3Rs Website

Hello.

Sorry for not updating for a long time. I had been really busy with schoolwork. But since the PSLE is over, now, I have lots of free time! Recently, our school organised a website designing competition about the 3Rs ( Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) . Though this has very little to do with marine life, but I feel that even though these two subjects are not really related closely, pollution of the Earth will affect everything. Thus, the 3Rs will still be able to help us conserve the oceans.

So basically, this website would be about what the 3Rs are, why do we need to recycle, how can we recycle and our school's efforts for the different years. After we were done making the site (using http://www.weebly.com/ ), we were to post it onto a forum page and our classmates could vote for the best site.

My website( http://littlegreenplanet.weebly.com/ ) actually emerged as one of those which had the most votes, so my Science teacher wanted me to present it to the class, along with a few other students whose websites were one of those which had the most votes. Through the various presentations, I found out a lot more about the 3Rs, and many interesting facts about the Earth as well.

I feel that my own site is relatively simple and does not contain very detailed or specific information. In my opinion, this site, http://chiaxinyi.weebly.com/, done by a friend, is better than mine. ((:

Her site is chock full of information and has many suggestions on how to reduce, reuse and recycle. Do visit her site if you can! It's really amazing. ((:

Every small effort counts. For example, if everyone saves one litre of water a day, in one day, about 7 billion litres of water can be saved! So, no matter how small the effort you think it is, it still plays a part in saving Earth!

Kathy

Scientists back law to limit farm runoff to Great Barrier Reef

SCIENTISTS have backed the Queensland government's crackdown on farm runoffs to the Great Barrier Reef, describing new laws to limit the chemicals on sugar crops and pastures as "the right answer".

Conservation groups have swung behind the measures, after producer organisations and individual farmers branded them unnecessary and a sop to the green lobby.

Judy Stewart, managing director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a think tank that funds research into the impact of climate change and other threats to the reef, said the increased nutrient levels associated with agricultural runoff had been identified as the biggest threat to the corals after global warming.

"It's the right answer," Ms Stewart said of the law requiring farmers and graziers to use only the optimum amount of fertilisers and pesticides.

"The state is taking its responsibility to the reef very seriously ... I think we have to do everything we can."

Marine scientists have warned that vast sections of the reef are threatened by the coral bleaching associated with rising sea temperatures caused by climate change.

The laws, to come into effect on January 1, have been heralded as "historic" by the Queensland government.

A spokesman for Queensland Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones hit back at claims by the Canegrowers and AgForce producer groups that the new laws were unnecessary because most farmers were already cautious about using chemicals because of their expense, and out of a sense of responsibility to the environment.

But Ms Jones's spokesman pointed out that high concentrations of the nutrients associated with fertiliser runoff were being detected up to 50kmoffshore.

Nick Heath, of WWF Australia, said it was disappointing the sugar industry was resisting the laws. "We hoped they'd represent the progressive farmers rather than those who want to keep farming the way they always have," Mr Heath said.

Separately, Queensland has announced that coral reef fish species will be off-limits for fishing for a few days this month and in November to allow for spawning time.

The state government has this year introduced a new policy of two five-day closures to allow the reef fish stocks to rebuild.

The closures will run from October 15 to 19 and November 14 to 18, which scientists say are the peak periods for spawning.

I think that this is a good law to implement as it would aid in the conservation of the reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's greatest natural structures, and if we want to preserve it and other such structures, governments also have to take action and implement laws to protect them from further destruction.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26196453-30417,00.html

27 June 09: Changi Beach

We went to Changi Beach for an intertidal walk on 27 June. To our surprise, we saw many interesting marine life. The seabeds were exposed during the low tide.

The beach was very serene.

I was busy looking for marine life.

We noticed 3 sea cucumbers lying beside each other.

This sea cucumber is secreting a fluid.

We also saw several sea cucumbers with red thorns on them.

In addition, we also noticed many sea anemones. Here are some of them:

We are not sure what this is, but based on our research, we think that it is a mushroom anemone as they are similar in shape.

