Best of our wild blogs: 7 Jun 09

Murky Semakau
on the BlueWaterVolunteers blog

Pulau Hantu
from the NaturallYours blog and manta blog and wonderful creations blog

Life History of the Scarce Silverstreak
on the Butterflies of Singapore blog

Black-winged Stilt in aerial combat
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Biodiversity outreach at Youth Eco-Fiesta 2009
on the wild shores of singapore blog and teamseagrass blog

Albino Javan Myna in a flock of mynas
on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Starry starry night
on the annotated budak blog

Horseshoe crab (II) and LAL
on the Urban Forest blog

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Feeling the heat lately? Here's the reason

Mavis Toh, Straits Times 7 Jun 09;

Burnt out by the sweltering heat?

Last month, temperatures here hit a scorching 33.6 deg C, and it seems the heat is not likely to let up any time soon.

May is the second hottest month of the year in Singapore, following behind June, said the National Environment Agency's (NEA) Meteorological Services Division.

The average temperature last month was 28.7 deg C, up from 28.5 deg C in April and 27.2 deg C in March. The hottest day in May was recorded in 2005, when the mercury hit 35.4 deg C, just shy of the 36.0 deg C on March 26, 1998 - Singapore's hottest day ever.

The NEA said that the warmer weather in May and June can be attributed to light winds and the strong sun.

Associate Professor Matthias Roth of the geography department at the National University of Singapore explained that the hot weather results from the sun being directly overhead at the end of March.

'Temperature usually lags a little behind the sun,' he said. 'We also had a lot of clear days last month with no clouds to absorb the radiation and so we got the full impact of the sun.'

The low rainfall and light winds this month will also do little to relieve the heat.

Whenever May comes, sweaty Singaporeans are quick to point their fingers accusingly at the sun. But often, what's making them sticky and uncomfortable is the humidity.

Humidity can be explained as the amount of water vapour in the air, or the cause of the 'sticky feeling' one experiences on hot days.

When the humidity is high, sweat does not evaporate as quickly and hence 'we feel much hotter than the actual temperature', said an NEA spokesman.

In contrast, when the humidity level is low, sweat evaporates quickly, resulting in a cooling effect.

Dr Roth pointed out that this explains why 32 deg C in Singapore can feel much hotter than the same temperature in France, for example, due to the difference in humidity level.

'Humidity affects man's perception of comfort,' he said. 'The higher the humidity, the less comfortable we feel.'

Singapore's location near the equator explains its high humidity.

Nanyang Technological University Assistant Professor Koh Tieh Yong of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences said that the noon sun is high in the sky all year round because Singapore lies in the equatorial tropics. The higher temperature in the equatorial tropics encourages evaporation. This causes much evaporation from the surrounding seas, loading the atmosphere with plenty of water vapour.

The average relative humidity last month was 83 per cent, up from 79.1 per cent the same time last year. Humidity level is affected by air temperature and hence some months are more humid than others.

Although the high humidity prevents sweat from evaporating and may even cause heatstroke, it is not all bad. It also prevents people from suffering very dry skin and cracked lips, which are common occurrences in places with low humidity.

Singaporeans can expect cooler days come September, but experts say temperatures will increase in the long run. Man's continual production of greenhouse gases means global warming which, in turn, means the world's average temperature will increase gradually over decades and centuries.

Prof Koh said that in one scenario of projected greenhouse gases increase where no mitigation policies beyond the current ones are put in place, the 10-year global average surface temperature is estimated to increase by 1.8 deg C in the 2090-2099 period compared with the 1990-1999 period.

Dr Roth said: 'The solution must be a global effort, not a local one.'

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Sheng Siong Hypermart offers more than 50 types of live seafood

Fresh catch of the day
The revamped Sheng Siong Hypermart at The Verge offers more than 50 types of live seafood
Huang Lijie, Straits Times 7 Jun 09;

Live baby abalones selling from $1.50 per piece sounds too good to be true until you walk into the seafood section of the Sheng Siong Hypermart at The Verge in Serangoon Road.

