As Earth’s climate changes, extreme events like heat waves, droughts or floods are expected to change. Drought is an insidious natural hazard characterized by lower than expected or lower than normal precipitation that, when extended over a season or longer period of time, is insufficient to meet the demands of human activities and the environment.

Drought is a normal part of climate, although its spatial extent and severity will vary on seasonal and annual time scales. Therefore, drought by itself is not a disaster. Whether it becomes a disaster depends on its impact on local people, economies, and the environment and their ability to cope with and recover from it.

Drought monitoring and early warning are major components of drought risk management. The goal of drought risk management is to increase society’s coping capacity, leading to greater resilience and a reduced need for government or donor interventions in the form of disaster assistance.

This activity will focus on meteorological and agricultural droughts monitoring.

The subject of climatic change is now discussed at many forums not only at National levels, but also at regional level. Climate change studies in Sri Lanka are still at primary level. As an Island Nation in the Indian ocean, Sri Lanka coastal zone is vulnerable for the sever impacts due to climatic change but mainly due to sea level rise. Inundation, increased erosion, salinity intrusion, surges & wave over topping etc. Assessment of the hazards, vulnerabilities and risk are required for the identification of preparedness, adaptation and mitigation alternatives. But for the studies accessible and realistic data & tools should be available. Remote sensing and space based technology have become very important and timely tools for assessing coastal dynamics and related changes more easily and this project will target use of these technologies and application development within CCD.

Development of “Coastal Monitoring System” for near-shore environments based on Satellite data for the West coast of Sri Lanka

Pakistan is an arid to semi-arid country lies in the subtropical region of the world, with a humid belt along the sub-mountainous region of the Northwestern Himalayas in the North and a large hyper-arid area in the Southwestern Balochistan province. Drought is one of the major disasters happened in Pakistan. The mountainous region of the Upper Indus Basin is a critical source of water for Pakistan. Most flow in the upper Indus is derived from the snow- and glacier- accumulation and melting, which depend on the previous winter and the following summer climate conditions, respectively.

Climate change impacts on the variations of dry-wet and snow-glacier environments in Pakistan were observed partly. The IPCC 4th Assessment Report predicted the considerable impacts in the context of the global assessment but not of the regional one. Regional and national assessments are strongly requested scientifically and socio-economically.

NARA, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency, the research arm of the Ministry of fisheries in Sri Lanka has been working on developing a fishery forecasting system for Yellowfin tuna fishery for Sri Lankan long-liners. Low resolution satellite data such as AMSR-E SST (48 km), 4 km MODIS Chlorophyll and TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter sea surface height (48 km) and fishery data were used to determine favorable environmental parameters for Yellowfin tuna.

In 2008, a fishery forecasting system for yellowfin tuna was developed based on catch records and satellite derived oceanographic data from 2006–2007. The oceanographic parameters such as sea surface temperature, sea surface chlorophyll concentration and dynamic sea surface heights were used. The forecasting system was tested in 2008/09 and showed encouraging results.

However, The limiting factor of low resolution satellite data unable to locate accurate boundaries of frontal zones where most fish aggregates can be found. Low resolution gridded (1/3o) AMSR-E data have been used by interpolating (Kriging) to high resolution grids to visualize the frontal zones. However the interpolating techniques do not generate exact locations of frontal zones and the accuracy is depend on the resolution of data used. Another limitation of locating frontal zones is that the existing low surface temperature gradients that is true in the tropical oceans. Therefore, high resolution satellite data play an important role in locating frontal zones around Sri Lanka.

SST and vertical temperature profiles (satellite and Argo data) can be used to model thermal fronts in 3D space. Fishery data from Sri Lankan long-liners can be incorporate to investigate the fishing potential in thermal fronts.

Department of Fisheries of Thailand has applied satellite data with advanced GIS and GPS in aquaculture and fisheries planning and management.

DOF owns five research vessels for operating in Thai waters and two others in the High Sea. These vessels equipped with VPS (Vessel Positioning System; VPS) with Sea Surface Temperature Sensor and collecting data on nutrients (eg. NH3, NO2, NO3 and PO4), water Quality (e.g., SST, Salinity, DO and pH) and amount of fish larvae. These measurements are taken 4 times per year.

This frequency is insufficient as ocean changes are more rapid and dynamic. Therefore, it will be extremely useful if satellite data can complement these observations to produce larvae distribution maps at any time of the year.

At present, with the data available from fishing vessels larvae distribution is interpolated in controlling fishing ground for certain time of the year to protect and management fish larvae. If it is possible to use satellite data for estimate related parameters to larvae, then it is possible to provide more accurate distribution maps of fish larvae, helping sustainable fishing industry of Thailand.

Securing mangrove forest in more secure livelihood of people has been taking place in most of the countries in Asia including Vietnam. Mangrove plantations provide protection for various natural hazard and helps societies combating poverty. Vietnam is house for quite large mangrove forest along its coastal belts and among them Can Gio Biosphere Reserve is a wetland located 40 km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. This reserve has been listed the biosphere reserve by UNESCO. The site is an important wildlife sanctuary in Vietnam as it is characterized by a wetland bio-system dominated by mangrove and many rare species. The mangrove forest at Can Gio performs many valuable ecological functions, including coastal stabilization, and protection against coastal erosion, oil spills and storm surges. The mangrove forest is a source of fuel wood and construction materials

Healthy wetland ecosystems have a wide range of functions such as : climate regulation - carbon cycling; absorption of toxins; flood control/erosion reduction; genetic and biological diversity; provide a critical refuge and breeding ground for many species ;often contain a high diversity of species ; maintain groundwater levels ; and play a large role in water purification (particularly in urban and agricultural areas) .

As many wetland ecosystems in Sri Lanka have been and, to a large extent still are, indiscriminately exploited for a commercial, agricultural , residential and industrial development and dumping of waste. As such many wetlands are under threat. There is a data gap between wetland ecosystems in the North and Eastern part of the country due to the civil conflict during the past three decade .Also, currently Eastern River Basin Region in Sri Lanka is becoming a highly urbanizing area which leads to more threat to wetland ecosystems. Therefore, it must need to take immediate action to protect important wetlands under the National Environment Act of Sri Lanka. To fulfill above task, mapping and change detection of wetland in the selected region is a key requirement. To use of satellite images and previous aerial photographs along with the remote sensing and GIS techniques will be the tool for this project.

1. Conservation for biological diversity while protecting endangered fauna and mangrove Species
2. Increase the absorption of carbon dioxide and carbon recycling to contribute reduction of global warming
3. Increase the productivity of the particular wetlands Improve the awareness of value of the wetlands
4. To reduce the cumulative impacts of the agrochemicals in the wetlands
5. To reduce the population and agricultural pressures on wetlands
6. To reduction of flood and erosion risk