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Indian Ocean warming could weaken Summer Monsoon rainfall in South Asia
The South Asian monsoon, also known as Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM), is crucial for the food security and socioeconomic well-being of 40% of the world’s population. From a historical perspective, fluctuations in monsoon rainfall have been linked to the rise and fall of civilizations in the Indian subcontinent. Now researchers are increasingly concerned that global warming may threaten the stability of the monsoon system, but accurate predictions have been hampered by the lack of long-term climate data in the Indian subcontinent.
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by a team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kiel University and the Alfred Wegener Institute of the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, seeks to strengthen climate predictions by reconstructing Indian Summer Monsoon rainfall changes during the past 130,000 years.
The study reports for the first time that the Indian Summer Monsoon, during the Last Interglacial, was weakened by sustained high sea surface temperatures in the equatorial and tropical Indian Ocean, indicating that modern rises in sea temperature could increase droughts in South Asia.
Solar radiation is often considered the primary influencer of the Indian Summer Monsoon’s intensity, with elevated solar radiation increasing humidity, wind circulation, and ultimately precipitation. Higher levels of solar radiation during the Last Interglacial should have, therefore, led to increased monsoon intensity, but this effect has never been verified with paleo-proxy data.
To reconstruct past Indian Summer Monsoon rainfall, the researchers analysed a 10-meter-long marine sediment core, retrieved from the northern Bay of Bengal, roughly 200 km south of the mouth of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna rivers. By analysing the stable hydrogen and carbon isotopes in leaf wax biomarkers, preserved in the sediment, researchers were able to track changes in rainfall during the planet’s last two warmer climate states: The Last Interglacial, which occurred 130,000-115,000 years ago, and the current warm period, the Holocene, which began 11,600 years ago.
Although solar insolation was higher during the Last Interglacial, isotopic analysis on leaf wax biomarker revealed that the Indian Summer Monsoon was actually less intense than in the Holocene. “This unexpected finding not only contrasts with paleoclimate model simulations,” says lead author Dr. Yiming Wang, paleo-climatologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, “but also challenges common assumptions that incoming solar insolation is the biggest factor in monsoon variability in a warm climate state.”
To identify the main driver of the monsoon’s rainfall during warm climate states, the researchers compared available reconstructions of past sea surface temperature from the Indian Ocean and found that the equatorial and tropical regions were 1.5-2.5°C warmer during the Last Interglacial period than during the Holocene. In addition, the researchers use paleoclimate model simulations to show that when the Indian Ocean’s surface temperature rose in the past, monsoon rainfall would decrease on land and increase in the sea above the Bay of Bengal.
“Our work strongly suggests that sea surface temperature plays a dominant role in shaping the Indian Summer Monsoon’s variability in South Asia,” says Dr. Wang, “and that higher surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean during the Last Interglacial period could have dampened the ISM intensity.”
The team’s results indicate that, due to increasing sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean, Indian Summer Monsoon failures are likely to increase as well. To what extent sea surface temperature affects monsoon intensity in other tropical regions remains an open question.
“The obvious discrepancy between our data and prevailing climate model simulations underscores the importance of hydroclimate proxy records for understanding the range and rate of climate change in the past,” says Prof. Ralph Schneider, senior author of the study, paleoclimate researcher at the Institute of Geosciences and the Leibniz Laboratory for Radiometric Dating and Stable Isotope Research at Kiel University. “Our results show that, in addition to the effect of solar radiation on continents, the effect of ocean warming on precipitation intensity needs to be re-evaluated in climate models.”
“Changes in the hydrological cycle will affect agricultural land, natural ecosystems, and consequently the livelihoods of billions of people,” Dr. Wang emphasises. “We therefore need to improve our understanding of the control mechanisms of summer monsoon rainfall to better predict weather extremes such as droughts and floods and devise adaptation measures. Time is of the essence, especially if ocean warming continues at the rate it is.”
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