We think that this is a sea anemone, but we are unable to determine its identity as of yet.

We even found starfish there!

We also saw a seahorse. It was stuck in a dry spot, so we had to put it back in the water.

Several large shells were also spotted.

We even found a crab with barnacles growing on it.

Another type of crab. This one has elongated claws.

We also found a very large hermit crab.

This is a crab moult.

We even spotted a pipefish!

We also saw many sand dollars.

These are casts left by acorn worms.

There were also many tiny sand balls. They are made when crabs pass sand through their mouths for food., leaving behind these sand balls.

Are you surprised with the rich marine life at Changi Beach? Why not check the next low tide and make a trip there? Tide tables can be found at http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=2293

KUANTAN: Hermit Crabs

My family went to Kuantan, Malaysia recently. There were many hermit crabs at the shore.

Find out more on hermit crabs http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/anomura/hermit/hermit.htm

This boy was catching the hermit crabs for fun and he wanted to take them back. He shouldn't be doing that because this will deprive the hermit crabs of their natural habitat and the hermit crabs may die. The next time you are at the beach, I strongly encourage you not to do this.

Small crabs feed on particles in the sand, processing sand into small balls.

Satellite data on flourescence of marine plants helps evaluate global warming

Researchers from Oregon State University, NASA and other orgnaisations said today that they have succedded for the first time in measuring the physiology of marine phytoplankon through satelite measurements of its flourescence.

With this new tool and the continued use of the MODIS Aqua satellite, scientists will now be able to gain a reasonably accurate picture of the ocean's health and productivity about every week, all over the planet.Data such as this will be critically important in evaluating the effect on oceans of global warming, climate change, desertification and other changes, the researchers said. It will also be a key to determining which areas of the ocean are limited in their productivity by iron deficiency.

The Coral Triangle

The Coral Triangle is a region , covering over 6 million square kilometres, that holds the greatest number of corals, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs and fish on this planet. There are over 600 types of coral, 3000 species of fish, sea turtles, whales, and dolphins. It is now known as the global centre for marine diversity.

Millions of people who depend on tourism and fishing for their livelihoods also live along the shores of the Coral Triangle. Coastal development, over-fishing, and other activities caused by man are threatening this area. I hope that these harmful activities will cease to happen and that the Coral Triangle will be here for future generations to admire.

Recenty, 6 Asia-Pacific countries signed a plan to save the most important area of coral reef in theCoral traingle http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8051709.stm

Fish with transparent head

A Pacific Barreleye fish was discovered alive in the deep waters off California's central coast by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). It is the first specimen of its kind to be found with its soft transparent dome intact. 

The beady bits on the front of the Pacific barreleye fish aren't eyes but smell organs. The eyes are beneath the green domes, which may filter light. In this picture the eyes are pointing upward--to see prey above in the darkness of the barreleye's deep-sea home.  By watching live fish from a remotely operated vehicle and by bringing a barreleye to an aquarium for a study, the scientists discovered that the eyes can pivot, like a birdwatcher pointing a pair of binoculars.  The barreleye lives more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) beneath the ocean's surface, where there is little light.

You can read more on http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/photogalleries/fish-transparent-head-barreleye-picture/index.html

"Immortal" Jellyfish Swarm World's Oceans

I found another article on the National Geographic website today. The article is very interesting, as it talks about a potentially "Immortal" species of jellyfish.

I feel that if this species of jellyfish continues to multiply, this might mean trouble for the oceans, as there will be too many of this species. Apparently, they are able to transform from an adult back to a baby, and they are able to do it not only once, but over and over again! However, this is only an emergency measure.

There are specimens of these jellyfish all around the world, however, in different areas, they take different forms. Swarms living in the tropical waters have 8 tentacles, while those in temperate regions have 24 tentacles or more.

As interesting as these creatures are, I hope that they will not spread too fast to disrupt the ocean's ecosystem, as that would be disastrous. A problem like that would be difficult to solve.

