geography.

2008-04-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

okay,
i've got the ph value for the water samples!
ANNNNNDDDDDDDDD..........
HERE YOU GOOOOOOOOOO!
:D

PH VALUE

JETTY – 7.10
ROCKY BEACH – 6.70
SANDY BEACH – 7.51

DISSOLVED IN OXYGEN

JETTY – 133.5%
ROCKY BEACH – 147.6%
SANDY BEACH – 94.9%

2008-04-21T03:33:00.000-07:00

helllooo.

i said i would post about how t prevent littering on places like st john's island,

right.

so here i am.

:D

IDEAS TO PREVENT LITTERING.

IDEA ONE: THE GOVERNMENT/PERSON IN CHARGE CAN INSTALL CAMERAS.

BRIEF EXPLANATION: CAMERAS CAN BE INSTALLED TO PREVENT LITTERING. THE PERSON WHO LITTERED WOULD BE CAUGHT ON CAMERA, SO THERE SHOULD BE PUNISHMENT FOR THE PERSON WHO LITTERED.

IDEA TWO: PLACE NOTICES FOR FINES.

BREIF EXPLANATION: NOTICES ARE TO BE PLACED ON DIFFERENT PARTS OF ST. JOHN'S ISLAND. EACH SAYING WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF LITTERING.

IDEA THREE: PLACE PICTURES OF PEOPLE WHO LITTER, ALL OVER S'PORE. (eg. on buses, mrts, bus stops, tv mobile, you get the idea!)

BRIEF EXPLANATION: PEOPLE WILL BE EMBARASSED IF THEIR PCTURES ARE PLACED AROUND SINGAPORE, SO THEY WON'T DO IT AGAIN.

tell me if you come up w more ideas, okay!
(:

2008-04-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

i'm gonna post t tell you more about ST JOHN'S ISLAND okay?
(:

Situated approx. 6.5km south of Singapore, St. John's Island - a beautiful and serene island, is famous for having a penal settlement but today it is a perfect getaway spot to relax, swim and suntan. Other facilities include picnic areas, trekking routes, holiday bungalow (from S$52.50 for 4 days) and cosy dormitories at the Holiday Camps (can take up to 60 persons, from S$63 per day) are managed by Sentosa. No food or drinks on sale on the island.
The 39-hectare island is also a haven for a host of flora and fauna. St. John's natural shores is ringed by coral reefs with a variety of hard and soft corals. Fiddler crabs can be seen in the mudflats of the mangrove areas during low tide. The island also has small patches of mangroves.
For many of Singapore's immigrants, St. John's Island (previously known as Pulau Sekijang Bendara) was the first place of disembarkation. Here, they were registered and screened for disease. Immigrants who were found to be carriers of tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, typhoid, etc were quarantined on the island.
When the island ceased to be a screening centre, it became a colony for cholera patients. It has since also been used as a drug rehabilitation centre and a place of exile for political dissidents. In recent times, the western end of the island hosts a $30 million Marine Aquaculture Centre. With effect from 21 November 2006, ferries departs from Marina South Pier instead. Ferry services will no longer run from Sentosa's ferry terminal.

what about LAZARUS ISLAND?
well,
HERE YOU GO.
:D

Lazarus Island is currently linked with St. John's Island via a bridge. Together with Pulau Seringat, the total land area is approximately 47 ha. This island offer a quiet respite from the big city with laid-back ambience, sandy beaches and inviting waters. Swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving are recommended. The water currents are quite strong and are recommended only for experienced divers.
Lazarus Island was previously known as Pulau Sakijang Pelepah. Literal translation: "sa" means one, "kijang" means barking deer, "pelepah" is a palm frond, so presumably "Island of One Barking Deer and Palms". This island was the site of fish survey conducted in 1994.

in the next post,
i'll post about how people should protect such places like St. John's Island,
to prevent ruining it's beautiful nature.

2008-04-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

okay,

this is th post about hermit crabs i promised.
(:

HERMIT CRABS.

Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. They are not closely related to true crabs.
Most species of hermit crabs have long soft abdomens which are protected from predators by the adaptation of carrying around a salvaged empty seashell, into which the whole crab's body can retract. Most frequently hermit crabs utilize the shells of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. The tip of the hermit crab's abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the snail shell. As the hermit crab grows in size it has to find a larger shell and abandon the previous one.
This habit of living in a second hand shell is what gave rise to the popular name "hermit crab", which is a reference to the idea of a hermit living alone in a small cave.
There are about five hundred known species of hermit crabs in the world, most of which are aquatic and live in saltwater at depths ranging from shallow coral reefs and shorelines to deep sea bottoms. However in the tropics, a number of species are terrestrial, and some of these are quite large, for example, Coenobita clypeatus.
A number of other species, most notably king crabs, have abandoned seashells for a free-living life; these species have forms which are more similar to true crabs, and are known as carcinised hermit crabs.
Hermit crabs live in the wild in colonies of 100 or more, and do not thrive in smaller numbers.

QUESTION.

