The Mangroves and Sundarban

Mangroves are intertidal forested wetlands confined to the tropical and subtropical regions. The quantity global place of the mangroves is estimated at unaccompanied 18.1 million ha, against greater than 570 million ha of freshwater wetlands including peat lands globally. Although mangroves have been exploited for many centuries, its ecosystems are now the most threatened one by the global climate changes, particularly the sea level rise. More than 41 % of the worlds mangroves occur in South and Southeast Asia of which Indonesia alone accounts for 23 %. A calculation 20 % of the sum mangrove place lies in Brazil, Australia and Nigeria. While approximately all mangroves occur in small patches that fabricate in deltaic habitats, the mangroves in the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, shared along along in the middle of India and Bangladesh, are the lonely contiguous and largest coastal wetland system in the world. Exploration of the Sundarban mangroves dates assistance taking place to the 16th century. It may be noted here that past 1947 the Sundarban mangroves are separated in the middle of India and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), as Sundarban in Bangladesh and as Sundarban National Park in India, and the two parts differ considerably in the flora and fauna and extent of investigations, conservation and paperwork. They plus differ substantially in the level of human molest more than beyond a century. This makes it hard to unite the quotation of every one of Sundarban.

The mangrove-dominated Ganges delta, the Sundarban, named after the dominant species Sundri (beautiful) tree (Heritiera fomes-a mangrove tree that requires freshwater), is a puzzling ecosystem of mangrove forests in the world. Shared along in the midst of two adjacent to countries, Bangladesh and India, the larger pension (62%) is situated in the southwest corner of Bangladesh located along along with 2130  N to 2230  N and longitude 89 E to 90 E. To the south the reforest meets the Bay of Bengal; to the east it is bordered by the Baleswar River, to the west by the Sundarban National Park of India and to the north there is a cunning interface once intensively cultivated burning. The forest consists of roughly 200 islands, estranged by very more or less 400 interconnected tidal rivers, creeks and canals. The quantity place of the Sundarban Reserved Forest (SRF) is 6,017 km2 out of which 4,143 km2 is house place and 1,874 km2 is water area comprising rivers and tidal waterways. This area is re half the size of the area of mangrove that existed 200 years ago, the add-on half creature cleared and converted to agricultural house. Rivers in the Sundarban are meeting places of salt water and freshwater. Thus, it is a region of transition in the middle of the freshwater of the rivers originating from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal.

The geological vibes of the Sundarban ecosystem is a delta of interconnecting large rivers: the Ganges; the Bramaputra, and the Meghna. The sediment is of recent extraction, consisting of alluvium washed all along from the Himalayas deposited greater than the older sediments carried by the three rivers. The forest floor is 0.91m to 2.11m above intend sea level. The pH ranges widely from 5.3 to 8.0. Although the Sundarbans soil is in general medium textured, sandy loam, silt loam or clay loam, the grain size distribution is very changeable. Silt loam is dominant textural class. Sodium and calcium contents of the soil modify from 5.7 to 29.8 meq/100g teetotal soil and are generally low in the eastern region and well along towards the west. The blithe potassium content of the soil is low, 0.3-1.3 meq/100g abstemious soil. Organic situation content varies in the middle of 4% and 10% in dry soil. Soil salinity increases from east (cause offense to self-denying) to west (deeply saline), but the salinity is not uniform from north to south throughout the forest. Its ecosystem is characterized by a deeply practicing setting due to the effect of tide, flooding, salinity and even the cyclones.

Since the reforest is located when quotation to the south of the Tropic of Cancer and bounded by the northern limits of the Bay of Bengal, it is classified as tropical soggy forest. The temperatures in the Sundarban are fairly equable than those of the adjacent-door flaming areas. The average annual maximum and minimum temperatures revise along as well as 30 and 21C. High temperatures occur from mid-March to mid-June and low in December and January. The intend maximum temperature for the hottest months has been recorded as 32.4C at Patuakhali, in the east of the Sundarban. The plan annual relative humidity varies from 70% at Satkhira to 80% at Patuakhali. Humidity is highest in June-October and lowest in February. Annual rainfall in the Sundarbans is in the range of 1640-2000 mm, rainfall increases from west to the east. Most rainfall occurs during the monsoon from May to October. Frequent and unventilated showers occur from mid-June to mid-September. Often storm along between tidal waves consequences widespread inundation and cause damage to vegetation and animal moving picture.