To read the full article, please visit: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090130-immortal-jellyfish-swarm.html

Southern Line Islands Expedition

Recently, I found an article on the National Geographic website about the Southern Line Islands Expeditions. What is this project about? Well, participants in this project study the ecology of healthy coral reefs, in hope to learn valuable clues that will help save the world's reefs.

In February and March 2009, the Southern Line Islands Expedition will travel to remote central-Pacific islands like Flint, Vostok and Malden to continue the reef studies done in the Northern Line Islands in 2005 and 2007.

I hope that the project will be a success and the participants will find new ways to save the coral reefs.

You can read more on: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/line-islands.html

28 Dec: Chek Jawa Boardwalk

The Naked Hermit Crabs will be organizing a boardwalk at Chek Jawa on 28 December. If you have the time, do go for the boardwalk as it is very interesting and you will get to see many different types of wildlife.

Time: 3 p.m.

Venue: Meet at Chek Jawa Information Kiosk

Duration of walk: 2 hours

To find out more, visit: http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/

12 Dec: Sentosa Shore Walk

On 12 December, we went to Sentosa for a shore walk. Here are some interesting things we saw during the walk:

This is a coral skeleton.

Look at this mosiac crab!

Here is the flag used by the Naked Hermit Crabs to mark a spot where there are things for us to see.

Look at this gigantic tire! Although it is a piece of rubbish in the sea, there are wildlife growing on it!

This is a swimming crab. 

Can you spot the hairy crab?

This is the flower of the tape seagrass. We also saw the fruit!

This is a polka-dotted nudibranch. Isn't it pretty?

Corals!!! :)

At the site where we had the walk,the water was amazingly clear and we could see the marine life clearly in the water. I did not expect to see so many different types of marine life, and hope that people will stop polluting the seas so that we will be able to conserve these animals and plants. 

S'pore Coastline Getting Dirtier

I woke up this morning and to my disppointment there was a newspaper article in The Straits Times about Singapore's coastline getting dirtier.  Apparently the coastal cleanup in September found 3,448 pieces of trash, which weighed 9,755kg in total!  The trash included 39 tyres, refrigerators, and the usual rubbish items.

Top 5 Rubbish Items:

1. styrofoam pieces

2. plastic bags

3. cigarette/cigarette filters

4. food containers/wrappers

5. straws/stirrers

Top 5 Dirtiest Beaches:

1. Lim Chu Kang

2. Kranji

3. Pulau Ubin

4. Changi

5. Sembawang

This article reminded me of the 2 big items I saw during our Sentosa Interdial Walk on 12 Dec 08.  

... a giantic tyre

... a beach chair

It seems that our efforts to advise the public on not throwing litter into the sea have made little progress.  I hope that with this post, some of you might change your habits and save marine life. At the same time, do help to spread the message around.

Registration for 2009 International Coastal Cleanup will open in Mar 09 at the website http://coastalcleanup.nus.edu.sg

2 Nov 08: The New Paper Big Walk

On 2nd November, we went to the Big Walk! We participated in the fancy dress contest and decided to use marine life as our theme. The costumes are improvised from using our soft toys, curtains, hats, etc. We even made 2 signboards to promote the saving of marine life.

Although we did not win the contest, we still had a wonderful experience at the Marina Barrage and during the walk. We hope that others will still take note of our message and spread it around the world.

17 Oct 08: Pasir Ris

This is really an overdue post as we were busy with our exams earlier. During that period, we were bored to death with studying and so one evening our parents brought us to Pasir Ris Beach to relax for a while or so. It turned out that it was low tide then, so we went to the beach for a walk.

We saw 2 carpet anemones! At first we thought it was coral until we realised that it was soft and bendy.

There were a lot of dead crabs too. The worst thing was they were found tangled in or alongside rubbish thrown by inconsiderate beach-walkers.

To our surprise, there were starfishes too.

And we saw a ribbonworm!

Hermit crabs wih shells of all shapes and sizes were also found among the rocks. Once again, let me remind you that we should not collect seashells as you are depriving hermit crabs and other animals of a home.

We saw some sea snails too! Unfortunately their shells were covered with muddy sand so we could not see the colours on them. I am sure that they are colourful.

