain Unveils Plan To Beat Global Warming Through 'Carbon Capture'

London (AFP) Jun 14, 2005
Britain is to study whether global warming can be curbed by "capturing" carbon dioxode from power stations and storing it underground in old oil and gas fields, ministers said Tuesday.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.