Editing Bay of Bengal (section)

=== Environmental degradation ===
<!-- CAUTION: Phrase headings in a way that is both logical (first tectonic plates, then geology, geography, ecology, etc) and alphabetical. The choice of terminology is therefore important: pipe accordingly and mention alternative terms in the section lede. -->

==== Environmental hazards ====
The [[Asian brown cloud]], a layer of air pollution that covers much of South Asia and the Indian Ocean every year between January and March, and possibly also during earlier and later months, hangs over the Bay of Bengal. It is considered to be a combination of vehicle exhaust, smoke from
cooking fires, and industrial discharges.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=13341 |title=EO Natural Hazards: Smog over the Bay of Bengal |website=NASA Earth Observatory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026204458/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=13341 |archive-date=26 October 2007 |access-date=21 January 2007}}</ref> Because of this cloud, satellites attempting to track [[ocean acidification]] and other ocean health indicators in the Bay have difficulty obtaining accurate measurements.<ref>[https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/ocean-acidification-in-bay-of-bengal-is-now-being-monitored-by-global-satellite-network-7787131.html Ocean acidification in Bay of Bengal is now being monitored] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929090907/https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/ocean-acidification-in-bay-of-bengal-is-now-being-monitored-by-global-satellite-network-7787131.html |date=29 September 2021 }}. ''[[Firstpost]]''. 16 December 2019.</ref>

==== Pollution and water quality ====
The major transboundary issues relating to [[marine pollution|pollution]] and [[water quality]] are: sewage-borne pathogens and organic load; solid waste/marine litter; increasing nutrient inputs; oil pollution; persistent organic pollutants ([[Persistent organic pollutant|POPs]]) and persistent toxic substances (PTSs); sedimentation; and heavy metals.
The transboundary nature of these issues are: discharge of untreated/partially treated [[sewage]] being a common problem. Sewage and organic discharges from the [[Ganges]]-[[Brahmaputra]]-[[Meghna]] River are likely to be transboundary. Plastics and derelict fishing gear can be transported long distances across national boundaries. Around 4 million tonnes of [[microplastics]] are estimated to come from India and Bangladesh travelling into Sundurban and subsequently the Bay of Bengal.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Rakesh |last2=Sinha |first2=Rama |last3=Refat |first3=Md |last4=Rakib |first4=Jahan |last5=Padha |first5=Shaveta |last6=Ivy |first6=Nishita |last7=Bhattacharya |first7=Sayan |last8=Dhar |first8=Anjali |last9=Sharma |first9=Prabhakar |title=Microplastics pollution load in Sundarban delta of Bay of Bengal |doi=10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100099 |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances |year=2022 |volume=7 |page=100099 |s2cid=249072350 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2022JHzMA...700099K }}</ref> High nutrient discharges from rivers could intensify largescale hypoxia. Atmospheric transport of nutrients is inherently transboundary. Differences between countries with regard to regulation and enforcement of shipping discharges may drive discharges across boundaries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gupta |first1=R.Sen |last2=Kureishy |first2=Tariq W. |date=September 1981 |title=Present state of oil pollution in the northern Indian Ocean |doi=10.1016/0025-326X(81)90079-5 |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |volume=12 |issue=9 |pages=295–301 |bibcode=1981MarPB..12..295S}}</ref> [[Tarball (oil)|Tar balls]] are transported long distances. POPs/PTSs and [[Mercury (element)|mercury]], including organo-mercury, undergo long-range transport. [[Sedimentation]] and most heavy metal contamination tend to be localized and lack a strong transboundary dimension.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gong |first1=Chenglin |last2=Wang |first2=Haiqiang |last3=Shao |first3=Dali |last4=Wang |first4=Hongping |last5=Qi |first5=Kun |last6=Xu |first6=Xiaoyong |date=1 July 2022 |title=How did the world's largest submarine fan in the Bay of Bengal grow and evolve at the subfan scale? |doi=10.1306/02072219107 |journal=AAPG Bulletin |volume=106 |issue=7 |pages=1431–1451 |bibcode=2022BAAPG.106.1431G |s2cid=250063994}}</ref> The main causes of the issues are: increasing coastal population density and urbanization; higher consumption, resulting in more waste generated per person; insufficient funds allocated to waste management; migration of industry into BOBLME countries; and proliferation of small industries.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} A pertinent issue is the rapid growth of the shrimp culture industry which requires use of antibiotics and chemicals for export-quality food safety but pollutes the Bay of Bengal.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rashid |first1=Towhida |last2=Hoque |first2=Sirajul |last3=Akter |first3=Sharmin |date=28 November 2014 |title=Pollution in the Bay of Bengal: Impact on Marine Ecosystem |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273346214 |journal=Journal of Marine Science |pages=55–63 |via=Scientific Research Publishing Inc.}}</ref>