And we saw a man carrying a bag of gong gong, which is a common delicacy in Singaporean seafood. Not sure if they are safe to eat as the waters are so badly polluted.



Worst of all , we saw a dilapidated Hello Kitty handbag! I wonder why its owner had to throw it away as it is polluting the sea and I believe that the bag was in good condition at that time.

Snack and sweet wrappers were a common occurence in the quicksand-like shoreline.

I feel that we should not pollute this sea just because its waters are classified as unsafe to swim in. This will only just make the situation worse.

Whale Stranded

On the 15th of October, a beached Bryde's whale was beached on  Kuala Nenasi estuary in eastern Pahang state. It died a day later despite the villagers' efforts to save it. The shocking thing was that he preliminary findings of an autopsy showed the female had swallowed a black plastic bag, a rope and a bottle cap, which clogged its intestine.

I feel that we should not throw litter into the sea because we are actually harming innocent animals. I hope that this posting will allow you to realise the drastic effects of littering on marine life.  

Young Marine Biologist Award: Winning Blogs

We have not been posting here recently because of the exams. Now that they are finally over, we will continue our regular updates again ;)

Our blog won the 2008 Young Marine Biologist Award (YMBA): Best Blog for Primary Category. We were thrilled!  We hope that with this win, more people will get to know about our blog and hear the voices of the reefs.  We thought that you might want to look at the other winners of the YMBA as well as they are very nicely done up to promote the reefs:

 Secondary Category 

www.theworld-underneath.blogspot.com

Tertiary Category

reef-to-fight-another-day.blogspot.com

New Species Discovered On Aussie Reefs

Did you read the article on The Straits Times yesterday 20 Sep 08? Marine scientists said that they have discovered hundreds of new animal species on Ausse reefs (Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef). This is a wonderful achievement and I was thrilled with the pictures taken. When I was at Ninglaoo Reef in June 2008, this discovery was not known yet. Anway, I hope that when I next visit Ningaloo Reef, I have the opportunity to view some of the new species :)

I like this twisted nudibranch, (Chromodoris Elizabethina), on the reef face off Heron Island most. It is very bright and colourful.

About half of the 300 soft corals found are thought to be new discoveries, although they will only be given names and classified formally once the scientists have compared them against existing species. Unlike their hard-bodied cousins, soft corals do not build reefs but are nevertheless considered vital for the marine environment. These colourful animals can dominate some regions of the sea, covering up to 25 per cent of the ocean floor.

The latest discovery is a result of a four-year project centred on the extensive coral reefs of western and north-western Australia and is part of a larger effort to take a census of all marine life in the world, due to be finished in 2010. When complete, the census will be used as a "baseline" to try to quantify the rate at which species are becoming extinct in the marine environment. Coral reefs are considered to be the rainforests of the sea because of their rich biodiversity. It is estimated that something between one million and nine million species of marine creatures live in and around coral reefs, but scientists have little idea of the precise numbers.

Here is a dendronepthya soft coral

ans a colonial salp jellyfish

and a ctenophore or comb jellyfish

You can see more pictures on http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/sep/18/wildlife.australia?picture=337754721

4 Oct: "Secret Shores of Singapore" Talk at Sungei Buloh

My mum informed me of this talk which will be held on 4 Oct 08 by Ria Tan. She will share on the "Secret Shores of Singapore" through 300-600 recent photos and stories of adventures and discoveries on our living shores. From Changi to Tuas, Sentosa to the Sisters Islands and beyond. Nemos, sea snakes, living corals and more. Ria will also share about some of the threats to our shores, and the many ways ORDINARY PEOPLE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE about our little-known shores. I am sure we can learn from her as she is an ordinary person too.

I know your exams are coming, but if you can steal some time from your revisions, I encourage you to attend.

