Papers by Motaleb Hossain Sarker
Prepared by F I M Golam Wahed Sarker Senior Agril. Economist, BRRI Dr. J C Biswas Principal Agron... more Prepared by F I M Golam Wahed Sarker Senior Agril. Economist, BRRI Dr. J C Biswas Principal Agronomist, BRRI M Maniruzzaman Senior Irrigation Engineer, BRRI Dr. M Ashiq Iqbal Khan Senior Pathologist, BRRI Mr. Motaleb Hossain Sarker Director, Ecology, CEGIS Mohammed Abdur Rashid Senior Professional, CEGIS Dr. Nagothu Udaya Sekhar Senior Researcher, Bioforsk Dr. Trond Rafoss Senior Researcher, Bioforsk Dr. Attila Nemes Senior Researcher, Bioforsk Dr. Stefanos Xenarios Senior Researcher, Bioforsk Technical & Environmental Auditing of BWDB Schemes (Package No: BWDB/S-
Current Research in Environmental Sustainability
Ocean & Coastal Management, 2019
Climate change is globally recognized as one of the key drivers of degradation of coastal wetland... more Climate change is globally recognized as one of the key drivers of degradation of coastal wetland ecosystems, causing considerable alteration of services provided by these habitats. Quantifying the physical impacts of climate change on these services is therefore of utmost importance. Yet, practical work in this field is fragmented and scarce in current literature, especially in developing countries which are likely to suffer most from the adverse climate change impacts. Using a coherent scenario-based approach that combines assessment of physical impacts with economic valuation techniques, here we quantify potential climate change driven losses in the value of wetland ecosystems services due to relative sea-level rise (RSLR)-induced inundation in the vulnerable Western coastal area of Bangladesh in 2100. The results show a small inundation area in 2100 under the three IPCC climate scenarios of RCP2.6 (with 0.25 m of RSLR), RCP6.0 (with 1.18 m of RSLR), and RCP8.5 (with 1.77 m of RSLR) for the coastal wetland ecosystems including the Sundarbans mangrove forest, neritic system and aquaculture ponds. In all scenarios, RSLR will drive a loss in the total value of ecosystem services such as provision of raw materials, and food provision, ranging from US$ 0-1 million to US$ 16.5-20 million, respectively. The outcomes of this study reveal that RSLR-induced inundation on its own, is unlikely to be a major threat to the wetland ecosystems in Western coast of Bangladesh. This would suggest that other climate change impacts such as coastal erosion, increase in frequency of cyclone events, and sea temperature rise might be the likely primary drivers of change in the value of wetland ecosystems services in this area.
Climate change is a growing food security concern for countries in the Ganges-BrahmaputraMeghna (... more Climate change is a growing food security concern for countries in the Ganges-BrahmaputraMeghna (GBM) basin; it is expected to have a direct impact on crop yield as a result of changes in temperature, precipitation, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. Research is needed to identify the scale and distribution of the potential impacts and possible adaptation strategies to support policy development. This paper presents the results of a hydrological simulation of the components of water balance in the GBM basin in the 2050s under different climate scenarios. The impact on the yield of major crops in two representative districts in Bangladesh and Nepal was assessed using the Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer (DSSAT) tool with projections for future seasonal water availability, temperature, and CO2 concentration. The results indicate that the predominance of the monsoon season in water availability will increase by the 2050s, that there will be more frequent flood ...
Climate change has significant impacts on the water resource of Himalayan region affecting more t... more Climate change has significant impacts on the water resource of Himalayan region affecting more than 1.4 billion people downstream. The Hindu-Kush Himalaya (HKH) makes the largest and highest mountain chain over the earth and contains the third largest ice reserves after the Polar Regions. The project aims to understand the climate variability and its change in the region with particular focus on water resources and its consequences to people and society. Observed hydro-meteorological data and dynamically-downscaled IPCC climate scenarios will be used for runoff simulation, and development of future water scenarios will be carried out using distributed/physical-based hydrological models. Snow statistics will be calculated from MODIS daily product using MODIS Snow Tool and MODIS Re-projection Tool (MRT). In this study, three countries namely Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh are involved to assess the spatial nature of the problem. The project is still ongoing and, to date, climatic ana...
