How scientists prevented an island in the Gulf of Mannar from disappearing

Scientists have been trying to stop Vaan Island in the Gulf of Mannar from disappearing. Their success means hope for other such threatened islands.

For close to 15 days every month, mornings at the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, begin by 5 am. Researchers, scientists and divers, including doctorate students Arathy Mol A and Mahalaxmi Boopathi, set off from the harbour to the Gulf of Mannar, a shallow bay between India’s Coromandel Coast and Sri Lanka. 

At times Arathy and Boopathi go diving for healthy seagrass; other times to identify corals. Sometimes these trips continue for the better part of the day, regardless of the mighty tropical sun. The two take immense pride in their work, and their institute.