ImportMaster at 18:29, 31 March 2022

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{{Short description|Gulf of the Indian Ocean between India and Sri Lanka}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox body of water
| name = Gulf of Mannar
| native_name = 
| image = Locatie Golf van Mannar.PNG
| caption = Location of Gulf of Mannar within the Indian Ocean
| alt = Location of Gulf of Mannar within the Indian Ocean
| image_bathymetry = Tamil Nadu topo deutsch mit Gebirgen.png
| caption_bathymetry =
| location = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| coords = {{coord|8.47|79.02|dim:500000|display=inline,title}}
| type =
| inflow =
| pushpin_map = Tamil Nadu
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Gulf of Mannar
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka
| outflow =
| catchment =
| basin_countries = [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]]
| length = {{convert|160|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|130|-|275|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
| area = {{convert|10500|km2|abbr=on}}
| depth = {{convert|5.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| max-depth = {{convert|1335|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| volume =
| residence_time =
| shore =
| elevation =
| frozen =
| islands =
| islands_category =
| cities =
| reference = <ref name=r1>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XwVX-85oI0EC&pg=PA10|page=10|title=Environment impact assessment|author=J. Sacratees, R. Karthigarani|publisher=APH Publishing|year=2008|isbn=978-81-313-0407-5}}</ref><ref name=r2>[http://bse.sci-lib.com/article073325.html Gulf of Mannar], [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]] (in Russian)</ref>
}}

The '''Gulf of Mannar''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|n|ɑːr}} {{respell|mə|NAR}}) is a large shallow [[bay]] forming part of the [[Laccadive Sea]] in the [[Indian Ocean]] with an average depth of {{convert|5.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=stra6>[https://www.sea-seek.com/Gulf-of-Mannar-SE-India- Gulf of Mannar (SE India)], Sea-Seek.</ref> It lies between the southeastern tip of [[India]] and the west coast of [[Sri Lanka]], in the [[Coromandel Coast]] region. The chain of low islands and reefs known as [[Adam's Bridge]] (aka Rama Sethu), which includes [[Mannar Island]], separates the Gulf of Mannar from [[Palk Bay]], which lies to the north between India and Sri Lanka. The estuaries of [[Thamirabarani River]] and [[Vaippar River]] of [[South India]] and the [[Aruvi Aru|Malvathu Oya]] (Malvathu River) of Sri Lanka drain into the Gulf.<ref>Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri. (1979). South India and South-East Asia: studies in their history and culture. Geetha Book House.</ref> The [[dugong]] (sea cow) is found here.

==Conservation==

===Marine sanctuary===
{{see also|Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park}}
Located on the southeastern tip of the subcontinent, the Gulf of Mannar is known to harbour over 3,600 species of flora and fauna, making it one of the richest coastal regions in Asia. 117 hard [[coral]] species have been recorded in the Gulf of Mannar. [[Sea turtle]]s are frequent visitors to the gulf as are [[shark]]s, [[dugong]]s, and [[dolphin]]s. However, the combined effects of 47 villages, with a total population of around 50,000 has meant that [[overharvesting]] of marine species has become a problem. The decline of fish populations has been accompanied with reducing numbers of pearl [[oyster]], [[Gorgonian|gorgonian coral]], and [[acorn worm]]. Local fishermen rely on the reef to feed their families, but destructive fishing methods combined with the stress of pollution and coral mining have meant both nearshore and offshore catches have decreased. [[Endangered]] species include dolphins, [[dugong]]s, [[whale]]s and [[Holothuroidea|sea cucumbers]].<ref name=r1/>

In 1986, a group of 21 islets lying off the Tamil Nadu coast between [[Thoothukudi]] and [[Dhanushkodi]] was declared the [[Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park]]. The park and its 10 km buffer zone were declared a [[Biosphere Reserve]] in 1989.