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2007
Since 2000, nearly 5 million wells in Bangladesh have been tested for arsenic. Results of this su... more Since 2000, nearly 5 million wells in Bangladesh have been tested for arsenic. Results of this survey are presented, and it is estimated that approximately 20% of tube wells nationwide contain arsenic above the drinking water limit of 50 parts per billion, with approximately 20 million people at risk of consuming water above this limit. Three case studies in arsenic mitigation are presented, which indicate that substantial progress has been made in raising awareness about arsenic. Substantial differences were found in tubewell surveys made in 2001 and 2005, with 17% of tubewells painted green in 2001 showing arsenic above 50 ppb in 2005, and 12% of tubewells painted red in 2001 showing 50 ppb arsenic or less in 2005. In 38% of households having red tubewells, household water was found to contain 50 ppb arsenic or less, indicating substantial behaviour change. In two upazilas where safe alternatives (primarily safe shallow tubewells and newly installed deep tubewells) are available, 52% and 75% of people at risk were found to have arsenic-safe water in the household, indicating that they have changed their drinking water sources. In a third upazila where safe alternatives are scarce, less than 10% of people at risk were found to have safe water in the home. The greatest challenges remain in areas where contamination is high but installation of new safe water points is constrained for technical reasons (e.g. unsuitability of the deep aquifer).
Department of Environment, Government of Bangladesh has declared the River Turag, running by the ... more Department of Environment, Government of Bangladesh has declared the River Turag, running by the side of Dhaka city and one of the most polluted rivers in Bangladesh, as one of the ecologically critical areas (ECA). Due to continuous disposal of untreated industrial effluents and dumping of municipal sewerage and drainage water the Turag River is approaching its danger level rapidly, degrading its ecological status, which is very alarming to the lives of this river. A lot of works were done to report such a deterioration of the river. To assess all such works and to suggest a consolidated recommendation, some important research results and standards declared by WHO, FAO, DoE and Bangladesh standards were reviewed. The color of the river turned to pitch-black with a foul odor. DO was 3 ppm with a contrasting standard level of 5 ppm.An extreme elevation of COD up to 1020 ppm against 4 ppm for drinking water and TDS, up to 6000 ppm against 1000 ppm were alarming. Regarding the concentr...
The designation of geographical entities in this book and the presentation of the material, do no... more The designation of geographical entities in this book and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication are authors' personal views and do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN.
International Journal of Ecology & Development, 2017
Suitable site selection is a key factor for any aquaculture operation planning. This study assess... more Suitable site selection is a key factor for any aquaculture operation planning. This study assesses habitat suitability of beel (depression), floodplain and pond using integrated habitat suitability index approach to produce geo-referenced habitat requirement information about the fish of different Upazilas (sub-districts) of Gazipur district, Bangladesh. This study has found that the degree or magnitude of habitat suitability in respect of habitat productivity varies with (i) habitat condition including habitat type, spawning ground, water depth and soil pH; and (ii) food availability including phytoplankton availability and pollution proximity to agricultural and industrial pollutants. The beels are highly suitable for aquaculture in Gazipur Sadar, Kaliakair and Kapasia, whereas floodplains are similarly suitable in Kaliganj. The floodplains however have lowest suitability in Gazipur Sadar and Kapasia. Ponds have lowest suitability in Kaliakair and Kaliganj but has opposite in Sre...
Australia is founding its future on science and innovation. Its national science agency, CSIRO, i... more Australia is founding its future on science and innovation. Its national science agency, CSIRO, is a powerhouse of ideas, technologies and skills. CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to address Australia's major research challenges and opportunities. They apply large scale, long term, multidisciplinary science and aim for widespread adoption of solutions. The Flagship Collaboration Fund supports the best and brightest researchers to address these complex challenges through partnerships between CSIRO, universities, research agencies and industry. The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship aims to provide Australia with solutions for water resource management, creating economic gains of $3 billion per annum by 2030, while protecting or restoring our major water ecosystems.
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences
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Papers by Motaleb Hossain Sarker