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Habitatnews 2003-11: Tuesday, 3rd June 2003
The Habitat Group's Nature Information List
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Nature-related news for the busy Singaporean.
Information and archives at: http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg
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Marine life special
- Singapore corals healthy enough to spawn synchronously.
- New guidebook on Chek Jawa.
- “Silent Symphony”: Tony Wu speaks at Woodlands Library
- Now screening at Omnimax: Coral Reef Adventure.
- Celebrate the Sea festival: Photography and Children’s art competition.
- Article: Underwater Digital Photography
---> [1] “Singapore’s corals spawn synchronously in April 2003.”
By James Rolfe Guest, Dept. Biological Sciences, NUS, 9th May 2003.
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“While most people were celebrating Easter this year, I took a group of
volunteers from the National University of Singapore to camp out at Pulau
Hantu, one of Singapore’s southern recreational islands.
The aim of our trip was to carry out nightly monitoring of the phenomenon
known as ‘mass, synchronous coral spawning’. During the week following the
full moon in April, many of Singapore’s corals release brightly coloured
packets, containing eggs and sperm, in to the water for external
fertilization. This habit of many unrelated species to spawn on exactly the
same night of the year is thought to be unique to corals and some other
marine invertebrates.
To catch the corals in the act we had to don diving gear and arm ourselves
with underwater cameras before heading off to patrol the reefs. Spawning
generally takes place around one hour after sunset, the onset of darkness
acting as the final cue for a reproductive event that has been building up
over the preceding months.
We witnessed coral spawning over four nights.
Unfortunately, conditions were not great due to high levels of sediment in
the water. Visibility was less then one meter, however we still saw around a
dozen species releasing pink, orange, red and green egg/sperm packets.
Sampling that I carried out prior to the event showed that at least 45
species of coral were ready to spawn.
Many people in Singapore are surprised to know that corals can survive in
local waters. Typically coral reefs flourish in crystal clear, unpolluted
waters. The exciting thing about the spawning observations is that it means
Singapore’s coral reefs are healthy enough to be reproductively active,
despite all of the stressors that they are subjected to.
James Guest
Research Scholar Marine Biology Laboratory
National University of Singapore
Ed.’s note – James is writing up his Ph.D thesis at the department. We wish
him best of luck in the final stage of this arduous challenge!
---> [2] A little bird said, “New guidebook on Chek Jawa”
-------------------------------------------------------------------A new guidebook, hatched by volunteer guides in the aftermath of the 10-year
reprieve from reclamation, will be launched in July 2003. It attempts to be
fun and easy to use for children, and was re-photographed over the past year
to improve its quality. A companion webpage is in the works as well.
Look out for details in future.
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---> [3] Saturday 7th June 2003: 2.30pm
Eco@Woodlands: “Silent Symphony beneath the waves”-------------------------------------------------------------------
“Silent Symphony Beneath the Waves”
By Mr Tony Wu, author Silent Symphony
The ocean is a symphony of life - silent to our ears, yet as melodic and
intricate as any musical composition. Join Tony Wu as he presents
a selection of images from his award-winning book Silent Symphony and
reveals the untold stories behind the pictures. Among other tales,
he’ll describe being surrounded by hundreds of (overly-friendly) sharks,
of having an 11-metre long carnivorous whale 'nibble' on his feet, and
of discovering one of the world’s most toxic animals sitting happily
on his unprotected hand (much to the author’s dismay).
For more on the publication, pls see
http://www.silent-symphony.com/
Saturday, 7 April 2003
2.30 - 4.00pm
Amazon Room (behind Magazines Section),
Level 1, Woodlands Regional Library
Admission is Free. All are Welcome.
Tony added - "it’s a slide show, completely informal and open to all. Free
admission, and as always, very happy to talk with guests afterwards. I’m
trying to encourage more people who are not divers and/ or nature
enthusiasts to attend, so I can try to spread the conservation message
further."
Homepage: http://www.tony-wu.com/ Silent Symphony:
http://www.silent-symphony.com/
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---> [4] Singapore Science Centre’s OMNIMAX Movie Mania
Featuring “Coral Reef Adventure”, 7 June 2003 to 29 June 2003
http://www.coralfilm.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------“Join us for the ultimate giant screen film festival! On a journey around the
world in search of beautiful coral reefs, fiery volcanoes and treacherous
tornados. Come face to face with spectacular canyon cliffs, Olympic athletes
and even Qin Shihuang! Catch up to 6 all-time favourites!”
Coral Reef Adventure This film brings to attention the urgent need for a
global effort to understand, appreciate and protect our planet's coral
reefs.
“Coral Reef Adventure details the courageous, real-life expedition of Howard
and Michele Hall, who led a 10-month journey to document some of the world’s
largest and most beautiful reefs. From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to the
majestic islands of Fiji and Tahiti and the mysterious Rangiroa atoll, the
Halls meet with scientists and naturalists such as famed ocean explorer
Jean-Michel Cousteau and deep reef ichthyologist Richard Pyle who are all
part of a growing global effort to build greater understanding of these
fragile yet essential ecosystems.
A riveting story of human drama and courage, Coral Reef Adventure chronicles
the daunting physical challenges and emotional hurdles faced by the team of
filmmakers. When Howard suffers a life-threatening case of decompression
sickness, audiences will feel the full extent of the danger faced by the
entire crew who, despite the risks, are determined to bring back images of
coral reefs that no human being has seen before. “
--- description from Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, USA.
