Title: Climate change consequences on hydrology: a pilot study from Bhola district, Bangladesh

Authors: Sudip Kumar Pal; Md. Reaz Akter Mullick

Addresses: Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong – 4349, Bangladesh. ' Department of Civil Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong – 4349, Bangladesh

Abstract: Impacts of climate changes on natural hydrology have been primarily documented at macro scale than micro scale. This is not surprising due to the limited data and information available at local level. Hence, this study aimed to explore climate change consequences on coastal hydrology using Bhola City as study area in Bangladesh. Hydro-meteorological data for 1951-2007 were used to develop the baseline climate scenarios for temperature and rainfall. Segmented-piecewise regression analysis was carried out to reveal the changes in temperature and rainfall pattern. The outcomes of this study revealed an increased trend of temperature, and a tendency of an increase in wet-season rainfall, while a decreasing trend for winter rainfall over the study period. Furthermore, implication of these changes on agricultural crop calendar was carried out, which suggested that a shift in rainfall pattern may alter the existing crop calendar in particular to rice cultivation at the study area.

Keywords: climate change; coastal hydrology; temperature; rainfall patterns; agriculture; Bhola; Bangladesh; rice cultivation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHST.2011.043288

International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, 2011 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.260 - 271

Published online: 31 Oct 2014 *

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