Small Sisters is alive!

Just minutes from the Central Business District, are the living shores of Small Sisters Island. The two Sisters Islands are now designated as a Marine Park and managed by NParks. Small Sisters Islands is not open to the public. Our survey today was done with kind permission from NParks.

We return after a two year break and arrive after sunset for a rare super low evening tide. The corals seems to be doing well. The rest of the team saw Cone snail, Anemonefishes and more! I will update with their finds later on.

Labrador still alive but rather quiet

Labrador is our last natural reef and best example of our original southern seagrass meadows on the mainland.  These shores were impacted by Pasir Panjang oil spill in Jun 2024 which occurred at the massive Pasir Panjang container terminal right next to it. As well as the global mass coral bleaching which started in Apr 2024.

We were overwhelmed having to survey many other shores during this period and had to miss Labrador until now. It is also my first time here since 2019. It was a relief to see that the seagrasses are mostly like they were before. But there were much fewer corals. The rocky shores were also quiet. The rest of the team, however, made interesting finds including the first mainland occurrence of a Giant clam! Some of the team surveyed Berlayar Creek at the same time. I will update with their finds later. Thanks to NParks for permission and their company during the survey.

Berlayar Creek still alive!

With kind permission and company of NParks, a tiny team surveyed this interesting shore next to Labrador MRT station with mangroves, rocky shore, seagrass meadows and sandy shores!

Thanks to Liz and Tammy for checking up on Berlayar Creek at the same time as the rest of the team surveyed Labrador. They found the Galloping sea star which we seldom encounter. The shore is not very reefy but they saw a few large healthy corals and a Giant carpet anemone. Compared to our last survey here in Nov 2020, there seems to be a lower diversity of animals. But I'm glad there is still life on this unique shore in the heart of the city.

St John's Island doing well

Just minutes from the Central Business District, lies one of Singapore's last natural cliffs at St John's Island. The rocky shore and reef edge has corals. There are also seagrasses throughout, as well as rare mangrove trees on the untouched western shore, which is part of the Sisters Islands Marine Park.

Today, the corals seemed fine, seagrasses still doing well. The rest of the team find special snails, 'Nemos' and other interesting marine life. 

Is Beting Bemban Besar impacted by the Sudong reclamation?

As evening low tides start, we survey the north-western portion of Beting Bemban Besar, one of our largest submerged reefs. This area faces the ongoing 31ha Pulau Sudong reclamation.

At sunset, I saw some dugong feeding trails! There seagrasses were heavily covered in epiphytes. Corals seemed alright though they seem to be in better condition further away from Sudong. The rest of the team saw special corals, a Giant clam, sea stars, 'Nemos', other reef fishes and other interesting marine life. 

Oil-eating bacteria as a response to oil spills

The team found that areas more highly impacted by the Pasir Panjang oil spill had a greater diversity of oil-eating bacteria. The oil-degrading microbes were also observed to persist six months later, even after oil in the spill samples had been broken down. 

Pasir Panjang Oil Spill impact
on East Coast Park seagrass meadows, Jun 2024

“Our study showed that in areas that are difficult to access for clean-up operations after an oil spill, nature can lend a helping hand and do the job for us given sufficient time.”

Dispersants only “sink” the oil without chemically degrading it, potentially giving rise to deposits on the seafloor that take a long time to break down. Thus, while dispersants swiftly remove oil from the ocean’s surface, they could inadvertently harm the environment.

The team are tapping their findings to engineer solutions for future coastal pollution events. From developing a microbial cocktail to clean up contaminated sand to advocating the inclusion of structures that facilitate the growth of biofilms in coastal protection.