Sundarbans

The Sundarbans is a vast mangrove forest and delta along the Bay of Bengal, spanning southwestern Bangladesh and eastern India. Its tidal waterways, mudflats, and forests support distinctive wildlife and human communities.

Mangrove: A salt-tolerant tree or shrub adapted to grow in coastal intertidal zones. Mangroves form the forest canopy across the delta’s shifting, brackish shores.
Tidal cycle: The regular rise and fall of sea level driven mainly by the Moon and Sun. Daily tides flood and drain the forest’s channels and low-lying ground.
Sundarbans National Park: A protected area in West Bengal, India, within the Indian part of the Sundarbans. It protects a large section of the forest and its wildlife in India.
Sea-level rise: A long-term increase in the average level of the world’s oceans. Rising seas increase pressure on the low-lying delta and its saline habitats.
Ganges Delta: A vast river delta formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers in Bangladesh and India. The Sundarbans occupies the tidal southern edge of this delta.
Salt tolerance: The ability of an organism to survive and grow in saline conditions. Mangrove species differ in how they cope with salt in water and soil.
Sundarbans Reserved Forest: A protected forest area in Bangladesh’s portion of the Sundarbans. It is the principal forest-protection area on the Bangladeshi side.
Land subsidence: The gradual sinking of land relative to its surrounding surface or sea level. Subsidence can worsen relative sea-level rise across deltaic land.
Tidal flat: A coastal landform that is submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide. Its exposed mud and changing channels create habitat and shape movement through the forest.
Pneumatophore: An aerial root that enables gas exchange in waterlogged soil. These roots help some Sundarbans mangroves obtain oxygen from saturated mud.

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