Film webpage at: http://www.coralfilm.com/
Description of the other films available at can.com.sg:http://www.can.com.sg/neocan/en/goodstuff/contests/movie_treats_at_your/mo
vie_synopses.html
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---> [5] ‘Celebrate the Sea Festival’ 15th to 17th August 2003
http://www.celebratethesea.oneocean.com/
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The highlights of the festival are the showing of the latest in marine
feature documentaries, non-stop screening of films prints in competition,
slide show competition, children’s painting competition, ‘Celebrate the
Sea’ painting contest and static exhibition of marine arts & craft,
diving in South East Asia & Innovative diving equipment.
At the festival:
Static exhibition - featuring top dive operators in Malaysia, Indonesia, underwater imaging, environmental agencies and display of prints in
competitions. Entry is free.
Films & Slides Presentation - feature films and slides in competition,
presentation and talks by David Doubilet, Emory Kristoff, Michael AW, Dr
Carden Wallace, Matthew Maer, Andrew Wight, Jacqui Stanley, Bernie
Chowdhury, Michael Wong, Daniel Mercier and Pierre Cotton. Entry by Master
Pass.
Details of the ‘Celebrate the Sea’ Children’s Painting Competition
are available at: http://www.oceannenvironment.com.au/children.htm
Preliminary ROUND Closing Date: 10 July 2003
This competition promotes the artistic talents of our children in
countries of the Asia- Pacific encouraging them to show us their
perspective of conservation and the ocean environment through their work
of art. The competition is open to children and young people from the
Asia-Pacific countries.
Any child between the age group of aged 3 to 15 years old may enter the
Preliminary round. School teams are encouraged to participate.
There will be 60 finalists; the top five winners will each received USD 100
book voucher plus a collectors edition of “Celebrate the Sea” by Michael AW
and Stephen Wong valued at USD 100. Finalists from school teams will win
for their school library set of Marine Awareness books plus 2 year
subscriptions to Asian Geographic and Scuba Diver magazines.
Selected entries from the Preliminary round and Premiere round may be
reproduced on posters, calendars, publications, front cover of Asian
Geographic, Scuba Diver etc. to promote action worldwide. The winning
entries will be displayed at the world underwater festival in Antibes,
France 2003.
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---> [6] “Underwater Digital Photography.”
By David Pogue, Thursday, May 22, 2003
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/22/technology/circuits/22POGUE-EMAIL.html?ex=1054526400&en=5fc27abde3688cec&ei=5070>
A Macintosh guru writes about a new found passion.
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“Last month I took my favorite digital camera, the Canon PowerShot S45, on a
trip to the Virgin Islands for a vacation with my family. What made the
prospect so exciting was the waterproof camera housing that I borrowed from
a friend for the week. (Well, OK, taking a trip to the Virgin Islands for a
vacation with my family was sort of exciting, too.)
I've posted some of the results of my snorkeling safari at
<http://www.davidpogue.com/seapix> . (I included a
couple of above-water shots, too, so you can get an idea of the PowerShot's
quality.)
The experience was more intense than I'd imagined. Just the mere act of
submerging a $500 piece of delicate equipment into salt water made a small
dent in my sanity.
Upon my return, I had some questions for Canon about the finer points of
using its case. Canon directed to me to an amazing Web page, a guide to
underwater digital photography on the Japanese Canon Web site (don't panic,
it's in English): <http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/uwphoto/index-e.html> .
There I learned so many juicy pointers, I wanted to dash back to the airport
for another vacation. For example:
Digital cameras are ideal for underwater photography. Because the murk of
the water requires you to come in close to your subject, the ability to
precisely preview your shot on the L.C.D. screen is essential. With a film
camera, you're susceptible to parallax problems in which the eyepiece
viewfinder, which is offset from the lens, misleads you into taking a
slightly off-to-the-side shot.
Sunlight becomes more diffuse the deeper you go, and different colors of
the spectrum drop out at different rates, red being the first to go. So
adjusting the camera's white-balance controls is essential. Use the Cloudy
setting for deep dives, the Daylight setting close to the surface. If all
else fails, you can adjust the color later in a program like Photoshop.
The built-in flash of a digicam makes all the little floating specks
reflect right back at you, creating "marine snow." The only way to avoid it
is to use an external underwater flash -- not something the average
vacation-goer is likely to carry in the old backpack, to be sure.
Underwater camera cases are ingenious all the key controls of the camera
have corresponding, gasket-sealed pushbuttons on the outside of the case.
But they're still not immune to the laws of physics. Even a hair or a grain
of sand is enough to admit water on deeper dives. You're supposed to spend a
great deal of time before and after each dive taking care of it, removing
and inspecting the rubber O-ring seal, rubbing it with the supplied grease,
and so on.
The camera's own moisture evaporates as the temperature inside the case
rises, fogging up the inside of the case. Canon supplies anti-fog solution
for the case's lens, but also suggests that you wedge, of all things, one of
those little silica gel packs inside (of the sort that you sometimes find in
grocery store condiments). Another tip: Load the camera into its case in an
air-conditioned room, where the air is dry.
The Canon site offers some almost giggle-inducing insight into the
personality of your main underwater subject matter: fish. Fish are, well,
fish. They move quickly, and they're easily frightened. Good tips include
holding the camera at arm's length to avoid scaring the little guys, or, if
you're scuba diving, approaching from underneath.
Underwater digital camera housings aren't cheap; Canon's costs about $160.
(Actually, going halfsies with a friend or two is a great way to buy
occasional-use items like this.) But it opens up a whole new world of
photographic possibilities, and lets you capture an intense underwater
experience you'd otherwise have no way to remember - except by remembering.”
Feedback Forum <http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?50@@.f16bec4>
Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com <http://www.davidpogue.com> .
--- thanks to MacAddict Airani for this alert!
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