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Ms. Tharani Gopalakrishnan
University of New England

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0 GIS
0 GIS Modeling
0 Spatial and environmental planning
0 Environmental monitoring
0 Remote Sensing for agriculture

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Journal article
Published: 05 March 2021 in Agriculture
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Soil salinity is a serious threat to coastal agriculture and has resulted in a significant reduction in agricultural output in many regions. Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region located in the northern-most part of Sri Lanka, is also a victim of the adverse effects of coastal salinity. This study investigated long-term soil salinity changes and their link with agricultural land use changes, especially paddy land. Two Landsat images from 1988 and 2019 were used to map soil salinity distribution and changes. Another set of images was analyzed at four temporal periods to map abandoned paddy lands. A comparison of changes in soil salinity with abandoned paddy lands showed that abandoned paddy lands had significantly higher salinity than active paddy lands, confirming that increasing salts owing to the high levels of sea water intrusion in the soils, as well as higher water salinity in wells used for irrigation, could be the major drivers of degradation of paddy lands. The results also showed that there was a dramatic increase in soil salinity (1.4-fold) in the coastal lowlands of Jaffna Peninsula. 64.6% of the salinity-affected land was identified as being in the extreme saline category. In addition to reducing net arable lands, soil salinization has serious implications for food security and the livelihoods of farmers, potentially impacting the regional and national economy.

ACS Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar. Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Agriculture 2021, 11, 211 .

AMA Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Lalit Kumar. Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Agriculture. 2021; 11 (3):211.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar. 2021. "Linking Long-Term Changes in Soil Salinity to Paddy Land Abandonment in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka." Agriculture 11, no. 3: 211.

Journal article
Published: 09 October 2020 in Sustainability
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Soil salinity is a major threat to land productivity, water resources and agriculture in coastal areas and arid and semi-arid regions of the world. This has a significantly negative effect on the land and causes desertification. Monitoring salt accumulation in the soil is crucial for the prevention of land degradation in such environments. This study attempted to estimate and map soil salinity in Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region of Sri Lanka. A Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model was constructed using Sentinel 2A satellite imagery and field-measured soil electrical conductivity (EC) values. The results showed that satisfactory prediction of the soil salinity could be made based on the PLSR model coupled with Sentinel 2A satellite imagery (R2 = 0.69, RMSE = 0.4830). Overall, 32.8% of the land and 45% of paddy lands in Jaffna Peninsula are affected by salt. The findings of this study indicate that PLSR is suitable for the soil salinity mapping, especially in semi-arid regions like Jaffna Peninsula. The results underpin the importance of building adaptive capacity and implementing suitable preventive strategies for sustainable land and agricultural management.

ACS Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar. Modeling and Mapping of Soil Salinity and Its Impact on Paddy Lands in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8317 .

AMA Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Lalit Kumar. Modeling and Mapping of Soil Salinity and Its Impact on Paddy Lands in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8317.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar. 2020. "Modeling and Mapping of Soil Salinity and Its Impact on Paddy Lands in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8317.

Research brief
Published: 01 June 2020 in Population and Environment
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The Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka has a generally flat topography with a median elevation of 2.72 m, and thus faces a high risk from sea-level rise that has the potential to have adverse impacts on the livelihoods of coastal communities. Understanding these risks and identifying the regions that could be adversely impacted is critical for planning future settlements and developing preventative protocols where possible. The aim of this study was to analyze the exposure of coastal settlements of the Jaffna Peninsula to climate risks, particularly to sea-level rise, and to identify the areas that are likely to be impacted under different sea-level rise scenarios. Raster-based sea-level rise modeling was performed with a digital elevation model produced with topographic contours and spot heights. The spatial distribution of individual residential houses for the entire Jaffna Peninsula was obtained through manual digitization using virtual globe platforms and high-resolution satellite images, and the houses exposed to inundation under various Representative Concentration Pathways from 2025 to 2100 were identified. The results showed that a majority (55.5%) of the residential buildings in the Jaffna Peninsula are located within 3 m above sea level. Approximately 5554 (5.6%) of the houses were projected to be inundated by 2100, and this projection increased to approximately 25,074 (25.4%) under high tide scenarios. This study highlights the coastal communities with a high level of exposure to coastal inundation where adaptation planning is essential. These results provide insights for coastal managers and policy makers for future planning of new settlements and urban expansion.

ACS Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar; Kamrul Hasan. Coastal settlement patterns and exposure to sea-level rise in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Population and Environment 2020, 42, 129 -145.

AMA Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Lalit Kumar, Kamrul Hasan. Coastal settlement patterns and exposure to sea-level rise in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Population and Environment. 2020; 42 (2):129-145.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar; Kamrul Hasan. 2020. "Coastal settlement patterns and exposure to sea-level rise in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka." Population and Environment 42, no. 2: 129-145.