WHY DO HERMIT CRABS NEED TO FIND SHELLS TO CHANGE?

ANSWER.

As hermit crabs grow they require larger shells. Since intact gastropod shells are a limited resource, there is frequently strong competition among hermit crabs for the best available shells. The availability of empty snail shells at any given place depends primarily on the relative abundance of gastropods in the right range of sizes, compared to the demographics of the population of hermit crabs.
An equally important issue is the frequency of organisms which prey upon gastropods but leave the shells intact . A hermit crab with a shell that is too small cannot grow as fast as hermit crabs with well fitting shells, and is more likely to be eaten .
For some larger marine hermit crab species, having one or more sea anemones growing on the shell can be very useful, because the anemones tend to scare away fish and other marine predators that might otherwise attack the crab. The sea anemone also benefits because it is well positioned to consume loose fragments of the hermit crab's meals. Furthering this mutualism, sea anemones can transfer to a new shell when the hermit crab changes shells.

QUESTION.

CAN HERMIT CRABS REPRODUCE? IF SO, HOW DOES IT REPRODUCE?

ANSWER.

The reproductive organs of hermit crabs are located near and just below the crab’s heart and open to the outside at the base of the last pair of walking legs in the male. In the female, they’re located at the base of the middle pair of walking legs. Female hermit crabs usually lay their eggs shortly after copulating, however they can also store sperm for many months. The eggs are fertilized as they are laid by passing through the chamber holding the sperm. The eggs are carried and hatched in a mass attached to the abdomen inside the shell. The number of eggs is usually large, but depends on the crab’s size. The developing crabs go through four stages, two of which (the baupilus and protozoea) occur while still in the egg. Most crabs hatch at the third stage, the zoea. This is a larvae stage wherein the crab has several long spines, a long narrow abdomen, and large fringed antennae. The fourth stage of development is the magelops. Hermit crabs are usually born in the ocean, near the shore. Because of this, hermit crabs cannot reproduce in captivity. After the crabs are born, they move inland away from the water, where they search for abandoned shells to inhabit. Hermit crabs then begin growing and developing through a process called moulting. In this process, the crabs shed their exoskeleton. During this, the crabs are extremely vulnerable and inactive, and usually find protection by burrowing in the ground. It takes around 10 days for their new exoskeleton to harden, and during this period the crab is able to regenerate any lost or broken claws or legs. A hermit crab can molt as often as every other month when young, or every 18 months when they are older. The life span of the hermit crab in the wild is up to 30 years.

QUESTION.

CAN I KEEP HERMIT CABS AS PETS?

ANSWER.

YES.

There are several species of hermit crabs that are common in the marine aquarium trade. These omnivorous or herbivorous species are useful in the household aquarium as scavengers, eating algae and other debris. They also eat many fruits and vegetables. The scarlet hermit crab, or red reef hermit crab, Paguristes cadenati, is a handsome and interesting species with a bright red body and yellow eyestalks, and stays rather small (about 2–5 cm / 1–2 inches across). Smaller species of a similar passive nature include the zebra hermit crab (brown legs with white bands), the red-tip crab and blue-legged crab.
In Europe, the common hermit crab, Pagurus bernhardus, is popular.
While most species available in pet stores are small like those listed above, and are simply scavengers, others may grow quite large (some on the Pacific coast can grow to 30 cm / 12 inches) and may eat coral, clams and other crustaceans.
Most marine hermit crabs will appreciate a salinity of between 1.023 and 1.025 (measured in specific gravity), and temperatures between 4–14°C (temperate species) and 24–27°C (tropical species), with a good bed, algae to graze on and a variety of shells to change into. They will happily switch shells frequently if given the opportunity - an interesting display to watch.
There are approximately 15 terrestrial species in the world, and, of those, the following are commonly kept as pets: Caribbean hermit crab, Coenobita clypeatus, and the Ecuadorian hermit crab, Coenobita compressus. Other species such as Coenobita brevamanus, Coenobita rugosus, Coenobita perlatus or Coenobita cavipes are less common but growing in availability and popularity as pets.

PICTURES.

isn't it cute?
(:

2008-04-17T17:35:00.002-07:00

We have done several researches on seaweeds and these are the findings.

SEAWEED.
Seaweeds are any of a large number of marine plants and protists in the category of benthic algae. They are macroscopic and multicelluar, in contrast with most other algae. Seaweeds are often found in the seashore biome.

Seaweeds consist of several groups of multicelluar algae: the red algae, green algae, and brown algae. These three kinds of seaweeds are not thought to have a common multicelluar ancestor, the seaweeds are a paraphyletic group. In addition, tuft-forming bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria) are sometimes considered as seaweeds.
Seaweeds are popularly described as plants, but only red and green algae belong to the kingdom Plantae. They should not be confused with aquatic plants such as seagrasses (which are vascular plants).

our next post will be about our findings on...

THE HERMIT CRAB!

stay tuned..

2008-04-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

one of the activities we had to do when we came back.

mark and describe the places (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) on the Google Earth photo. Look at the following photos.

