Environmental change in South Asia : essays in honor of Mohammed Taher

Studies on South Asia are an emerging interdisciplinary field, this volume expands on the currently limited literature available on South Asia and focuses on the regions environmental, climatic and natural resource base by looking at case studies from Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The book contains twelve chapters which deal with various environmental challenges, such as the impacts of climate change on floods and droughts, population structure and regeneration dynamics of dominant treeline species, environmental changes and rural livelihoods, and change analysis and impacts of hard coastal structures. Apart from the various thematic areas and diversity of geographical coverage, most of the studies also demonstrate the application of geospatial techniques for the collection of environmental data, and the use of GIS for spatial analysis of the data. The specific application of geospatial techniques and methods includes NDVI, NDWI, NDBI, SMI, SPOT-VGT NDVI, environmental flow, distribution and trend estimation of tropospheric formaldehyde, vegetation sensitivity to climate change, variability of tropospheric ozone, and geo-environmental problems. The contributors are seasoned researchers currently engaged in academic and research activities, and work at universities in USA, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Japan. Preface Contents 1 Developing a Sustainable Cradle for Humanity to face Global Environmental Challenges—The Case of South Asia 1.1 Introduction References 2 Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Floods and Low Flows of the Brahmaputra River 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Study Area 2.2.1 Database and Methodology 2.3 Results 2.4 Summary and Conclusions References 3 Population Structure and Regeneration Dynamics of Three Dominant Treeline Species from Treeline Ecotone of the Nepal Himalayas 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Methods 3.2.1 Study Area 3.2.2 Study Area Climate 3.2.3 Study Species 3.2.4 Field Data Collection 3.2.5 Age Structure and Life Table Construction 3.2.6 Recruitment and Climate Response 3.3 Results 3.3.1 Age Structure 3.3.2 Survivorship and Mortality Curves 3.3.3 Recruitment and Climate Response 3.4 Discussion 3.4.1 Population Dynamics 3.4.2 Regeneration and Climate 3.5 Conclusions References 4 Environmental Changes and Rural Livelihoods in Muktapur Village, Kamrup District, Assam, India 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Study Area 4.3 Agroecosystem and Livelihood Issues 4.3.1 Characteristics of Agroecosystem 4.3.2 Changes in Agroecosystem and Their Implications 4.4 Transformation of Agriculture and Land-Use Change 4.4.1 Agricultural Trends in Assam 4.4.2 Conversion of Farmland to Forest Plots 4.4.3 Conversion of Farmland to Fisheries 4.5 Climate Change, Extreme Weather and People’s Perception 4.5.1 Trends of Daily Maximum and Daily Minimum Temperature 4.5.2 Trends of Daily Rainfall 4.5.3 Perceptions of Local People for Validity of Temperature, Rainfall, and Severe Local Storm 4.6 Conclusion References 5 Mercury Rising: Examining LST Links with NDVI, NDWI, NDBI & SMI in the Kamrup Metropolitan District, India Using Geospatial Technologies 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Objectives 5.3 Study Area 5.4 Database and Methodology 5.5 Flowchart of Methodology 5.6 Results and Discussion 5.7 Trend Analysis 5.8 Conclusions References 6 Long-Term Shoreline Change Analysis and Impact of Hard Coastal Structures on Shorelines—A Case Study of the Nagapattinam-Ramanathapuram Shoreline 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Study Area 6.3 Materials and Methods 6.3.1 Data Used 6.3.2 Methodology 6.4 Result and Discussion 6.4.1 Assessment of Long—Term Change in Shorelines 6.4.2 Assessment of Shoreline Change Along Coastal Structures 6.5 Conclusions References 7 Application of GIS Techniques and Environmental Flow Norms to Assess Hydropower Impact on the Environment: A Case Study of Binwa and Larji Hydropower Projects in Himachal Pradesh, India 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Study Area 7.3 Materials and Methods 7.3.1 Environmental Flows Law and Guidelines Internationally 7.3.2 Minimal Flow Norms in India 7.3.3 Identification of Potential Location for Hydropower Project 7.4 Results and Discussion 7.5 Discussion 7.6 Conclusion References 8 Reassessing the Karakoram Through Historical Archives 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Data and Methodology 8.3 Revisiting Mapping and Extent of the Karakoram 8.3.1 Progress of the Karakoram Exploration and Mapping Before the 1800s 8.3.2 Progress of the Karakoram Exploration and Mapping from 1800 to 1900 8.3.3 Progress of the Karakoram Exploration and Mapping from 1900 Onwards 8.4 Discussion and Conclusions References 9 Spatial Distribution and Trend Estimation of Tropospheric Formaldehyde: A Space-Borne Observation Over South Asia 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Data and Methods 9.2.1 Satellite Observation 9.2.2 Trend Analysis: Theil Sen’ Slope Estimation Method 9.2.3 Change Point Detection: Pettitt’s Test 9.3 Results and Discussion 9.3.1 Spatial Pattern 9.3.2 Seasonal Pattern 9.3.3 HCHO Trend 9.4 Conclusion References 10 Vegetation Sensitivity to Changing Climate in Bangladesh Using SPOT-VGT NDVI Time Series Data 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Study Area 10.3 Methods and Analysis 10.3.1 Time Series Datasets 10.3.2 Analysis of the Correlation Between NDVI, Rainfall, and Temperature 10.4 Results and Discussions 10.4.1 Interannual Variations in NDVI Variability 10.4.2 Correlation Between NDVI and Climatic Attributes (Rainfall and Temperature) 10.5 Within Season Relationship Between NDVI and Rainfall 10.6 Conclusion References 11 When the Bough Breaks: Spatial Variability of Tropospheric Ozone in the Indian Sub-continent 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Database and Methodology 11.3 The Study Area 11.4 Results 11.5 Conclusions References 12 Geo-Environmental Problems in the Fringe Areas of the Rudrasagar Lake, Tripura, India 12.1 Introduction 12.2 The Study Area 12.3 Material and Methods 12.4 Results and Discussion 12.4.1 Geo-Environmental Problems 12.4.2 Issues Arising Due to Growing Geo-Environmental Problems 12.5 Conclusion References