Regional Climate change issues and adaptation measures to future sea level changes

Climate change is of growing public concern and constitutes an important political priority in every nation. The climate of Tropical Asia is dominated by the two monsoons: The summer southwest monsoon influences the climate of the region from May to September, and the winter northeast monsoon controls the climate from November to February. The monsoons bring most of the region's precipitation and are the most critical climatic factor in the provision of drinking water and water for rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. As a result of the seasonal shifts in weather, a large part of Tropical Asia is exposed to annual floods and droughts. The average annual flood covers vast areas throughout the region; in India and Bangladesh alone, floods cover 7.7 million ha and 3.1 million ha, respectively (GOI, 1992; Mirza and Ericksen, 1996). Flash floods are common in the foothills, mountain borderlands, and steep coastal catchments; riverine floods occur along the courses of the major rivers, broad river valleys, and alluvial plains throughout the region.,of which the present study region falls.

Warrick et al. (IPCC 1996, WG I, Section 7.4) suggest that the observed sea-level rise has been caused largely by increases in global temperatures and related factors, including thermal expansion of the ocean and melting of glaciers and ice caps which together with flash foods makes the life of local people miserable. Changes in surface water and groundwater storage, along with tectonic movements and subsidence, also may have affected local sea levels. Studies of historical rates of relative sea-level rise in the South Asia Seas region, reported by Gable and Aubrey (1990), indicate an average annual relative sea-level rise of 0.67 mm/yr. In addition, during the past half-century or so, relative sea-level changes in the region have ranged from a fall (i.e., land emergence) of 1.33 mm/yr to a rise (i.e., land submergence) of 2.27 mm/yr. So it is in this context worthwhile to study the regional climate change issues and adaptation measures to future sea level changes of the study region which is lying well below the mean sea level in the mid of a largest brackish water lake of Southwest coast of India.

The above contributions was extracted from the proposal, Regional Climate change issues and adaptation measures to future sea level changes, submitted to Climate Frontlines.