Patterns of ph, temperature and salinity in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea with possible relation to riverine run offs in the region

Transcription

1 Patterns of ph, temperature and salinity in the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea with possible relation to riverine run offs in the region Anisah Lee Abdullah Geography Section, School of Humanities Universiti Sains Malaysia

2 ph and Ocean Acidification ongoing decrease in the ph and increase in acidity of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere. not a peripheral climate issue, it is the other CO 2 challenge. riverine run offs

3 The seas in the region Pacific Ocean Andaman Sea Sulu Sea Straits of Malacca South China Sea Celebes Sea Indian Ocean

4 Types and location of major reefs Oceanic reefs and atolls Clear water fringing reefs Turbid water reefs Clear water fringing reefs Turbid water reefs

5 Prime Marine Scientific Expedition (EPSP) 2009

6 ROSES Expedition 2004

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8 ph (South China Sea to Straits of Malacca)

9 Fig. 11. Typical pre industrial ( 1850), present (1997) and projected ( 2050) (a) NTCO2 and (b) ph vertical profiles of seawater in the SCS. normalized total CO2 (NTCO2=TCO2*35/S) Chen et al. 2006

10 Fig. 12. Typical pre industrial ( 1850), present (1997) and projected ( 2050) (a) Ωcand (b) Ωavertical profiles of seawater in the SCS. Chen et al. 2006

11 Aragonite (South China Sea to Straits of Malacca)

12 Seven thousand years of ph and atmospheric CO2

13 Biodiversity related studies

14 The Faunal Divide Pacific Ocean Andaman Sea South China Sea Indian Ocean Fauna Pacific Fauna Sulu Sea Straits of Malacca Celebes Sea Indian Ocean

15 The Coral Triangle Red lines connect areas with equal number of coral genus (from Veron, 1995) The South China Sea

16 The biodiversity gradient in the South China Sea Pacific Ocean Andaman Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Straits of Malacca Celebes Sea Indian Ocean

17 Water depth at Terumbu Siput 0.5 metre 1 metre 3 metre 10 metre 25 metre 100 metre 2096 metre

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19 The smallest sea cucumber

20 Human habitation on shallow reefs and coastal towns of Semporna and Tawau

21 Human induced threats Threats to the coral reefs in the South China Sea Coastal development and land reclamation Coral mining Destructive fishing practices (trawling, use of cyanide and fish bombing) Overfishing (especially in coastal waters) Freshwater run off and sedimentation Eutrophication Heavy tourism pressure Sewage and solid waste disposal Harvesting for the aquarium trade Dirty aquaculture Introduction of invasive alien species Chronic oil pollution from maritime traffic

22 Threats to the coral reefs in the South China Sea Other threats Ocean acidification Rise in sea surface temperature Sea level rise Large seismic activity and tsunami waves Increased frequency of large storms

23 Sea surface temperature 29 March May May June 2010

24 TelukDatai

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26 Sequential changes on a coral head following the bleaching event of 2010 Jul 2010 Aug 2010 Sept 2010 Jan 2011 Oct 2010

27 Percentage of live coral cover affected by bleaching on the reef of TelukDatai (July 2010 Jan 2011) 100% End of coral bleaching event 90% 80% Percentage cover (%) 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% Legend: Normal Bleaching Bleached Recovered Dead 20% 10% 0% Jul Aug Sept Oct Jan Months

28 TelukDatai Percentage coral cover (%) Total Suspended Solid (mg/ L) Sediment rate (g / cm 2 /d)

29 Human Population of ASEAN Malaysia, 28,306,700 Cambodia, 14,805,000 Lao, 6,320,000 Singapore, 4,987,600 Brunei, 400,000 Myanmar, 50,020,000 Thailand, 64,232,760 Indonesia, 231,369,500 Vietnam, 85,789,573 Philippines, 92,226,600

30 The current and projected population of the ASEAN nations ( ) Population (in millions) mid 2010 mid 2025 mid 2050 Source: Population Reference Bureau, 2010

31 The disputed territories in the South China Sea

32 Total landing of fish from the Malaysian Seas (2006)

33 World population surpasses 6.6 billion (U.S. Census Bureau) Up to 50% of agriculture yields could be reduced due to less rainfall (IPCC) Arctic Sea could be icefree in the summer (M. Holland, NCAR) Timeline of Climate Change Electricity production for the world s existing hydropower stations will decrease (IPCC) Risk of dengue fever from climate change is estimated to increase to 3.5 billion people (IPCC) Shortening of Earth s day due to the shift of the poles towards the Earth s axis rotation - as a result of ocean expansion (F. Landerer, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology) Global oil production turning point - triggering global recession, food shortages & conflict between nations over dwindling oil supplies (R. Hirsch, Science Applications International Corporation) Increase SST leads to increased of coral bleaching events Up to 30% of coral reef will likely be lost in Asian coastal waters (IPCC) Biodiversity hotspots are more threatened, a quarter of the world s plant & animal species could face extinction (J. Malcolm, Conservation Biology) Sea levels could rise at low-lying areas (IPCC) Disappearance of Arctic ice cap; Ocean ph levels will very likely decrease - ability of shelled marine organisms to form shells or exoskeletons could be impaired (IPCC)

34 Input from riverine run offs in the region coupled with the effects of global warming and our increasing release of CO 2 into the atmosphere will intensify further the current problems of climate change and its evil twin, the ocean acidification. Ocean Acidification is real, its happening, its going to affect ocean food chain. Many questions unanswered but above all What can we do about it? We still lack knowledge but the scientists know enough to be concerned. There is little doubt that we also have to be the solutions. In disaster risk, need to consider coastal and marine ecosystem silent sufferer of the louder disasters. It is the individual drop of seawater that make up the ocean.

35 Thank you