CHECKPOINT 1 : (describe the place) very windy. temperature is just right. DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.

CHECKPOINT 2 : wind speed is very low. humidity is the lowest.

CHECKPOINT 3 : it has the hottest temperature.

CHECKPOINT 4 : average temperature.

CHECKPOINT 5 : the wind speed is quite low. heat index is very high, up to 40.3◦ c. which can cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

QUADRANT SAMPLING.

LOCATION : LAZARUS ISLAND.
BEACH TYPES : SANDY BEACH.
HEIGHT OF CLIFF(using clinometer) : 12m.
ANY EROSIONAL OR DEPOSITIONAL PROCESSES? : DEPOSITIONAL PROCESSES.
QUADRANT SAMPLING (look at abundance scale) : 76% OF VEGETATION.

LOCATION : LAZARUS ISLAND.
BEACH TYPES : ROCKY BEACH.
HEIGHT OF CLIFF(using clinometer) : 12m.
ANY EROSIONAL OR DEPOSITIONAL PROCESSES? : EROSIONAL PROCESSES.
QUADRANT SAMPLING (look at abundance scale) :

Suggest possible ways that we can do to minimise the dangers of heat stroke?
-Bring a cap.
-Drink sufficient water.

What are the possible imapcts on the beach if the wave frequency is more than 10 per minute?
-Desruptive wave.
-Flood.

2008-04-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

sorry for the unfinished post earlier!
w finish it some other time,
in this post, i shall post the pictures from the trip.
but now,
i'm gna post about the findings first.

DATA SHEET.
(we used the weather trackers.)
station ONE : FOOTBALL FIELD.
temperature - 29◦ c
wind velocity (m/sec) - 0.4 m / sec
heat index -36.0◦ c
relative humidity - 79.7%
no. of waves per minute - 39

station TWO : MANGROVE TREES.
temperature - 29.4◦ c
wind velocity - 1.1 m/s
heat index - 36.1◦ c
relative humidity - 71.7%
no. of waves per minute - nil.

station THREE : SAINT JOHN'S CAUSEWAY (MIDWAY)
temperature - 31.3 ◦ c
wind velocity - 1.6 m/s
heat index - 39.0 ◦c
relative humidity - 73.6%
no. of waves per minute - nil.

station FOUR : COAST 1 (SANDY) AT LAZARUS ISLAND.
temperature - 31 ◦ c
wind velocity - 0.9 m/s
heat index - 37.6 ◦ c
no. of waves per minute - 20

station FIVE : COAST 2 (ROCKY) AT LAZARUS ISLAND.
temperature - 30.9 ◦ c
wind velocity - 0.5 m/s
heat index - 40.3 ◦ c
relative humidity - 72.9%
no. of waves per minute - 21

PICTURES(:

Arrival at the jetty.

Seawalls built to protect the coast at Marina South Terminal.

Doing quadrat sampling of vegetation.

Sandy beach at Lazarus Island.

Vegetation at the Sandy Beach at Lazarus Island.

Algae found when we reached St John's Island.

Calm and tranquil waters.

Soft engineering measure to grow
mangrove trees with prop roots
to reduce wave erosion at Saint John's Island.

Two roosters found along the fence reminds
one of a rural settlement.

Fishes found while we were boarding the ferry back to the terminal.

Breakwaters built to reduce wave erosion.

Seaweeds at the fringe of the coastline.

Using a pole to measure wave frequency. (ours!)

our fieldtrip. (:

2008-04-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

hello.
i'm gna post!
about th geography fieldtripppp!
we went to ST JOHN'S ISLAND.
it was damn cool la.
met at school,
took chartered bus there,
reached,
and as we were going to board the ferry,
we all had to queue up to press your finger on some device.
i don't know the exact use for it,
but it looks very cool.
i think it's got something to do with mas selamat, somehow.
hahah.
we proceeded onto the ferry.
it took like about 15 - 20 minutes to reach there.
once we reached there,
we saw the beautiful view of st john's island.
the coasts,
seas,
and lots and lots of sand.
it was really cool.
once we reached there,
we went to the coast and started to put our bamboo stick in the water and started to count the waves hitting the shore per minute,
to see if the waves there are constructive or disruptive.
while the others were counting the wind humidty,
temperature and i don't know what. (i forgot, can someone enlighten me? thanks.(: )
we saw a sea cucumber there too.
it looks greenish though,
i was wondering if there was algae on the sea cucumber.
hahahah.
after 3 minutes of counting,
miss wong said the high tides were coming in and we needed to get out of there immediately,
so we went back up.
as we were going up,
the high tides came and flooded the waves alomst immediately.
we gathered our information and complied it together on a piece of paper and proceeded to our next stop.
on our way there,
we saw roosters!
they were very cute!
the next stop was this place with alot of trees that had prop roots.
there was a cat there as well.
miss wong said that the cat was there probably to take shade or to catch something to eat.
as that place was rather shady.

2008-04-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

hello.
testing.(:
joey was here.
i rock. (: