wild shores of singapore: What do the snails tell us about impact of construction on Labrador?

23 November 2009

What do the snails tell us about impact of construction on Labrador?

Cedric Kai did a study of snails on Labrador to see how the construction of a huge trench on the shore might have affected them.

He studied the population density and shell sizes of the commonly encountered Dwarf turban snail (Turbo brunneus) and Toothed top shell snail (Monodontia labio).

Among his findings was a lower density of both kinds of snails in the area affected by the trench.

Read more about his work on the Nature in Singapore page of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research: Effects of trenching on shell size and density of Turbo brunneus (Gastropoda: Turbinidae) and Monodonta labio (Gastropoda: Trochidae) at Labrador Beach, Singapore. Cedric Kai Wei Tan. Pp. 421–429. [PDF, 228 KB]

A trench was dug on Labrador to install cables under the seabed. The work lasted a year from 2006, with the last construction materials removed in 2008. But massive reclamation and construction continues to go on just off Labrador, including blasting work, as part of the plan to build a new container terminal.

Here's some photos of the trench dug to build the cofferdam. The cofferdam taken from the jetty on Aug 07.

The cofferdam taken from the shore in Dec 07.

Here are some photos of the work site. In Dec 07

A little earlier in Dec 07.

After the cofferdam was removed, taken in Mar 08.

But even after the cofferdam was removed, work continued off Labrador as rocks were filled in on the seabed over the cables. This was the work area off Labrador in Jul 08.

Labrador is our last mainland rocky shore and reef with seagrass meadows. Here's a glimpse into what Labrador's living intertidal shores looked like before the works began. More photos of Labrador's marine life in the wildsingapore flickr set. The gate to the shore is now permanently closed.

More links

Ongoing marine works near Labrador