The supermarket chain's largest outlet to date in the former Tekka Mall boasts more than 50 types of live seafood including lobsters, stingray and soft-shell turtles.

It also stocks live seafood items that are less commonly available in markets such as horn scallops and blackspot tuskfish.

The extensive live seafood section in the $2-million revamped store, which reopened recently, is fuelled by Singaporeans' growing appetite for fresh seafood.

Indeed, no fewer than 28 outlets by supermarket operators such as Sheng Siong, NTUC FairPrice and Cold Storage have started selling live seafood in the last two years.

Live seafood is available at all 22 Sheng Siong supermarkets.

On the decision to offer such a wide variety of live seafood, Mr Lim Hock Leng, 44, deputy managing director of the supermarket chain, says: 'The variety of seafood consumed in Singapore has decreased over the years from the wide range available from fishing kampungs of the past to only a few common types today.

'So we decided to source for fresh seafood from various countries to bring back the lost flavours of kampung seafood.'

Its seafood is imported from countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan, and supplies are replenished every one to three days.

He adds that its move from the second floor of the shopping centre to its new home - twice as spacious at 45,035 sq ft sprawled over the two basement levels - has allowed the hypermarket to showcase a larger selection of seafood.

The impressive array is displayed in 70 seawater and fresh water tanks. The tanks are cleaned every six months.

Prices for its live seafood range from $1.50 for a baby abalone, which weighs about 20g, from Thailand to $65 a kg for lobsters from Malaysia or Indonesia.

Mr Lim says its live seafood section has been doing brisk business with an increase of 25 per cent in sales since the revamp. Popular items include its seabass, tilapia and abalone.

Housewife Lu Chun Zu, 28, a regular customer of the hypermarket, says: 'I travel from my home in Whampoa to this supermarket whenever I want to buy and cook seafood for my family because I prefer using live seafood. It tastes better than chilled versions, and they have a large selection here.

'The prices for items like the abalone are also affordable. I've bought it twice, about eight to nine pieces each time, which I double boil with wolfberries as a nourishing treat for my two young sons.'

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14 malaria cases in Singapore last month

Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia 6 Jun 09;

SINGAPORE: In May, 14 people in Singapore came down with malaria which is a serious and potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through bites from infected Anopheles mosquitoes.

The Health Ministry (MOH) said it is investigating the cases as suspected local transmission as all 14 cases did not travel overseas recently.

The first malaria cluster at Jurong Island involved five foreign workers, aged between 25 and 37. The workers came down with fever, headache and chills between May 3 and 25.

Four of the workers stay at the same dormitory and work at the same site on Jurong Island, while the fifth worker works near their dormitory and worksite.

The second cluster at Sungei Kadut and Mandai involved eight foreign workers from different dormitories and one full-time National Serviceman. This group of patients fell sick between May 16 and 30.

As of Saturday, 12 of the 14 patients have been discharged.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has conducted inspections at the worksites and dormitories in the affected areas, and has instructed dormitory operators to carry out pest control measures.

MOH is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public on any new developments.


- CNA/so

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A Sea Change

Two high flyers quit their jobs to find more meaningful lives as sea gypsies
FOR 10 years, Miss Stephanie Huchet, 34, paid her dues as a high-flying corporate lawyer, with a monthly salary of about 4,000 euros ($8,100), in Paris, France.
Shree Ann Mathavan, The New Paper 7 Jun 09;

FOR 10 years, Miss Stephanie Huchet, 34, paid her dues as a high-flying corporate lawyer, with a monthly salary of about 4,000 euros ($8,100), in Paris, France.

But even as the economic crisis hit last year and employees fretted about retrenchments, she did something completely uncharacteristic and resigned from her job in January this year.

Although Miss Huchet has neither job nor income, she couldn't be happier.

That's because she's now living her dream - sailing the world as a 'sea gypsy', a member of the Infinity Sea Tribe.

