The Physical oceanography of Singapore coastal waters and its implications for oil spills

Abstract

The physical oceanography of the Singapore Strait and ambient seas is governed mainly by the tides together with a seasonal net circulation. The interaction of tidal streams from the Malacca Strait, South China Sea and straits linking the Malacca and Singapore Straits to the Java Sea makes the overall flow in the Singapore Strait rather complex. Being a node at the confluence of these interacting water bodies, any discharges in the domain, such as oil spills, would affect the surrounding seas, although the concentration would be diluted through mixing and transport. In addition to physical processes, the ultimate fate of a pollution event would depend on the coupled interactions with biology and chemistry of the water body, including food-chain interactions and biodegradation. For the more persistent organics in the marine environment, baseline studies showed that concentrations of PAHs measured in Singapore's coastal waters were generally higher than levels reported elsewhere, whereas OCPs and PCBS were generally lower than reported levels for other Asian countries, but higher than some levels reported elsewhere in the world. Overall, the prevalence of POPs in Singapore's coastal waters suggest the need for continued monitoring and evaluation of their transport and biological impact in the marine environment. © 2006 Springer.