On June 2nd, a foreign cargo ship loaded with chemicals at an anchorage near the port of Colombo in Sri Lanka began to sink after being burned for several days, which had a serious impact on the environment of Sri Lanka.
After the cargo ship caught fire due to an explosion, Chinese experts from the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Sino-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center) received a request from the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency of Sri Lanka for assistance in assessing the disaster. The Chinese experts assisted in assessing the extent of the possible spread of debris and chemical pollutants generated in the disaster through the forecast model. After receiving the assessment information, the Sri Lankan experts provided it to the relevant departments in Sri Lanka in a timely manner so that the cleaners could clear the cause. The disaster was washed away by a large number of pollutants on the beach near Colombo.
The aforementioned collaboration is one of the many roles played by the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center. At the Sino-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center Observation Field located in Luhuna University in southern Sri Lanka, an automatic weather station that has been maintained to overcome the impact of the new crown epidemic not long ago is continuously transmitting information to help Sri Lanka understand and respond to marine environmental disasters and climate Variety.
The center’s Chinese expert, Dr. Yao Yao, told Xinhua News Agency that this automatic weather station usually monitors atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation and other ocean atmospheric parameters. The data accumulated by its long-term observations can be used to study climate change, sea level rise and other factors. Impact on the Indian Ocean and surrounding countries.
Sri Lanka is located in a zone with strong ocean currents and is one of the most active areas of the South Asian monsoon. The local marine environmental disasters and meteorological disasters occur frequently. In order to strengthen China and Sri Lanka's ability to deal with climate change, the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences took the lead in establishing the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center at the University of Luhuna in 2015. Its current research involves marine monitoring, water environment safety and other fields.
Luo Yao said that with the joint efforts of Chinese and Sri Lankan researchers, a three-dimensional observation network covering voyage observations, deep-sea submarine observations, Sri Lanka's coastal buoy observations, land-based observations, and high-altitude atmospheric observations has been initially established. The data of the observation network Shared by Chinese and Sri Lankan researchers.
The former Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Sri Lanka, Gamini Soiza, spoke highly of this stereoscopic observation network, praising the network for "providing scientific and technological support for the development of Sri Lanka's marine economy and reducing the impact of extreme weather such as tsunamis and storms."
Although the new crown epidemic has caused certain difficulties in personnel exchanges, the work of the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center has not stopped. In March of this year, the Sino-Sri Lankan Monsoon Climate and Marine Resources and Environment Joint Symposium was held simultaneously in China and Sri Lanka by a combination of online and offline methods.
"The strengthening of cooperation between China and Sri Lanka on the monsoon issue will help better understand the impact of the monsoon on the environment and reduce disasters related to climate change," said Jamig, the head of the center in Sri Lanka.
Zhang Changsheng, director of the center, told reporters that the center has not only done high-end research, but also focused on cultivating Sri Lankan marine science talents. The 30 Sri Lankan marine science and environmental science graduates it has trained have successively started to engage in scientific research in Sri Lanka. In addition, the center also conducts hydrological training for Sri Lanka's related cooperative units, and cultivates talents in meteorological observation, instrument use and maintenance for Sri Lanka.
Madusaka is the first Sri Lankan oceanography master trained by the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center. He is currently employed by the center and its alma mater Luhuna University as a senior technician. He said: "Since I went to study in China, many students have turned their attention to China."
Sri Lankan senior oceanographer Nalin Weklermanayak told reporters that the China-Sri Lanka Joint Science and Education Center has provided tremendous support for the development of marine science and oceanography in Sri Lanka through various exchange and cooperation programs since its establishment. Sharing Chinese scientific research knowledge and experience will help improve Sri Lanka's ocean research and climate change capabilities to a higher level.
(Source: Xinhuanet.com original title: China assists Sri Lanka in responding to marine environmental disasters and climate change)