Journal article
Published: 02 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Salinization is an explicit global threat faced by coastal low lands. The increased seawater ingression into groundwater due to various climatic and anthropogenic factors affects functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainability of coastal agriculture. This study was undertaken to investigate the changes in groundwater salinity in Jaffna Peninsula over a 20-year period and its relationship with paddy land abandonment. Permanently abandoned paddy areas were mapped using historical Landsat images, while groundwater salinity changes in 63 agricultural wells for the period 1999 to 2019 were analysed. The trend in salinity, including proximity to the coast, was examined. The results showed that approximately 8178 ha (43% of total paddy land) of paddy lands had been permanently abandoned while the groundwater salinity had increased by 1.6-fold over the last two decades. An increasing salinity trend with decreasing distance from the coast was observed. Presently, nearly 59% of the wells showed salinity levels that were unsuitable for crop irrigation. The results underline the need for urgent and effective management of groundwater resources in order to maintain the sustainability of the existing paddy lands and ensure availability of potable water for consumption along the coastal low land areas of Jaffna Peninsula.

ACS Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar; Thushyanthy Mikunthan. Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3681 .

AMA Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Lalit Kumar, Thushyanthy Mikunthan. Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3681.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Lalit Kumar; Thushyanthy Mikunthan. 2020. "Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3681.

Discussion
Published: 16 December 2019 in Sustainability
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Climatic and non-climatic stressors, such as temperature increases, rainfall fluctuations, population growth and migration, pollution, land-use changes and inadequate gender-specific strategies, are major challenges to coastal agricultural sustainability. In this paper, we discuss all pertinent issues related to the sustainability of coastal agriculture under climate change. It is evident that some climate-change-related impacts (e.g., temperature and rainfall) on agriculture are similarly applicable to both coastal and non-coastal settings, but there are other factors (e.g., inundation, seawater intrusion, soil salinity and tropical cyclones) that particularly impact coastal agricultural sustainability. Coastal agriculture is characterised by low-lying and saline-prone soils where spatial competition with urban growth is an ever-increasing problem. We highlight how coastal agricultural viability could be sustained through blending farmer perceptions, adaptation options, gender-specific participation and integrated coastal resource management into policy ratification. This paper provides important aspects of the coastal agricultural sustainability, and it can be an inspiration for further research and coastal agrarian planning.

ACS Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Kamrul Hasan; A T M Sanaul Haque; Sadeeka Jayasinghe; Lalit Kumar. Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change. Sustainability 2019, 11, 7200 .

AMA Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Kamrul Hasan, A T M Sanaul Haque, Sadeeka Jayasinghe, Lalit Kumar. Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (24):7200.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tharani Gopalakrishnan; Kamrul Hasan; A T M Sanaul Haque; Sadeeka Jayasinghe; Lalit Kumar. 2019. "Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change." Sustainability 11, no. 24: 7200.

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2016 in International Journal of Social Sciences and Management
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An attempt was made to assess the women contribution towards agriculture in Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka. 60 farm family households' women were randomly selected from rural and urban area of Kovilkulam AI region of Vavuniya district in Sri Lanka and the data were collected by constructed questionnaire. The objectives of this study are to identify the factors contributing women participation in agriculture, to identify the constraints faced by the women in participating agriculture and to evaluate the women participation in decision making activity in agriculture. Minitab 15 and MS excel were used for data analysis. The level of women participation in agricultural activities was found out using chi-square test and the factors contributing for women participation in agricultural activities were identified using multiple regression analysis in urban and rural areas separately (α=0.05). The results revealed that 90% of the rural women respondents and 50% of the urban respondents participated in the agricultural activities which is a significant difference. The mean values of women participation in agricultural activities in urban and rural areas were 77 hours and 836 hours per annum respectively. The multiple regression model for women participation in urban area found that the participation of women negatively correlated with status of employment, age and education level (p=0.000). In rural area, age and educational level were negatively influencing on women participation in agricultural activities (p=0.000). R-square values of fitted regression models were 72 % and 91% in urban and rural area respectively 72% and 91% variation in respective women participation were explained by these models. The obstacles for the women in participation in agricultural activities were reported as lack of knowledge and training in agriculture field, family burden, cultural and social barriers and physical constraints. 60% of women from rural areas and 90% of women from urban areas were involved in decision making especially in the selection of crops and varieties for planting and livestock rearing. Enhancing the awareness and the technical knowledge to the women in the field of agriculture would contribute to increase income from agriculture at household level, district level and finally at national level. Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 3, Issue-3: 159-162

ACS Style

Gopalakrishnan Tharani; Mohamed Sameem Roshan Akther; Nanthakumaran Ananthini; Tharani Gopalakrishnan. Assessment of Women participation in Agriculture in Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management 2016, 3, 159 -162.

AMA Style

Gopalakrishnan Tharani, Mohamed Sameem Roshan Akther, Nanthakumaran Ananthini, Tharani Gopalakrishnan. Assessment of Women participation in Agriculture in Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management. 2016; 3 (3):159-162.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gopalakrishnan Tharani; Mohamed Sameem Roshan Akther; Nanthakumaran Ananthini; Tharani Gopalakrishnan. 2016. "Assessment of Women participation in Agriculture in Vavuniya district, Sri Lanka." International Journal of Social Sciences and Management 3, no. 3: 159-162.