Back to the Sundarbans – State of the Planet

The subsequent day, February 26, we headed west from Khulna to Baintola in Assasuni District to service my GNSS measuring land subsidence, make elevation and sedimentation measurements on the RSET-MH (rod floor elevation table-marker horizon) and take core samples utilizing an auger. Collectively, these will contribute towards understanding the stability of sea stage rise, land subsidence and sedimentation, vital for the low-lying delta in Bangladesh. That is the fourth of 9 websites in coastal Bangladesh that we’re visiting throughout this a part of my journey.

It was once more a protracted drive so we began at 6 am stopping for breakfast and tea.  On this space, we handed many shrimp farms the place the soil is just too salty for rice.  Many fields had been fallow and used for grazing cattle within the dry season. Rice can solely be grown through the monsoon season. Nonetheless, we’d sometimes see rice paddies that used a particular salt-tolerant selection. After hours of driving, we stopped about 5 km north of the positioning.  From right here on the highway is so dangerous that we couldn’t take the van.  We switched to 2 electrical bicycle vans.  And the highway was as dangerous as marketed.  The monsoon had taken its toll and the bricks of the highway had been misplaced, washed away or upturned.  It took most of an hour for that final stretch.  We did lastly attain the college/cyclone shelter with the GNSS on its roof. Joined by Sakib from BRAC, the world’s largest NGO.  BRAC is a part of a mission I’m concerned with designing interventions for adapting to local weather change is SW Bangladesh.  

We lugged the batteries and gear up the ladder to the roof.  Because it turned out, the batteries had been nonetheless good. Nonetheless, the modem was not connecting.  I downloaded the information, and with assist over the telephone from EarthScope, I logged into the modem and upgraded its settings, nevertheless, we nonetheless couldn’t join.  We hoped it was simply the poor mobile sign, however this one didn’t join later.  I hope I can return sooner or later with an EarthScope engineer.  In the meantime the RSET crew can obtain the information each 6 months, if wanted.

From right here, we took the van over a fair worse highway to hitch the RSET and auger groups, measuring shallow subsidence and sedimentation at their second website. This one is exterior the embankment, however in the intervening time disconnected from the Kobadak River as a result of it’s being dredged.  In 2019, we sailed up this river to ascertain this website.  Now south of us it’s fully minimize off by shrimp farms.  To the north, the dredging has been accomplished and new embankments are being constructed alongside the now smaller channel.  Fortunately, after we had been carried out, the bicycle van driver knew another route throughout the river that was good, and we sped alongside it again to our van.

Sakib took us to the BRAC workplace and one other 5 pm lunch, then tea and snacks with members of the BRAC crew that I had met in Dhaka.  By the point we completed and drove again to Khulna it was effectively after 10 pm.

Fortunately, the next day was very straightforward.  Zohur and I had a GNSS website at Khulna College, quarter-hour away. It was in good condition and wanted no work.  We toured the college and went to lunch.  Then Masud and I went to a gathering with the top of the regional Forestry Division, who could be very excited about our work and its implications for sustainability of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest.  

Now it was time for us to go to the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Within the night, we went to the ghat(dock), the place we had been met by the crew of the M/V Bawali.  They loaded all our baggage and gear onto the picket nation boat and sailed throughout the river to the Bawali.  There are a selection of acquainted faces for Masud and myself, however for the opposite members of our crew, it’s their first time on the Bawali and to the Sundarbans. Masud’s spouse, Afroza Mim, additionally joined us as she have by no means been to the Sundarbans. 

As we ate dinner, the crew began crusing down the Pusur River earlier than stopping for the evening.  By the point we awoke, the Bawali had resumed its journey in direction of Katka and we watched because the world’s largest mangrove forest handed by.  We arrived within the early afternoon and went to the RSETs, accompanied by an armed guard in opposition to tigers.  I do not need a GNSS right here, so I tagged alongside, primarily serving to the auger crew.  Within the delicate muds of the forest, we reached 4.4 meters, or nearly 14 ½ toes.  

After ending our work for the day, we had time for some sightseeing.  We took the nation boat to the remark tower on the east aspect of the river.  Because it was late within the day, we noticed numerous the noticed axis deer. In actual fact, there was a herd of ~200 south of the tower.  And loads of monkeys as effectively.  We watched them and took footage.  After we had been glad, we went throughout the river to the Katka forest stroll.  Once more numerous monkeys, and a number of other small teams of deer.  Because the solar set, we crossed to the seaside for the stroll again.  We handed the ruins of a 300 12 months outdated salt kiln.  These have been used to measure subsidence as they’re now not at or above the Spring Excessive Tide stage.  We additionally handed the ruins of the forest service buildings destroyed by Cyclone Sidr in 2007.  Ready for us by the picket walkway to our boat had been two wild boar, calmly grazing on the seaside.  It was an incredible first day within the Sundarbans. 

In the course of the evening the Bawali sailed west to Tincona (Triangle) Island. We missed attending to see the Sundarbans move by, however this put us effectively forward of schedule.  Within the morning the calm climate allow us to cross the 10-km vast Pusur River to Hiron Level.  Like many tidal channels, the Pusur widens in direction of its mouth on the Bay of Bengal.  Hiron Level is alongside a smaller tidal channel, however not too long ago it has been accreting new land.  We’ve got to comply with the marked channel to method it.  As we do, I noticed that we forgot the GNSS toolkit on the Bawali.  After dropping off the RSET/auger groups, we needed to head again to the Bawali. To save lots of time, the speedboat got here out to fulfill us, so the delay wasn’t too lengthy.  

Fortunately, we solely want to vary the batteries at HRNP.  It has remained on-line, so all its knowledge is collected day by day by way of the web.  The monitoring additionally confirmed that the battery is shot.  That went shortly, so we had been capable of be a part of the others throughout the channel.  Zohur joins the RSET crew and I joined the auger crew, which now contains Mim.  After we completed, we had a snack of bananas and guava, then a protracted stroll on the elevated walkway by the forest.  The damaged and crumbling picket walkway I visited earlier than has now been changed by concrete.  Close to the tip, there was an remark tower, however because it was noon, no animals had been to be seen.  Nasser and the nation boat sailed round to select us up on the far finish of the walkway.  We then had a cruise by s lengthy winding tidal channel earlier than assembly up with the Bawali.  

Our stations within the Sundarbans are carried out.  We stopped for the evening within the Sundarbans, however tomorrow we are going to sail out of it. Our subsequent stations are at villages that border the Sundarbans, and a number of the RSETs are within the Sundarbans. The Sundarbans are a magical place and can we I miss it.  We will even miss the entire lack of mosquitos due to saline to brackish waters of the mangrove forest.