Best of our wild blogs: 12 Jul 19

14 Jul (Sun): Registration opens for Sisters Islands Intertidal walks in August 2019
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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Novel reusable hydrogel could harvest clean, desalinated water from humid air above sea surfaces

National University of Singapore Phys.org 11 Jul 19;

The novel hydrogel developed by a team from the National University of Singapore, led by Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching (extreme right), can be used to harvest clean water from humid air above sea surfaces, just by using natural sunlight. Credit: National University of Singapore
Huge amounts of water evaporate from water surfaces such as reservoirs and the open sea each day. To address this issue, especially in water scarce areas, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) found an innovative way to harvest water from the humid air above water surfaces.

The solution lies in a unique zinc-based water-absorbing hydrogel that was developed last year by a research team at the NUS Faculty of Engineering. This gel-like material is over eight times more absorbent than commercial drying agents and only natural sunlight is required to harvest water from the water-saturated hydrogel.

"Due to the hot climate in Singapore, about 45 million cubic metres of water is lost from reservoirs through evaporation each year. Our hydrogel can convert moisture present in humid air to water without the need for any external energy input. By harnessing the moisture-rich air that is commonly found above water surfaces, we can collect water, which would otherwise be lost to the environment, for different uses," said research team leader Assistant Professor Swee-Ching TAN, who is from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the NUS Faculty of Engineering.

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Indonesia to build country's longest bridge linking islands near Singapore

Reuters 11 Jul 19;

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to build a 7 km (4.35 mile) bridge to connect two islands in the Malacca Strait, close to Singapore, as part of efforts to develop industry and tourism in the area, the government said on Thursday.

The bridge connecting Batam and Bintan islands will cost an estimated 4 trillion rupiah ($284.35 million), the office of the cabinet secretary said in a statement on Thursday, and will be the longest in the Southeast Asian country.

The bridge aims to capitalize on expansion of Singapore’s Changi Airport with the development of a new Terminal 5, which will have transport connections to Bintan.

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Indonesia: Environment ministry intensifies land and forest fire control

Antara 11 Jul 19;

A technical evaluation has been done in each agency, local government, stakeholders (stakeholders), the community
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and related stakeholders are working together to intensify patrols to prevent and control land and forest fires (karhutla). "A technical evaluation has been done in each agency, local government, stakeholders (stakeholders), the community," said Director of Forest Fire and Land Control of KLHK Raffles B Panjaitan when contacted from Jakarta Thursday.

Manggala Agni fire-fighting brigades in North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan, in addition to South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi routinely conduct daily patrols in an effort to prevent and control forest and land fires.

The company is also involved in forest fire control efforts in accordance with Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 32 of 2016.

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Indonesia: Dead whale washed ashore in East Java

Antara 11 Jul 19;

Lumajang, E Java (ANTARA) - An 11-meter-long whale was found dead after it was washed ashore on the Bambang Beach of Lumajang District, East Java Province, on Thursday.

The ill-fated whale carcass was first found by Siyo, a resident of Rekesan Hamlet in Bago Village, Pasirian Subdistrict, Lumajang District, while he was on his way to his rice field near the Bambang Beach area.

"From the distance, I saw something big and stinky. After approaching it, I know it was a whale carcass," Siyo said.

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Troubled waters: China-fuelled cruise boom sparks environment fears

AFP 11 Jul 19;

Cruises are enjoying a boom fuelled in part by hordes of Chinese tourists taking to the high seas, but green groups warn a wave of hulking new liners may cause environmental devastation.

Gone are the days when cruising was the preserve of retirees, who would while away the hours lounging in deckchairs, playing bingo or taking part in formal dinner-dances.

Modern liners resemble floating, futuristic cities capable of carrying thousands of passengers, where robot bartenders serve drinks and passengers can enjoy hi-tech entertainment.

Many of the new, more sophisticated ships aim to appeal to the rapidly growing Chinese cruise market -- now the second-biggest in the world after the US -- and are choosing cities in the Asian giant as their home ports.

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Australia: Great Barrier Reef hard coral cover close to record lows

Coral bleaching, crown-of-thorns starfish and cyclones reduced coverage to 10% to 30% over past five years
Adam Morton The Guardian 11 Jul 19;

Hard coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef is near record lows in its northern stretch and in decline in the south, surveys by government scientists have found.

A report card by the government’s Australian Institute of Marine Science says hard coral cover in the northern region above Cooktown is at 14% – a slight increase on last year but close to the lowest since monitoring began in 1985.

A series of “disturbances” – coral bleaching linked to rising water temperatures, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and tropical cyclones – have caused hard coral cover to decline to between 10% and 30% across much of the world heritage landmark over the past five years.

Mike Emslie, the institute’s acting head of long-term monitoring, said the report included glimmers of hope: individual reefs, including those on the outer shelf in the Whitsunday Islands, were found to have lively communities and tiny juvenile corals were discovered across the 2,300km reef system. The density of juvenile coral suggested recovery was possible if there were not further disturbances.

He said it indicated there was some resilience in the system but added: “The important thing is the absence of further disturbances. If we have more coral bleaching events all bets are off.”

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