A SPATIOTEMPORAL ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN THE NEE SOON SWAMP FOREST AND THE RESERVOIRS AROUND IT

Abstract

The Nee Soon Swamp Forest (NSSF) is located in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) of Singapore, surrounded by various reservoirs. The Upper Seletar Reservoir lies in the north-western region of the NSSF, while the Upper Pierce and Lower Pierce Reservoirs are in the southern reaches of the NSSF. A crucial aspect of freshwater swamp forests are the streams that flow through the ecosystem. These streams provide habitat and originated from various sources, making them vulnerable to chemistry alterations. Non-ionic characteristics such as pH or Total Organic Matter may change due to rainfall events over time, ionic and trace metal characteristics may fluctuate with the input of various flows. This thesis aims to study the spatiotemporal variations of abiotic water parameters in the NSSF, as well as how the reservoirs around the NSSF may affect these parameters. By analysing non-ionic, ionic, and trace metal characteristics of the waters across space and time, patterns and/or changes will be observed. These patterns quantify the hydro-chemical characteristics of the NSSF and help understand the complexities of the NSSF system better. The influence by the surrounding water bodies, mainly the reservoirs, will also be highlighted.