More than just Orientation Games & Tanning Sessions: Sentosa with TeamSeagrass 21/8

Traditionally, Sentosa is the place I associate with tanning sessions with Chai and Anty, playing lame and very wet orientation games and well, basically anything touris-y and commercial. Pictures i take usually looks like this:

I think its an automatic reaction - whenever a peacock/peahen/peachick/peawhatever appears, everyone will whip out their cameras and frantically start snapping away. Unfortunately, I am too, a victim of such a reaction.

or these:

However, there's a 'wild' side of Sentosa that many of us overlooked. I was lucky enough to discover that non-commercialised side of Sentosa last Friday with TeamSeagrass. There is a stretch of intertidal-shore and a patch of coral rubbles at the western end of Sentosa. I wouldn't blog about the specific location, will explain myself later in the post!

The idea of us going there at 5.45 AM, is not simply to poke around that exposed patch of coral rubbles during superlow tide. We were there to work! (yes, work!!):

Here's Chun Foong and Jia Rui at their site, writing down the data,

and there's Kah Ming and I, probably trying to differentiate seagrass from seaweed there:

(photos of us working taken by Marcus)

Being the new-bird, I was assigned to pair up with Kah Ming, who very patiently explained the procedures to me. Broadly-speaking, what we did was to note down the percentage of Seagrass in a particular site, with the aid of the above ingenious grid. The type of seagrass, and the amount of algae found on the seagrass were also noted. These datas are collected a few times annually to monitor the health of our natural seagrass.

On top of this, TeamSeagrass is part of a global Seagrass monitoring organization based in Australia, and thus, by collecting such data, we are also contributing to the study of the global patterns and distribution of seagrasses.

Now you may be wondering, what's so great about Seagrass, aren't they just plants growing in the water?!

well, firstly SEAGRASS is NOT SEAWEED. It's like comparing your garden plants with those annoying dandelions that grow everywhere and smoother your plants.

this is a picture of a certain species of seagrass:

and these, my friends, are seaweeds:

(pictures credited to Marcus Ng)

I know I know, its hard to tell them apart and being a geographer, I'm especially lousy at that. But don't worry! We'll get there eventually : D

anyways, my point about seagrass is that, they are very important as they:

#1 Provide a nursery for young fishes to mature

#2 Are home to many marine species (fact: five times as many fish live over seagrass beds as over seafloor made up of mud and sand)

#3 Decrease coastal erosion

I know the first 2 points are frightfully important, however, Im more inclined toward the 3rd point.

Coastal erosion is damaging to beaches (and effect which Ivan has blogged about) and the trees on the shore. With Seagrass beds, the root network consolidate sediments and reduces wave energy. Hence, protecting the shore from further wave erosion.

To illustrate points 1 and 2, here are some intertidal organisms spotted that day:

This is an anemone, really pretty green frills it has!

and the Lightning-Dove Snails, they enjoy forming clusters. Kinda sweet in a weird way (Jiayi, stop tearing your hair out).

And this huge Red-Egg Crab that was strangely camera-friendly. Its color warns predators and probably humans crab-eaters that it is poisonous and it will be ill-advised to consume it. My mom thought it was cooked HAHAHAHAHAH.

and also, several species of Corals, both soft corals:

kah Ming thinks they are known as "Deadman's fingers". I love the name!!

and hard corals.. or is this an anemone, im not sure:

There are really more organisms there, but I didn't manage to photograph them, probably because I was too fascinated with the Sedimentary Rock Cliffs there. You can refer to the teamseagrass blog for more pictures of the marine creatures!

So exciting!!!!!!!!

CLIFFS IN SINGAPORE - now, isn't that something new! and of all places, in SENTOSA. the most commercialised tropical island on earth.

The post is getting too long, and I have an American history lecture tomorrow at 10am HAHAHA so let me keep you in suspense. STAY TUNED! (:

Here's a teaser ^^:

Love, serene!

Special Thanks to:

-Marcus for guiding, Kah Ming for putting up with my newness and teaching me many many things, Chunfoong, Abby, Joo Yong and Jia Rui for sharing this experience with me (:

-the water monitoring team led by Chenko for sharing this with me as well!

Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa - an introduction

Im almost embarrassed to say this.

Despite being a girl guide for 4 years in secondary school and a girl scout for 3 years in JC and post-JC.. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO PULAU UBIN UNTILL THE 28TH OF MAY 2009.

This isnt a sight you often see in Singapore. Well, here we are, 28th May '09, my first visit to Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin. and i promise it wouldnt be the last, im in love with this place (:

Okay firstly, some bit of background info on Chek Jawa. Chek Jawa is located at the south-eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, it is one of the rare NATURAL Rocky shore (with sandy shores as well) in SG.

Other rocky shores can be found at Labrador Park (which is the ONLY un-reclaimed, untouched and natural stretch of beach in the southern area of SG) and on the other offshore southern islands.


The area hosts several ecosystems:

#1 Mangroves - plants and organisms adapted to the highly salinzed ('salted' due to backwash from the sea) environment


some methods of adaptation is to have Prop roots - to be able to take in more oxygen

and also breathing roots - which are the things you see sticking out of the mud.


next time if you happen to be around mangrove habitats, also notice the waxy leaves surfaces - this prevents water loss.

#2 Seagrass habitats - they are different from seaWEED, seagrass has roots, they dont just drift around.

(Ignore the 2 crazy people in the foreground, and look at the seagrass at the background)


#3 Intertidal habitats - these areas are exposed during low tide and covered with water during high tide, making it a really dynamic area to live in.

imagine this, you live under water for 6 hours and above water for the next 6 hrs and so on.

i think i'll go mad.


John told me that the Norwegians commit suicide because of the different amount of sunlight they receive in the different seasons, which thus alter their environments and sense of time. and many of them cant tahan the changes. but this is probably nothing compared to the rates of changes and extent of changes in the intertidal habitats. okay i think im going off tangent. HAHAHAHA

okay back to the super long intro.

Chek Jawa was slated for reclamation in the late 1990s/early 2000s. However, due to a group of paasionate conservationists petitioned against the reclamation plan, which culminated in the video Remember Chek Jawa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzGE7FSWiqE).

and the government shifted the reclamation project to Pulau Tekong (good for biodiversity, not so good for army boys).

Chek Jawa, then, got a new face! broadwalks were built to allow visitors easier access to the different habitats mentioned above

you can see the habitats right below your feet!

Im not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing tho.

its the same environmental debate that takes place all the time - make the place accessible for education and creation of environmental awareness, yet, when this happens the environment is disturbed and at times destroyed. for example:


our favourite constructor Phua Chu Kang obviously paid Chek Jawa a visit and left something behind.
I HATE RUBBISH (which arent in the bin).

THE SIGHT OF THE PLASTIC BAGS IN THE MANGROVES MAKES ME FEEL LIKE THROWING A SHOE AT SOMEONE.

anyways my point is, why go on an educational trip and litter?
okay maybe the rubbish drifted over from somewhere else. then, my point is, WHY LITTER?!

okay let me go get my marbles back.

IVE GOT MORE STUFF THIS IS ONLY TE INTRODUCTION.

<3 Serene Special Thanks: -Janette Goh for organizing this super trip -Karin, Willis, Ashton and Kynneth for providing great company.