Nature Journal

  Abyss Pool is a hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin of   the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming,  United States.   The colour of the water is turquoise blue and it is so clear that you can almost see through the water but you can't see the bottom. Hence the name Abyss pool. It is 53 feet deep and is the largest hot spring pool in Yellowstone Lake at West Thumb.  Although it is a dormant now it has been an active geyser in the past.  Last time it irrupted was in 1992 with plums of water reaching 30 -80 feet in the air.

  Aradana Gala is where the Arhat Mahinda arrived from India.   Aradanagala is a  boulder on the summit of Mihintale mountain. This is from where Arhat Mahinda addressed king Devanampiyatissa for the first time. King was  hunting deer below the rock in the mango forest on the mountain plateau. Arhat Mahinda, the missionary and son of Emperor Ashoka of India, came to Mihintale to officially inaugurate Buddhism in the country in 263 B.C. Ashoka became an emperor  in India 218 years after Lord Buddha passed away. He converted to Buddhism  after seeing the mass deaths of Kalinga war which he won. Emperor Asoka promoted the spread of Buddhism across Asia.    The historical meeting of Monk Mahinda and the king 2,329 years back is commemorated annually in June on a full moon day by Buddhists across the country with Mihintale being the focal point. They make an annual pilgrimage to Mihintale summit and other historical locations i...

   World Rainforest Day This year, the theme of this day is ‘Protected Together. Now. Forever’. World Rainforest Day falls on 22 June 2021. The day is observed to raise awareness about preservation of rainforests.   Mahauskanda rainforest is a regenerated tropical rainforest bordering  Bambaragala forest reserve in Deniyaya, Rathnapura in  Sri Lanka. This land was a degraded  rubber estate  before the project to convert the plot of land to  regenerate a tropical rainforest by an environmentalist.   The reason to initiate World Rainforest Day in 2017 was to protect rainforests across the world as they are an integral part of the ecosystem. Rainforests play an important role in balancing climate change, providing fresh water and clean air to people. Deforestation, is the biggest threat to protect the forest reservation.   Attached picture is of Mahauskanda, captured in 2011.

 

  World Ocean Day is observed on 8th June every year since 2009. This years theme is, The Ocean : Life and Livelihoods. Ocean day is observed to increase awareness and knowledge about the importance of the ocean on earth and the role it plays on our lives. The idea of a World Ocean day was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit held in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, but the day was officially established by the United Nations only in 2008. This year also marks the beginning of the UN decade of ocean science for sustainable development from 2021 to 2030.  Ocean plays a major role in sustaining life on earth. Initiating discussions on the conservation and protection of the ocean is important as much as other ecosystems on the planet, because larger part of our survival depends on the ocean and related activities. The Ocean provides around 50% of the oxygen we breath and absorb 30% of the carbon dioxide on planet earth. The Ocean is earths largest habitat and covers 70% of the ear...

  The world environment day is initiated by the United nation to create awareness about the significance of nature to the public to protect the environment. The day was established in 1972 at the first Human environment conference in Stockholm and observed on June 5th every year. This years the theme is Ecosystem Restoration : Reimagine. Recreate. Restore. It is very applicable to Sri Lanka given the current situation with the e-press pearl ship disaster off Colombo harbour . We will have to Reimagine. Recreate and Restore our ocean, beaches and marine life. With the environment day this year UN is launching "A Decade of Eco System Restoration" project to heal our planet by reviving damaged ecosystems. We can grow trees and change our life style to restore our environment to protect the rivers ,ocean and forest for future generations. #GenerationRestoration .