Sundarban, Gallery. RDC ScanEx

Gallery

Title
Sundarban

Acquisition date
15.11.1999

Sensor
Landsat ETM+

1000 x 1076
JPEG (1.28 Mb)

Sundarban

The image acquired by Landsat imaging system on November 15, 1999 shows a part of common estuary of the rivers Gang, Brahmaputra and Meghna located onshore the Bay of Bengal called Sundarban. This is a labyrinth of moors, rivers, channels and inlets 265 kilometers long and 130 kilometers wide situated between India and Bangladesh with quickly emerging and as quickly vanishing muddy and sandy islands and periodically flooded forest areas. The name Sundarban or Sandarban is translated from Sanskrit as “beautiful forest” and is derived from the name of the local fine wood tree Sundri or Sundari growing to the height of 20-30 meters. In this area protection is exercised over the two objects of the World Heritage: the Sundarban National Park and the largest mangrove forest in the world – the Sundarban Mangroves. Some peculiar people called “Sea Gypsies” live in the park area, who use tamed specially trained otters for fishing.

The natural complex being investigated on the image starts out from the river Hugli being the right arm of the river Gang, which right bank is occupied by Calcutta megalopolis with its satellite-towns stretching out almost to 80 kilometers. Calcutta functions as a sea port, trading and financial centre as well as the world largest concentration of jute factories and various manufactures. The sea port and city Haldia with refinery complex being under construction is situated downstream in the estuary of the river Hugli.

The image background shows distinctive boundary of dark-green mangrove forests consisting of evergreen trees. They grow within narrow limited coastal line between the lowest and highest tide water levels. Mangroves require such conditions as shallow shelf, high tidal levels, smooth sea and desalinated brackish water. There is a standpoint that the mangroves play the role of a natural barrier to erosion, storms and tsunamis, however the ability of dampening the latter is limited.

Tree species of the mature littoral forest feature filtration ability, which allows growing in salt-supersaturated soil, prop roots and pneumatophore roots rising from the ground. The heavy root system retains ooze and sand carried by the rivers. Thereafter fine oxygen-poor deposits play the role of various heavy metals accumulators. In the world areas where mangroves were victimized during land invasion the problem occurred of polluting sea water and local flora and fauna with heavy metals. Like the mangroves some animals pertaining to this ecosystem specialized to life in two media. For instance, mudskipper fish can be considered as a characteristic and interesting resident of the mangroves. Beside the gills this fish consume oxygen through the skin and the unique structure of the pectoral fins allows mudskippers moving across land and water surface in quick leaps without immersing. Generally speaking the local fauna is versatile and accounts for 250 bird species, the world largest population of Bengal tiger and other rare animals such as estuarine crocodile and Indian python. Based on the latest audit nowadays at least 600 tigers affect in Sundarban and their existence is endangered by poaching and illegal felling. In 1990’s Sundarban forests were disappearing at annual rate of up to 3% due to intensive mass drying as well as due to industrial felling masked by sanitary cutting. The decision is now in place to temporarily cease all forest cutting in the Sundarban area. Throughout the world the mangrove forests are at stake. They are cut or lost due to indirect factors – emissions of chemicals and industrial oils, excessive accumulation of ground deposits and salt balance disruptions. First the issue of the mangrove forests preservation was raised in 2004 after the destructive tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean. Regardless of implementation of the mangrove growing programs, over the half of the world mangroves has already been lost.

Title:	Sundarban
Acquisition date:	15.11.1999
Sensor:	Landsat ETM+

©2005-2010 R&D Center ScanEx. All Rights Reserved.mailto: webmaster@scanex.ru

©2005-2010 R&D Center ScanEx. All Rights Reserved.
mailto: webmaster@scanex.ru