Time: 10.30am-12noon

Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/

Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

See more on http://wildsingaporehappenings.blogspot.com/2008/09/4-oct-sat-secret-shores-of-singapore.html

Make Singapore a Coral Haven

This newspaper article is extracted from My Paper published on 10 Sep 08. In the "Blue Plan" proposed by a group of marine conservationists, 10% of the reefs in Singapore should be turned into sanctuaries. These could be categorised into "no-go zones", where access is granted only for scientific purposes. Other areas with limited acess could be allowed, or opened under proper management. I strongly support this movement as it will help in the conservation of the marine life here.You can read more about coral reefs in Singapore at http://coralreef.nus.edu.sg/

Is West Coast Park's Beach a Rubbish Dump?

We went to West Coast Park and were expecting nice scenery along the beach, perhaps even a reef. However, to our horror, this was what we saw...


There was a lot of rubbish scattered along the shoreline, especially water bottles!




We can't even imagine ourselves living in this sort of environment. How about the marine life? This scene looks very bad on the supposedly "tranquil" West Coast Park! We appeal to all of you to do your part, not to litter and help to clean up the coast. The International Coastal Clean-up is coming. Do your part. See
http://coastalcleanup.nus.edu.sg/

We should also learn some lessons from the Japanese, as they are planning the largest clean up event. See
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japanese_plan_worlds_largest_cleanup_999.html

What are Coral Reefs?

Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse marine eco-systems on the Earth! Many think that corals are plants, but they are actually animals.

A coral reef is composed of a calcereous exo-skeleton secreted by billions of tiny animals called polyps. Millions of polyps grow on top of the limestone remains of former colonies to create the massive reefs. It takes years for some corals to grow even one centimetre! They range in size from a pinhead to a few feet in length. Amazingly, these tiny animals form the only natural structure visible from space.

Each polyp lives in a symbiotic relationship with a type of algae, zooxanthellae, that gives the coral its colour.

Read more at: http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/facts.html

The Coral Reef Ecosystem

The coral reef ecosystem is a diverse collection of species that interact with each other and the physical environment.They are perhaps one type of ecosystem that is neglected more than any other and is also one of the richest in biodiversity. That is why it is very important to protect these natural treasures.

Coral reefs create homes for many different types of animals, from crabs to fishes to turtles! They are like giant cities for marine life. Each and every species of animal in the reef relies on others to keep it alive, so you can imagine what will happen if the reefs are wiped out!

Ocean Threats

Coral reefs are being degraded by an accumulation of stresses arising from human activities and examples of these activities include:

Over-Fishing - There is an increasing demand for food fish and tourism curios, which resulted in over-fishing of not only deep-sea commercial fishes, but key reef species as well! The over-fishing of certain species near coral reefs can affect the ecological balance and biodiversity of the reefs. From subsistence level fishing to the live fish trade, inadequate fisheries management is forcing the decline of fish stocks.

Pollution - Pollution causes the damaging of reefs worldwide. The disposing of litter or unwanted items on beaches, in the sea or near storm drains can damage coral reefs when transported by rivers into coastal waters.

Corals are also affected by climate changes.

Coral Bleaching - This occurs when symbiosis between corals and their symbiotic zooxanthellae breaks down, resulting in the loss of the symbionts and a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching"). This is actually a stress response by the coral that can be caused by various factors. But the more severe and frequent cases are caused by the rising of the sea surface temperature (SSTs).If the temperature decreases, there is a chance that the corals can recover; but if it persists, the whole colony could be wiped out.

The impacts from coral bleaching are becoming global in scale. They are also increasing in frequency and intensity. Mass coral bleaching generally happens when temperatures around coral reefs exceed 1o C above an area's historical norm for four or more weeks. Sea surface temperature increases have been strongly associated with El Niño weather patterns. However, light intensity, (during doldrums, i.e. flat calm conditions), also plays a critical role in triggering the bleaching response. If temperatures climb to more than 2o C for similar or longer periods, coral mortalities following bleaching will increase.

