长期以来，斯里兰卡当地的天气预报和气象服务都难以取得稳定可靠的第一手气象观测数据，给当地民生及农渔业生产生活带来负面影响。利用中-斯中心在斯里兰卡南部城市Matara建立的自动气象站收集的实时海洋气象观测数据，斯里兰卡籍硕士研究生 Charith Madusank Widanage 完成了毕业论文，顺利通过答辩。

Madusanka是中-斯中心在中国科学院大学的框架下开设的，依托中国科学院南海海洋研究所培养的"斯里兰卡海洋科学硕士班"项目的首个公费斯里兰卡研究生。他的论文"斯里兰卡Matara自动气象站——高质量气象数据获取系统的结构及性能"，详细介绍了Matara自动气象站和该站收集气象数据的获取系统，在对数据进行严格的质量把控后，通过与遥感数据、再分析数据和附近大气边界层观测塔实测数据，验证了气象站观测数据的准确可靠性。论文还利用气象站数据详细探讨了热带气旋ROANU和OCKHI期间各要素的变化特征，为热带气旋期间斯里兰卡南部的天气突变提供了宝贵的观测证据。他的学习与研究工作对提升斯里兰卡当地的天气预报与气象服务的准确性有重要意义。

Congratulations to Master candidate Mr Charith Madusanka Widanage from China-Sri Lanka Joint Centre for Education & Research (CSL-CER) who had his thesis defence on Friday 1^st June. As the first candidate recruited to CSL-CER Joint Master's Program, his study has hardly just been the team effort among scientists from South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) and University of Ruhuna (UoR), but also positively enhanced the marine meteorological research and techniques between China and Sri Lanka.

While the world moves about at breakneck speed and information exchanges instantly, most of the meteorological stations scattered throughout Sri Lanka island are still manually operated. There, utterly automated weather stations are rare，and acquiring reliable continuous flux of data at frequent intervals at any time has been anticipating.

Madusanka's thesis 'the Automated Weather Station (AWS): configuration and performance of high-quality meteorological data acquisition system, Matara, Sri Lanka' which was supervised by Dr Wang Dongxiao and Dr Tilak P. D. Gamage (both are the director for CSL-CER), demonstrated that combined observed datasets from AWS and Atmospheric Boundary Layer Observatory (ABLO) could offer essential meteorological information for local weather forecasting system which may support the local community, agriculture and fishing industries.

Dr Li Weibiao from Sun Yat-Sen University is the committee chairman for Madusanka's thesis defence. The committee panel includes Dr Wang Xin and Dr Zeng Lili from SCSIO, Dr Zhao Hui from GuangdongOcean University, Dr Asanthi Hewabandulage and Dr Mirani Vasanthamala Weerasooriya from the University of Ruhuna. Scientists, staff members and research students from CSL-CER, SCSIO and other institutes with over 40 people attended the thesis defence.