Study on moonsoon rainfall variability

GS & MB, Wood Hole Institute joint project:

Nimal WIJESINGHE- Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

'The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) commenced a joint research project with the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute in USA to study the variability of the northeastern monsoon rainfall and paleo-coastal hazards in the country,' said GSMB's Chairman Dr N. Wijayananda.

The research began October 13 on the stretch from Kumana to Chundikulam and the eight member research team is headed by Dr Nalaka Ranasinghage, a senior geologist attached to the GS and MB.

Dr Wijayananda said that the GS and MB and the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute have already signed an MOU under which the required equipment and advanced oceanographic technology will be provided by the Wood Hole Institute.

Dr Nalaka Ranasinghage, Coordinator and the team leader of the research said that the topic was of great national importance since very limited studies and research has been done on the Northeastern Monsoon variability, which is supposed to be the main water source of the country's agriculture sector.

He said that further studies of previous sea level changes revealed that changes in glacial cover and steric effects of the crust of the earth, occurances of coastal hazards, including tsunamis and tropical cyclones are very important in calculating the recurrence interval of such events and their magnitude.

According to him, such information and data on coastal hazards are very significant in mitigating the damage by future events.

"Sediments deposited by rivers on the continental shelf and slope carries evidence of past rainfall and temperature variations. Coastal lowlands and lagoons have sand layers deposited by coastal hazardous events, such as, Tsunamis and cyclones. Corals are a very good showcase to study sea level variations and global temperature changes. We are going to study sediment layers deposited during the last 5,000 to 10,000 years," Dr Ranasinghage emphasized.

He disclosed that in the process chemical, biological and physical properties of corals and clay sediments in off-shore and coastal sediment cores will be studied using very advanced laboratory techniques.

The team of geologists and geophysicists of the GSMB is assisted by a group of geology undergraduates from the Peradeniya University in conducting sediment profile studies, coring and coral studies along the Kumana-Chundikulam stretch and on Kachchativu Island.

The Navy will assist the team in the field work, he said.