The tribe is a multicultural community whose aim is to document and explore the cultures, enviroment and climate changes in the remote islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia.

The tribe began its three-year journey sailing across the world on the 36m-long vessel - The Infinity - two weeks ago, from Phuket, Thailand.

Those keen to join can sign up via the Infinity Sea Tribe website, where they have to fill up a questionnaire which tests whether they are suitable for life at sea. The captain and the existing crew then decide if the new candidate can join as a member.

Leaving her cushy job after a decade wasn't something she took lightly, admitted Miss Huchet. She took three months to consider the idea.

She said: 'It was frightening, it was a big step to give up my job, especially during the financial crisis.

'It was letting go of a comfortable life, you just didn't know what was going to happen.'

While her parents initially didn't understand her decision, they now support her as they can see she's happy.

Culture vulture

The attraction of being part of the project was learning about other cultures, she said.

Cultural exchange via dialogue, dance and music is another objective of the tribe.

With the Infinity's crew members hailing from countries like Brazil, France, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, the US and China, the vessel seems like a boisterous mini United Nations.

Currently, the boat is docked at Sentosa Cove's ONE Degree 15 Marina Club which is sponsoring the crew's stay and their berth.

In celebration of World Ocean Day, the club is throwing dockside parties today for its members.

The Infinity tribe will get in on the act, by allowing club members to tour their vessel and watch tribal dances.

The vessel leaves Singapore next week and continues to Malaysia, Philippines, Micronesia, Marshal Islands, Hawaii and various South Pacific Islands.

Miss Huchet isn't the only one to have given up a high-flying job to join the crew.

Irish national Michael Sheridan, 27, left his nine-year stockbroking career and a 'comfortable' salary in October last year in the United States.

He said: 'I wanted to work for something that I really cared about.'

Running the expedition costs about $300,000 a year, estimates Captain Clemens Oestreich. The 35-year-old said this includes food, fuel, and maintenance of the vessel.

Each crew member pays about $1,200 per month for food and lodging. The rest is paid for by Captain Oestreich's private investments.

Said the German Captain: 'We need sponsorship on things like camera equipment and Internet to help us with our documentation.'

Ultimately, the aim is to get enough sponsors to allow volunteers to come on board for a token sum or without having to pay at all.

My dad, the captain

CAPTAIN Clemens Oestreich, 35, counts his two seafaring kids, Tara, 10, and Ruben, 9, as part of his 13 crew members on board his ship.

This figure is set to grow to about 20 as more crew members join on different legs of the expedition. The ship can comfortably hold 25 people.

Having his children on board is a juggling act that this seafarer has been managing since their birth.

Having been a sailor for about 15 years, his love of the ocean meant that his children were born in various parts of the world, during his expeditions.

While Tara was born in a hospital in Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, her brother, Ruben, was born on board a ship in Trinidad and Tobago .

They have each travelled to at least 30 countries. These include West Africa, Spain, Thailand, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Said Tara: 'I like the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.'

The children are home-schooled on board the ship by various crew members.

They have another brother, Aljoscha, 19, who is currently an undergraduate in Germany.

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Floating wind turbine launched

Jorn Madslien, BBC News 5 Jun 09;

The world's first floating wind turbine is to be towed out to sea this weekend.

Statoil's Alexandra Beck Gjorv told the BBC the technology, the Hywind, to be put off Norway's coast - "should help move offshore wind farms out of sight".

And it could lead to offshore wind farms eventually being located many miles offshore, away from areas where they cause disruption, Ms Gjorv added.

This would benefit military radar operations, the shipping industry, fisheries, bird life and tourism.

"Taking wind turbines to sea presents new opportunities," said Ms Gjorv, of Statoil's new energy division.

"The wind is stronger and more consistent [and] areas are large."

The Hywind, a 2.3 megawatt (MW) wind turbine built by Siemens, combines technologies from both the wind farming industry and the oil and gas sectors, and will be tested off the coast of Norway for two years.