Other causes such as coral disease can also cause the deterioration of coral species. Most diseases occur in response to the onset of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, natural events and human-caused activities may exacerbate reef-forming corals' susceptibility to waterborne pathogens.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish(COTs) is a voracious coral reef predator. Populations of the COTs have increased since the 1970s and large outbreaks of starfish can occur wiping out huge tracks of coral reef. Few animals in the sea are willing to attack the spiny and toxic crown-of-thorns starfish, but some shrimp, worms and species of reef fish do feed on larvae or small adults. The decline of these predators, through over-harvesting and pollution, is one factor contributing to the rise in the population of the starfish.

How Fast Are The Reefs Disappearing?

Coral reefs are home to 25 percent of the world's marine fish species, and cover 1 percent of the Earth's surface. But they will be soon destroyed if we do not try to save them. Did you know that around 30 percent of the world's coral reefs are already damaged, some irreparably? At the present rate, by the year 2050, 70 percent of the world's reefs will have disappeared!

Coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region - where 75 percent of the world's reefs live - are now being destroyed at a rate of 1 percent a year. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it is actually twice as fast as the rate of destruction of tropical rainforests!

In the early 1980s, around 40 percent of the region's reefs hosted live coral -- today it is just 2 percent. Now do you see how disastrous the situation is?

Conservation Efforts

What have people done/plan to do to protect the coral reefs? Here are some examples:

The Nature Conservancy - Their coral reefs project around the world ensure that support for designing and creating resilient marine protected area networks in the Asia-Pacific region, known as the Coral Triangle. They also ensure that the staghorn coral restoration efforts in the Florida Keys will be monitored.

Caribbean Nations Launch Challenge - This will accelerate the marine conservation in the region with the aim of protecting 20 percent of the region's marine and coastal habitat by 2020.

Rainforest2Reef - It is developing a program to work with local communities on the use of more environmentally friendly techniques and materials. Through these efforts, we are beginning to help local communities become stewards of their coastal and marine environment as well as the rainforests.

A few of these type of organisations in Singapore include:

Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) - This organisation is dedicated to the study, conservation and enjoyment of the natural heritage in Singapore, Malaysia and surrounding region. It organises special awareness and conservation campaigns, to raise national conservation issues, such as the protection of Singapore's Natures areas.

Singapore Underwater Federation (SUF) - This organisation conduct activities such as underwater cleanups, the installation of courtesy mooring buoys and environmental seminars.

Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research - This organisation conducts intertidal walks and does research on marine life.

Tropical Marine Science Institute - This organisation is centre of excellence for research, development and consultancy in tropical marine science as well as environmental science.

Underwater World Singapore - It has sought to raise public awareness on marine conservation issues via educational exhibits and signage information, enriching educational programs, outreach assembly talks for schools and various ongoing conservation projects with other partners and institutions.

How You Can Help?

Everyone can help in the conservation of coral reefs! Here are some things that you can do:

Educate yourself about coral reefs and the creatures they support. With enough knowledge, you can help others understand the fragility and value of the world’s coral reefs.

Make sure that sewage in you living area is correctly treated. Excessive nutrients in waste water can negatively impact coral reef ecosystems.

Don’t use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Although you may live a long way from a coral reef ecosystem, these products end up in the watershed -- the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, or a lake, and ultimately, the ocean.

Be an informed consumer. Only buy marine fish and other reef organisms when you know they have been collected in an ecologically sound manner.

Recycle. This helps keep trash out of the oceans and also out of landfills where it can have an adverse impact on the water quality of our rivers and oceans.

Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and waste water eventually find their ways back into the oceans.

Carry away the trash that others have left behind. Beach litter poses a significant threat to the health and survival of marine organisms, which can swallow or get tangled in plastic containers, plastic bags, Styrofoam boxes, and other debris.

Report dumping or other illegal activities. Help be the eyes and ears of the reef!
Consider visiting a coral reef on a vacation. Spend some time enjoying the beauty of one of the world’s treasures while helping to preserve it for future generations.

Do not touch the marine life. Take only pictures. Keep your hands away from the reef, as the marine life can hurt you and you will also damage the delicate coral animals. Stay off the bottom because disturbed sediments can smother the corals.

Respect local guidelines when you visit a reef. Help keep coral reefs healthy by respecting local customs, recommendations, and regulations.