===Biosphere reserve===
The [[Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve]] covers an area of 10,500 km<sup>2</sup> of ocean, 21 islands and the adjoining coastline. The islets and coastal buffer zone include [[beach]]es, [[estuaries]], and [[tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|tropical dry broadleaf forests]], while the marine environments include [[seaweed]] communities, [[sea grass]] communities, [[coral reef]]s, [[salt marsh]]es and [[mangrove]] forests.<ref>UNDP Project brief: "Conserve and Sustainable-use of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve's Coastal Biodiversity", New York, 1994 [http://www.gefweb.org/wprogram/May99/Bio/India_1.doc UNDP Project Brief] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616221152/http://www.gefweb.org/wprogram/May99/Bio/India_1.doc |date=16 June 2007 }}</ref>
May 2019, The National Centre for Coastal Research, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, in India, has a field research station in the Gulf of Mannar region, have found an alarming pattern of bleaching in the reefs in Mandapam, [[Kilakarai]] and Palk Bay. Researchers observed a pattern of bleaching in corals when the temperatures rose to between 32 °C and 36 °C.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/coral-bleaching-observed-near-mandapam-keezhakkarai-palk-bay/article27206124.ece|title = Coral bleaching observed near Mandapam, Keezhakkarai, Palk Bay|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 22 May 2019|last1 = Desikan|first1 = Shubashree}}</ref>

==Marine activities==
[[File:Pearling crew 1926.JPG|thumb|Pearl fishing in the Gulf of Mannar, c. 1926]]
The Gulf of Mannar is known for its pearl banks of ''[[Pinctada radiata]]'' and ''[[Pinctada fucata]]'' for at least two thousand years. [[Pliny the Elder]] (23–79) praised the pearl fishery of the gulf as one of the most productive in the world.<ref name=j1>{{cite journal|title=India and the Indian Ocean Fisheries|url=http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/874/1/Article_03.pdf|journal=Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India|author=R. Raghu Prasad and P. V. Ramachandran Nair|volume=15|year=1973|pages=1–19}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUF_rS8FEoIC&pg=PA227|page=227|title=Twentieth century impressions of Ceylon: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources|author=Arnold Wright|year=1999|isbn=81-206-1335-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njhbCCdoMFgC&pg=PA6|page=6|title=The Indian Pearl Fisheries of the Gulf of Manar and Palk Bay|author=James Hornell|publisher=BiblioBazaar|year=2009|isbn=978-1-110-87096-7}}</ref> Although extraction of natural pearls is considered too expensive in most parts of the world, it is still carried out in the gulf.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwcM5H-wHNoC&pg=PA566|page=566|title=Gems: their sources, descriptions and identification|author=Michael O'Donoghue|publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann|year=2006|isbn=0-7506-5856-8}}</ref>

The chief seaports on the Gulf of Mannar are [[Thoothukudi]] (Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu, and [[Colombo]] in Sri Lanka. While these ports can accommodate deep-draft vessels, the shallow Palk Strait can only accommodate small shallow-draft vessels. In July 2005, the Indian Government took preliminary steps to go ahead with the [[Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project]], which would create a deep channel linking the Gulf of Mannar to the [[Bay of Bengal]]. Project boosters emphasize the benefits of a direct shipping route that connects India's east and west coasts without the long trip around Sri Lanka; environmentalists have warned against the grave damage such a project could cause to the sea life and fisheries of the Palk Strait and the Gulf.

==See also==
* [[Coral reefs in India]]

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

{{Waters of South Asia}}
{{Geography of Sri Lanka}}
{{Protected areas of Tamil Nadu}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gulf of Mannar| ]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Mannar District]]
[[Category:Coromandel Coast]]
[[Category:Gulfs of India|Mannar]]
[[Category:Gulfs of the Indian Ocean|Mannar]]
[[Category:India–Sri Lanka border]]
[[Category:Landforms of Tamil Nadu]]

Gulf of Mannar - Revision history

ImportMaster at 18:29, 31 March 2022