Correction: Climate change in Bangladesh: Temperature and rainfall climatology of Bangladesh for 1949-2013 and its implication on rice yield.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292668.].

Climate change in Bangladesh: Temperature and rainfall climatology of Bangladesh for 1949-2013 and its implication on rice yield.

Bangladesh has been ranked as one of the world's top countries affected by climate change, particularly in terms of agricultural crop sector. The purpose of this study is to identify spatial and temporal changes and trends in long-term climate at local and national scales, as well as their implications for rice yield. In this study, Modified Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope tests were used to detect significant trends and the magnitude of changes in temperature and rainfall. The temperature and rainfall data observed and recorded at 35 meteorological stations in Bangladesh over 65-years in the time span between the years 1949 and 2013 have been used to detect these changes and trends of variation. The results show that mean annual Tmean, Tmin, and Tmax have increased significantly by 0.13°C, 0.13°C, and 0.13°C/decade, respectively. The most significant increasing trend in seasonal temperatures for the respective Tmean, Tmin, and Tmax was 0.18°C per decade (post-monsoon), 0.18°C/decade (winter), and 0.23°C/decade (post-monsoon), respectively. Furthermore, the mean annual and pre-monsoon rainfall showed a significant increasing trend at a rate of 4.20 mm and 1.35 mm/year, respectively. This paper also evaluates climate variability impacts on three major rice crops, Aus, Aman, and Boro during 1970-2013. The results suggest that crop yield variability can be explained by climate variability during Aus, Aman, and Boro seasons by 33, 25, and 16%, respectively. Maximum temperature significantly affected the Aus and Aman crop yield, whereas rainfall significantly affected all rice crops' yield. This study sheds light on sustainable agriculture in the context of climate change, which all relevant authorities should investigate in order to examine climate-resilient, high-yield crop cultivation.

Impact of meteorological parameters on COVID-19 transmission in Bangladesh: a spatiotemporal approach.

It has been more than 10 months since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Wuhan, China, still menacing the world with a possible second wave. This study aimed to analyze how meteorological variables can affect the spread of local COVID-19 transmission in Bangladesh. Nine spatial units were considered from a meteorological standpoint to characterize COVID-19 transmission in Bangladesh. The daily COVID-19 incidence and meteorological variable (e.g., mean temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, and wind speed) data from April 5 to September 20, 2020, were collected. The Spearman rank correlation, heat maps, and multivariate quasi-Poisson regression were employed to understand their association. The effect of meteorological variables on COVID-19 transmission was modeled using a lag period of 10 days. Results showed that mean temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed are substantially associated with an increased risk of COVID-19. On the other hand, daily precipitation is significantly associated with a decreased risk of COVID-19 incidence. The relative risks (RR) of mean temperature for daily COVID-19 incidences were 1.222 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.214-1.232). For wind speed, the RR was 1.087 (95% CI, 1.083-1.090). For relative humidity, the RR was 1.027 (95% CI, 1.025-1.029). Overall, this study found the profound effect of meteorological parameters on COVID-19 incidence across selected nine areas in Bangladesh. This study is probably the first study to explore the impact of region-specific meteorological conditions on COVID-19 incidence in Bangladesh. Moreover, adjustments on the areal-aggregated and regional levels were made for three confounding factors, including lockdown, population density, and potential seasonal effects. The study's findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted in high temperatures and humidity conditions, which contradicts many other countries' prior studies. The research outcomes will provide implications for future control and prevention measures in Bangladesh and other countries with similar climate conditions and population density.