The Sundarbans Bangladesh Flashcards
The Sundarbans is a coastal zone containing the worlds largest what?
It contains the worlds largest delta that extends over 10,000km2 of Southern Bangladesh and India on the Bay of Bengal.
Which 3 rivers deposit sediment into the delta?
Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna.
What is the primary natural process that shapes the distinctive coastal landscape?
Tidal action.
What flows across the clay and silt deposits?
A dense, well-developed, network of interconnecting river channels flows across the clay and silt deposits.
What has traditionally remained static?
The location network of main channels remained quite static.
Why did the main channels remain quite static?
This is because the silt and clays were quite resistant to erosion.
What are the larger channels generally like?
They are generally straight and up to 2 or more km wide.
Why do the main channels flow from north to south?
This is due to strong tidal currents.
What drains the land with each powerful ebb tide?
The extensive network of interconnecting khals drains the land with each strong ebb tide.
What are khals?
These are small channels.
What happens to the non-cohesive sediments?
Sands are washed out of the delta and deposited on banks, or chars at the river mouths, where strong south-westerly monsoon winds blow them into large ranges of sand dunes.
What happens to the finer silts?
They are deposited.
What is home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger?
Mangrove forests.
What is very delicate here?
The equilibrium of the natural processes.
What may be jeopardizing its very existence?
Increasing pressures.
What is an important ecosystem for local populations?
The mangrove forests.
What provides a range of goods and services?
The mangrove forests.
What has surprisingly not been a problem?
Coastal erosion.
What are the 6 natural challenges of this coastal area?
Coastal flooding Cyclones Human-eating tigers High levels of salinity in soils Instability of the islands Accessibility and remoteness.
What are the 6 human challenges?
Over-exploitation of coastal resources from vulnerable habitats.
Conversion of wetlands to intensive agriculture and settlements.
Destructive fishing techniques.
Lack of awareness of the environmental and economic importance of the region.
Resource-use conflicts.
Lack of awareness of coastal issues by decision makers.
What are the 7 key goods that the Sundarbans provide?
Fuel Construction materials Fishing materials Household items Food and drink Textiles Other products
What two types of fuel does the mangrove forest provide?
Firewood and charcoal.
What construction materials does the Sundarbans provide?
Timber
Poles
Thatch