Hi guys!
Sorry for bothering. This is Haochen, MA student from Royal College of Art, London, Design Futures. I'm working on a project on fishing and hunting communities in Bangladesh in 2050, and it's looking at the future impacts of global warming on the lifestyle of local fishermen. But I now have some confusions and may need more professional advice and guidance. I sincerely hope to get feedback and comments from you, which will be critical and precious to my project. Thank you so much for your patience and time to read this question!
My research focuses on the effects of freshwater river salinization caused by rising sea levels. After watching some documentaries, news, I realized that the problem of salinization of freshwater not only seriously affects the stable food and economic sources of many people (migration and extinction of many fish species), but also directly affects their health (access to drinking water). Finally, I would tell a series of stories of Bangladeshi fishermen in 2050, to show what their dilemma could be, what their future lifestyle would be like and what tools they would use under the influence of freshwater salinization. But now I'm missing some deeper insights to enrich my story, so I'd like to sincerely ask you some questions. thank you very much!
The following are some of my confusions:
1. Regarding fishing: If in the southwest coastal rivers of Bangladesh, will the salinity of the rivers change significantly in different months of the year? If so, how much change could be happened? Does this monthly salinity change depend not only on monthly precipitation, but more on local geological conditions? And will this change radically affect the migration of fish and thus affect the harvest of fishermen?
In 2050, with the possibility of more extreme weather, is it possible that seasonal or monthly changes in the salinity of a river will be more dramatic than today, forcing fishermen to move more frequently to maintain a stable food source? Suppose that the middle section of the Pasur River has a salinity of about 5 in the rainy season, and in the dry season, the salinity of the middle section rises to 20, causing many low-salt-tolerant fish to leave or migrate, while saltwater fish are not adapted to inland channels environment, so there is no corresponding immigration from brackish fish, which causes fishermen do not have enough fish to harvest?
Does the salinity of a river increase uniformly from upstream to downstream? Is the salinity change of the river water regular or predictable every month and every year? Can we help fishermen have a more stable source of income in different seasons by measuring the regularity between river salinity and fish migration? If this is possible, what data could be measured?
2. Regarding population migration: If the river water in southwestern Bangladesh is salinized, will the local soil be salinized accordingly, making the arable land uncultivated and the groundwater undrinkable? Is this likely to lead to a large-scale migration of large southwest populations to live in the freshwater areas of the north? Combined with the question regarding fishing, is it possible that fishing and hunting groups living on migration will increase as a result?
These are the questions I am confused about, thank you very much for your patience! I would appreciate so much if I could receive your reply and guidance. Wish to have further opportunities to learn more in-depth and detailed knowledges from you guys, thank you very much!
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