Stay informed regularly. Find out about existing and proposed laws, programs, and projects that could affect the world’s coral reefs.

Support organizations that protect coral reefs. Your support can make a big difference! E.g., You can go for intertidal walks at our Singapore islands, participate in the coastal clean-up efforts, go for talks, volunteer etc.

Spread the word. Share your own excitement at learning the value and importance of coral reef ecosystems. This gets everyone involved!

Our Coastal Cleanup Efforts - 31st August 2008

Today, Yi Xi and I went to the beach to pick up litter. We found lots of stuff! We found styrofoam, plastic bottle caps, bottles, balloons, a slipper, a lot of rice and macaroni and even a full pack of fries!

We picked up a lot of litter from the beach.

There was a lot of styrofoam on the beach...

... together with yoghurt bottles... ...plastic bowls...
... empty cigarette boxes...

.. bottle caps... ... bottles...
... lighters...
... a sponge...

... and even balloons!
Look at the amount of rubbish we collected!

I encourage all of you to do your part not to throw rubbish into the sea and to actively participate in coastal clean up projects.

Rubbish Statistics

Around 100 million tonnes of plastic are produced in the world each year! 10 percent of that ends up in the sea. That is equivalent to 10 MILLION TONS of rubbish!

Look at this poor turtle. Animals tend to mistake rubbish for their prey (e.g. jellyfish) and choke on them! It is estimated that around 1 million sea creatures die from choking on plastic!

This all happens because people are littering. We should spare a thought for the animals and dispose of our rubbish appropriately.

International Whale Shark Day

Today is International Whale Shark Day! Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, some with a length of 18m! Despite their size and name, they are actually plankton eaters.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 1 - Intertidal Walk, Corals)

On 17 Aug 08, I woke up at 3am to get ready for our trip to Pulau Semakau. My mother had signed us up for an intertidal walk organised by the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. What we saw was really unbelievable! This affirmed our belief that we need to save the reefs!

Look at all the hard and soft corals spotted! Are they fabulous? Would you have imagined that they can be found along Singapore's shorelines?

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 2 - STARS)

One of the highlights was seeing the knobbly sea star (Protoreaster Nodosus). This is probably the biggest sea star in Singapore based on body width, as it can grow to about 30cm wide.

This sea star apparently feeds on micro-organisms on seagrass or sediment surfaces. However, it is known to feed on soft corals, sponges, clams etc. when in captivity. But they are not known to survive long in captivity, which suggest that the latter may not be their preferred natural diet.

We also saw a cushion star (Culcita novaeguineae). They feed on corals.

We saw several species of sea stars too. The below are sand-sifting sea stars (Archaster typicus) in a shallow tidal pool, including one pair which is mating!

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 3 - Sea Cucumbers)

We saw lots of sea cucumbers that day! Not all can be eaten :) This sandfish sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra) is the one often served in Chinese restaurants. They must be probably treated to remove their toxins before they can be consumed.

This ocellated sea cucumber (Stichopus ocellatus) has very striking colours and has lots of "eyespots" on its body, which are basically dark papillae surrounded by a white ring.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 4-Flatworms and Nudibranchs)

We also saw many invertebrates along the shoreline! Examples include this Acanthozoon flatworm:

These flatworms are very fragile and tear easily, so handling them is a delicate task. The good news is, they can regenerate their lost body parts.

We also saw this funeral nudibranch (Jorunna funebris). "Nudibranch" means "naked gills" as their gills (the flowery structures on their backs) are exposed, not in their body like most other marine animals.

Just like snails, Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites. This means that they have both male and female reproductive systems. The above Glossodoris nudibranchs (Glossodoris atromarginata) are actually mating!

We were lucky enough to spot a swallowtail headshield slug (Chelidonura pallida). The swallowtail headshield slug has a well-developed "headshield", which is used to plow beneath the sand surface and helps prevent the sand entering the mantle cavity. These slugs feed on tiny flatworms living on coral reef substrate.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 5 - Crabs)

Can you spot the hairy crab in this picture? Hairy crabs are masters of camouflage, as they are coloured and textured just like a lump of seaweed.

