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Geography
and our shores
updated
Dec 2019
if
you learn only 3 things about them ...
 Our
Northern and Southern shores have different kinds of marine
life.
Flows of freshwater affects marine life and too much can
kill.
Currents
also affect shore structure. |
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The Northern shores
such as those at Pasir Ris, Changi and Pulau Ubin (Chek Jawa, Pulau
Sekudu) lie at the mouth of the Johor River in the Straits of Johor.
The mighty Johor River is one of the most important influences on
seashore life here. The freshwater and nutrients that flows from the
river affects the plants and animals on our Northern shores.
Nutrients
flowing down the Johor River play affect the food chains of our Northern
shores. For example, the seasonal increase in nutrient flow results
in 'blooms' of seaweeds that can form thick, green carpets on the
Northern shores. These seaweeds in turn provide food for animals.
Too Fresh? The Johor River supplies
lots of freshwater, so the waters here are less salty than that around
places such as the Southern Islands. The lower salinity affects the
kind of living things that can be commonly found on our Northern shores.
These are often different from those found on our Southern shores. |
Death by Freshwater: The prolonged
flooding in 2007 lead to mass deaths on Chek Jawa as the sea creatures
there were exposed to a long period of low salinity.
Currents of Life and Death: Currents moving along the shore
and waves that wash ashore on can change its shape and structure.
Such changes affect the plants and animals that live there. These
currents cause sand bars to shift constantly. These shifts change
the dimentions of the lagoon that forms behind the sand bar. Plants
and animals near the sand bar may get buried over time. This is a
natural process.
Currents may also change due to human activities nearby, such as land
reclamation. |
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