In a similar way to how large parts of icebergs are hidden below the sea surface, the turbine has a 100 metre draft that is anchored to the seabed with cables, that can be up to 700 metres long.

Wealthy customers



Offshore wind farms cost considerably more than wind farms on land, and initially floating ones will be more expensive than static offshore installations.

But over time, insisted Ms Gjorv, the floating turbines should not cost more than fixed ones.

Statoil plans to target markets where there is both an ability to pay as well as large and growing demand for energy, she added.

Floating wind farms could later be established off both coasts of North America and off the Iberian peninsula and the coasts of Norway and the United Kingdom, she said.

Floating wind farms could provide an additional source of energy for countries that have run out of space for their onshore wind farms, or where there is not enough wind on land, Ms Gjorv added.

"The global market for such turbines is potentially enormous, depending on how low we can press costs," she said, though she was not able to quantify it or to outline a timescale for when floating wind farms would become commercially available.

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Eight Million Brazilian turtles invade China each year

Qing Li, Epoch Times 6 Jun 09;

The Brazilian turtle, originally from the south-central United States, was introduced into China in the 1980's via Hong Kong. Because the Brazilian turtle has strong vitality and is very easy to raise, it has been massively reproduced in breeding farms in China. According to experts, the Brazilian turtle has endangered the future of Chinese native turtles. This is an extremely grave invasion by a foreign species and may cause an ecological disaster.

According to a report on "Beijing Science and Technology" of May 25, every morning at 8:00am, the pet turtles are the most conspicuous ones among the pet animals that are busily displayed in Tianqiao Pet Market in Beijing. The shop owners promote sales of turtle unceasingly to pedestrians: “Choose a Brazilian turtle if you want to have a pet”. A Brazilian turtle, the size of a bottle cap, costs 10 Chinese Yuan for three; 5 Yuan for a little larger one; 20 Yuan for the one of size bigger than a bowl. The price is shockingly cheap.


However, Shi Haitao, the president of the Chinese Herpetological Society of the China Zoological Society warned seriously: “Do not buy and raise the Brazilian turtle!” “If you raise the Brazilian turtle, you are cutting off the living means of the native turtles. This is the extremely serious invasion by a foreign species!”

Shi Haitao continued: “The number of Brazilian turtles being raised in our country is very huge. The annual increment is about 50,000,000. In Hainan Province, the annual production in some breeding farms can reach up to several million.” In addition to the massive breeding in China, about 8,000,000 turtles are imported from overseas each year.

“The Brazilian turtle’s ability of survival is much stronger than that of native turtles which are simply not a match.” Shi Haitao indicated that the adult Brazilian turtle is big in size and has an obvious advantage in contention for food and habitat. It is extremely strong to adapt to a high density environment and competition among multi-species. In addition, Brazilian turtle's reproduction ability is also several fold of that of the native species.

As the typical case of biological invasion in the world, the ecological consequence caused by the Brazilian turtle’s invasion is extremely grave. Because its reproduction cycle is short and it is quite active in nature, it is easy for its descendants to be all over the streams, rivers, lakes and seas, and consume massive foods and other resources for survival, rapidly deteriorate the living environment for the native species that will diminish rapidly in number and eventually become extinct. Not only is the native turtle a victim, all other aquatic living things that are the food for the Brazilian turtle will be hard to get around the adversity.

Now, the Brazilian turtle has successfully invaded many places around the world and it is listed as one of 100 most dangerous invading species. Many countries have openly prohibited the import and trade of Brazilian turtles. For example, in 1997 Europe banned the import of Brazil turtles, while the US, the original birth place of the Brazilian turtle, banned the trade of the Brazilian turtle in as early as 1975.


While the biological invasion by the Brazil's turtle in China has already been extremely severe, the public attention to the grim situation is still not enough. There are no Chinese laws or regulations that prohibit the import of the Brazilian turtles. As a result, there are still 8,000,000 Brazil turtles arriving in China every year via various channels.

Read original article in Chinese: http://www.epochtimes.com.au/gb/9/5/27/n2539269.htm

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