This is probably a carnivorous crab, as it has sharp pincers and not spoon-shaped ones. It is actually getting ready to attack as it had sensed our presence.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 6 - Noble Volutes)

We also spotted 2 noble volutes (Cymbiola nobilis) laying their eggs. Noble volutes are sea snails, but they are fierce predators and kill their prey by smothering them with their foot.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 7 - Anemones)

We easily found this gigantic anemone (Stichodactyla gigantea)with a few anemone shrimps in it too! Anemone shrimps have a special protective layer that prevents them from getting stung by the anemone.
Below is a picture of an anemone when it is closed up, meaning that its tentacles are not exposed to the water.


This is an anemone from the Aliciidae family. It gives very painful stings, so we have to handle it carefully.

Pulau Semakau 17 Aug 08 (Part 8 - Others)

We also saw some fan worms! They are actually a type of segmented worm that has feathery structures on its head. They live in a flexible, leathery tube.

This is a Spiral Melongena (Pugilina cochlidium) laying eggs! This snail probably feeds on barnacles.

We were lucky enough to spot an octopus! Can you see it? Octopuses are masters of camouflage, able to change their skin colour according to their surroundings.

I am very impressed with the vast amount of marine life that can be found along the shoreline of Singapore. It is really a surprise to me! Let's do our part to preserve these natural wonders.

Ningaloo Reef June 08 - (Part 1- Snorkel with Whale Sharks)

My experience of a lifetime was to snorkel with whale sharks at the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. This is the only place that whale sharks congregate regularly at a certain time of the year, which is April-July.

Despite it looking massive, this whale shark is actually pretty small for one. It is only about 4.5m long!

We were extremely fortunate to see a female whale shark! The probability of them appearing is 1 in 10! Furthermore, it was actually opening its mouth wide and frantically feeding. The guide on the boat said that he had never seen this happening since 4 years ago, as whale sharks usually just glide along and eat the plankton along the way.

You can tell a female whale shark from a male one by looking at its tail. A female's tail is "torn" at the end.

The photos were taken by my dad! Enjoy!

Ninglaloo Reef June 08 (Part 2 - Snorkel at Mandu South)

Ningaloo Reef is a fringing coral reef located off the west coast of Australia, approximately 1200 km north of Perth. The reef is 280 km long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass.

It is known for its seasonal feeding concentrations of the whale shark, and the conservation debate surrounding its potential tourism development. In 1987 the reef and surrounding waters where designated as the Ningaloo Marine Park.

We stayed at an eco-camp during our trip to the Ningaloo Reef. It is located at Mandu South within the Cape Range National Park. The camp has a great snorkeling site just infront of it and that is very convenient for us! We could practically snorkel anytime :)

...the eco camp site

...view from our tent

...me coming out from the sea after snorkelling

We saw many corals during the trip, especially staghorn and tabletop corals. Aren't they pretty?



We also saw lots of fishes, turtles and even small sharks!!!

Maldives - March 07 (Part 1 - Introduction)

I went to the Maldives with my family in March 07.
Facts on Maldives:
- comprises of 1190 coral islands with fabulous reefs and a wealth of marine life
- a part of a massive underwater mountain range with stunning coral reefs on its edge
- is the lowest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 m

The reefs and atolls provide shelter for many species of fish and other marine creatures. The reef is composed of coral debris and living coral. This acts as a natural barrier against the sea, forming lagoons. Other islands, set at a distance and parallel to the reef, have their own protective fringe of reef. An opening in the surrounding coral barrier allows access to the calmer lagoon waters. The barrier reefs of the islands protect them from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean.

On April 22, 2008, the President of the Maldives pleaded for a cut in global greenhouse gas emissions, warning that rising sea levels could submerge the island nation of Maldives. Over the last century, sea levels have risen about 20 centimeters!

The following pictures posted are taken by me during snorkeling trips. Aren't they pretty? We need to do our part to protect the reefs and its ecosystem. What a waste it will be if these were to disappear from the earth!