Vibrant coral reefs and industrial landscapes rarely get used in a sentence together, and yet here we are with a piece about a photo gallery that showcases their co-existence.
In a Facebook post made on Sunday by Singapore Reef Watch — a page dedicated to “to the discovery of Singapore’s coastal reefs and shores” — a bunch of improbable photos were uploaded. Check this one out: corals in the foreground, refinery chimneys in the background.
The pictures were taken at Terumbu Hantu, a sparse reefy edge located off Pulau Hantu (Ghost Island, but it’s not haunted), and right across Pulau Bukom, the site of Shell’s biggest oil refinery. Fun fact: The petroleum giant has been present on the island since 1891, and it was in 1961 that Singapore’s first oil refinery was set up on the Pulau Bukom. The story of Pulau Bukom residents and its long relationship with Shell is all lovingly chronicled here if you’re interested.
But back to Terumbu Hantu. Despite its close proximity to Pulau Bukom’s refineries, Pulau Hantu hosts rich reefs with a wide variety of hard corals and soft corals.
It is possible to walk among the reefs at the intertidal zone, and that’s how these gorgeous shots were taken.
Yeap, the presence of large ships and petrochemical plants nearby aren’t preventing biodiversity to flourish at Terumbu Hantu. So its good to hear that the government plans to keep it that way for as long as possible under the Singapore Green Plan 2012.
Experts from the National University of Singapore (NUS)’s Tropical Marine Science Institute, however, weren’t at all surprised that Terumbu Hantu is such fertile ground for coral reefs.
NUS lecturer and research fellow Dr. Toh Tai Chong, for one, doesn’t consider the presence of corals near the industrial island odd at all. The southern islands, in general, are well supplied with coral larvae, he says, facilitating the establishment of lush coral reefs. He added that the presence of stable rock surfaces is one reason why corals are able to grow in the area.
NUS Reef Ecology Lab postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Ywee Chieh Tay goes deeper into the nature of corals.
“Generally, most of the larvae that enter the waters here in Singapore (or that are produced locally) can get moved around all the potential reef areas pretty quickly and easily by the currents,” she informed Coconuts Singapore.
“Being just beside the refineries does not hamper the larvae getting there — unless there is a physical barrier, no stable substrate for larval settlement, or the water is too polluted for the larvae to settle and grow.”
Professor Tay elaborated that as long as the refineries of Pulau Bukom aren’t discharging waste into the water, it should not affect the water’s quality any more than other locations, pointing out that corals also grow on sea walls along Tanah Merah and East Coast Park.
Professor Toh believes that it would require a more detailed study to find out if industrial works in the area will affect the reefs, but assures that the reefs will be fine as long as development doesn’t encroach upon Terumbu Hantu. He highlighted other factors that could impact the coral reefs.
“In general, areas with high industrial use tend to be frequented by ships and the waves can generate physical impact on the corals — for example, coral breakage,” he told Coconuts Singapore.
“The discharge from boats or land-based infrastructure can also increase the nutrient level of the water, promoting algae growth that would smother coral reefs and reduce coral survival.”
Meanwhile, check out more pictures of Terumbu Hantu put up by other nature lovers.
Editor’s Note: Article updated to include insight by coral reef experts
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