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NASA: Deadly blooms in the Gulf of Mannar
For the past four years, water in the Gulf of Mannar has turned bright green in September and October as the population of a single-celled phytoplankton called Noctiluca scintillans soared. These large blooms of the marine dinoflagellates glow a spectacular shade of blue at night, but their presence can have deadly consequences for marine life by soaking up all the oxygen in the water and causing hypoxia and dead zones, said a report by NASA yesterday.
That’s what was happening on September 23, 2022, when the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI) on Landsat 9 captured this image of whorls of N. scintillans discoloring waters in northern Sri Lanka and southern India near the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve. The shallow water in this area normally teems with coral, reef fish, sea turtles, dolphins, dugong, and other marine life. But during N. scintillans outbreaks, fish carcasses line beaches and dead coral skeletons transform reefs.
“We saw particularly severe coral mortality and fish kill in 2019, but it happened in 2021 and 2022 as well,” explained Diraviya Raj, a researcher at the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute in Tamil Nadu, India, and the lead author of a 2020 study about N. scintillans blooms in the Gulf of Mannar. “The 2020 bloom was short and did not harm corals, but the 2021 and 2022 events each lasted for two months, covered large areas, and caused severe damage.”
The earliest reports of N. scintillans blooms causing fish kills in the Gulf of Mannar date back to 1935, with occasional reports of the phenomenon in subsequent decades. However, the regularity and intensity of the blooms since 2019 seem to be something new. “We suspect that climate change has made the N. scintillans bloom an annual occurrence,” Raj said. “The water temperature level has been more than 30°Celsius (86°Fahrenheit) during the blooms, which is unusually high for the Gulf of Mannar in September-October.”
Living staghorn corals are brightly colored, while the dead corals in the photograph above—taken on November 17, 2021, near Manauli Island—had turned white and were covered with algal debris about a month after the bloom started to affect them. Fast-growing corals species such as Acropora, Montipora, and Pocillopora are the most vulnerable to N. scintillans blooms because they require the most oxygen to thrive.
Lines of dead fish, like those shown below, covered beaches on the islands of the Gulf of Mannar and the mainland near Mandapams and Keelakarai when the photo was taken on October 13, 2021. By analyzing water samples, Raj and colleagues confirmed that oxygen-depleted water triggered by the N. scintillans bloom was the cause of the fish kills and coral deaths.
Another team of researchers from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Mandapam Camp and the Indian Space Research Organization tracking the blooms found that 38 genera of fish were affected by the 2019 bloom and 43 genera by the 2021 bloom. Among them were parrotfish, rabbitfish, pufferfish, lesser sardines, needlefish, and tarpons, they noted in a study published in March 2023.
The 2021 bloom also killed large numbers of animals being raised in finfish farms, explained Ramesh Kumar, the lead author of the study. However, the team thinks it may soon be possible to warn fish farmers of N. scintillans blooms in advance, using improved satellite mapping abilities and new modeling techniques. That may allow farmers to harvest fish before blooms spread to coastal areas and cause widespread damage.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
