Human Resilience in Sinking Landscapes: Comparing Adaptive Capacities across Arctic and Asian Deltas

Low-lying deltaic regions across the world are increasingly transforming into “sinking landscapes” under the combined influence of sea-level rise, land subsidence, cryosphere change, and intensifying hydro-climatic extremes. This study examines human resilience in Arctic and Asian deltas through a comparative assessment of adaptive capacities, with a detailed case study from the Indian Sundarbans, one of the most climate-exposed mangrove delta systems globally. Although Arctic deltas and Asian tropical deltas differ markedly in climate, geomorphology, and socio-economic context, both are experiencing accelerated environmental change that threatens livelihoods, settlements, and ecosystem stability.

The research adopts an integrated socio-hydrological framework, combining geospatial analysis, secondary climate and hydrological datasets, and community-level vulnerability indicators. Arctic delta regions are analysed in terms of permafrost thaw, coastal erosion, and diminishing sea-ice protection, while the Sundarbans case highlights subsidence, cyclonic storm surges, tidal flooding, salinity intrusion, and sediment deprivation. In the Sundarbans, adaptive capacity is assessed through livelihood diversification (fishing, forest-based activities, and eco-tourism), seasonal and distress migration, mangrove-dependent ecosystem services, and community-based disaster risk reduction mechanisms.

Comparative analysis reveals parallel vulnerability pathways across Arctic and Asian deltas, including high dependence on natural resources, limited infrastructure, and governance challenges that constrain long-term adaptation. However, distinct adaptation strategies emerge. Arctic communities exhibit resilience through mobility, flexible settlement patterns, and indigenous ecological knowledge, while Sundarbans communities rely on ecosystem-based adaptation, collective coping practices, and incremental livelihood adjustments. Despite these strategies, both contexts face limits to adaptation as environmental change outpaces institutional and economic support systems.

The findings underscore that resilience in sinking landscapes is not solely determined by physical or technological interventions but is deeply embedded in social relations, cultural practices, and access to environmental resources. By foregrounding the Sundarbans as a representative Asian delta case, this study contributes to a comparative understanding of human adaptation across climatic extremes. The research offers policy-relevant insights for sustainable delta management, climate adaptation planning, and climate justice, emphasizing the need for locally grounded yet globally informed strategies to enhance resilience in vulnerable deltaic futures.

Keywords: Human resilience; Adaptive capacity; Sinking landscapes; Sundarbans delta; Arctic deltas; Socio-hydrology; Climate change adaptation; Delta vulnerability; Ecosystem-based adaptation