Variations of Southern South China Sea characteristics near Pahang

Oceanographic cruises in Pahang water in October 2003 and April 2004, monsoon transition months, produce data on water characteristics. The temperature in both months showed higher values in nearshore compared to the offshore stations. The nearshore salinity in both months is lower than offshore stations. Comparatively, there were smaller differences in temperature and salinity in October than in April, with very little variation between nearshore and offshore stations. T-S diagram showed significant differences between October and April water characteristics. According to the water characteristic observations, the temperature and salinity in October was lower than in April, while dissolved oxygen was higher than in April. The lower temperature and salinity taken during the sampling time in October suggested that during this time, the study area already received the influences of strong winds due to upcoming monsoon. The warmer and saltier water obtained in April showed that during this time, the study area was influenced by southwest monsoon.Winds related to rainfall were observed to have impact to the dynamics of water characteristics during both months

GIS And Oil Spill Tracking Model in Forecasting Potential Oil Spill-affected Areas Along Terengganu and Pahang Coastal Area

Oil contamination can occur accidentally or incidentally in the environment as long as petroleum or shipping activities exist. There is a need to take appropriate preventive measures to reduce the negative impact by carefully monitoring the sprinkles and dispersion particles due to the oil spill movement. An expected oil spill originating from the Resak platform is positioned at 49.1 nautical miles from the Kuala Terengganu shoreline. The Dulang platform, positioned at 69.8 nautical miles from the Kuala Terengganu, can pollute the coastline of the Terengganu and Pahang ecosystems. This study aims; (i) make predictions from the direction of oil particle dispersion and (ii) engage the ecosystem to determine the effect of an oil spill on a platform around the coastal area. The combination of the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the Oil Spill Trajectory Model (OSTM) has been used to establish the appropriate response to locate the dense area of the slick. The result from the model running show in Northeast (NE) monsoon season, Terengganu and Pahang, have a high potential to affect. It is highly likely to reach the Terengganu coast area, especially in Dungun. It was predicted that 466 barrels of oil would arrive within four days of the December incident. Moreover, Kemaman and Pekan districts in Pahang also have the highest risk of being exposed to oil pollution during the Northeast Monsoon. This is due to the wind factors, which blow from South to North along the East coast of Malaysia Peninsular with a speed maximum of 13 ms-1 and indirectly carry the oil particles to coastal areas in Terengganu and Pahang

Simulation and analysis of sea-level change from tide gauge station by using artificial neural network models

Sea level change is one of the most certain results of global warming. Sea level change would increase erosion in coastal areas, result in intrusion into water supplies, inundate coastal marshes and other important habitats, and make the coastal property more vulnerable to erosion and flooding. This situation coincides with the massive socio-economic development of the coastal city areas. The coastal areas of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia are vulnerable to sea-level change, flooding, and extreme erosion events. The monthly Mean Sea Level (MSL) change was simulated by using two Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models, Feed Forward- Neural Network (FF-NN) and Nonlinear Autoregressive Exogenous- Neural Network (NARX-NN) models. Both models did well in recreating sea levels and their fluctuating patterns, according to the data. The NARX-NN model with architecture (5-6-1) and four lag options, on the other hand, got the greatest results. The findings of the model’s mean sea level rise simulation show that Kuala Terengganu would have a growing and upward trend of roughly 25.34 mm/year. This paper shows that the eastern coast of Malaysia is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and therefore, requires sustainable adaptation policies and plans to manage the potential impacts. It recommends that various policies, which enable areas to be occupied for longer before the eventual retreat, could be adapted to accommodate vulnerable settlements on the eastern coast of Malaysia

Surface circulation and temperature distribution of Southern South China Sea from Global Ocean Model (OCCAM)

The South China Sea (SCS) circulation in its southern region in the area between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia was studied from the OCCAM (Ocean Circulation and Climate Advanced Modelling). This research aimed to illustrate the general overview of the seasonal surface current circulation and the surface temperature profile which are lacking in the region. The current along the Malaysia coast flows northward in the southwest monsoon and move in opposite direction in northeast monsoon with the maximum speed of 0.4 m/s and 1 m/s, respectively. While the current flows southward, the cooler water is transported into the region which reduces the temperature at the central of the basins nearly 3 °C. The study manages to analyse the importance of the monsoonal system on the region circulation and temperature distribution

The Effects of Different Inlet Configurations on Particles Transport and Residence Time in a Shallow and Narrow Coastal Lagoon: A Numerical Based Investigation

Setiu Lagoon experienced shoreline alterations, leading to the opening of a new inlet and the closing of the old one. To evaluate the effects of these alterations on the tidal flow in this shallow and narrow lagoon, a numerical hydrodynamic model was developed. The model-predicted water level and current velocities were validated against field measurements, which yielded a high simulation skill. The transport of particles and residence time under different inlet configurations were also investigated through the implementation of numerical tracers released from R1, R2, and R3, which represent different pollution sources. The results indicated that the particle transport and residence time in Setiu Lagoon varied spatially and temporally depending on the release locations, proximity to the inlet, and tidal current strength. Comparing the scenarios, the flushing efficiency in Setiu Lagoon was improved with the presence of both inlets, resulting in a shorter residence time of less than 50 days. The findings of this research are vital for understanding the water current flow and residence time in this restricted lagoon, while evaluating the possible adverse effects on its water quality. Although this work is case-study based, the output is applicable to other lagoon systems with similar characteristics

Coastal oceanographic processes associated with blood cockle (Anadara granosa) induce spawning season in Kapar, Selangor, Malaysia

Study on coastal processes in Kapar waters was conducted from 2008–2016. The aim of this study is to identify potential blood cockle (Anadara granosa) induce spawning ground based on physical intermittency. A total of 132 sampling stations were recorded. A thermal power station situated 2km away is discharging treated warm water (3m MSL) which prevents cockle farmers from harvesting due to their maximum of 3m long hand dredge. Thus, this information could be useful for cockle sustainable management plan in near future

Tidal circulation in Bay of Chagar Hutang, Malaysia

833-841Present study consists the physical characteristics of the coastal water within small bay of Chagar Hutang at Redang Island. Temperature distributions in the bay were in the range of 27.9 ­ 30.5°C. Surface current split into two directions, directed to northwest and southeast in diurnal timescale, while bottom current directed to northeast and southwest. Surface water maximum speed recorded was 0.48 m/s and bottom water maximum speed was 0.16 m/s. Tidal current of the study area is of mixed-diurnal tide

The Effects of Different Inlet Configurations on Particles Transport and Residence Time in a Shallow and Narrow Coastal Lagoon: A Numerical Based Investigation

Setiu Lagoon experienced shoreline alterations, leading to the opening of a new inlet and the closing of the old one. To evaluate the effects of these alterations on the tidal flow in this shallow and narrow lagoon, a numerical hydrodynamic model was developed. The model-predicted water level and current velocities were validated against field measurements, which yielded a high simulation skill. The transport of particles and residence time under different inlet configurations were also investigated through the implementation of numerical tracers released from R1, R2, and R3, which represent different pollution sources. The results indicated that the particle transport and residence time in Setiu Lagoon varied spatially and temporally depending on the release locations, proximity to the inlet, and tidal current strength. Comparing the scenarios, the flushing efficiency in Setiu Lagoon was improved with the presence of both inlets, resulting in a shorter residence time of less than 50 days. The findings of this research are vital for understanding the water current flow and residence time in this restricted lagoon, while evaluating the possible adverse effects on its water quality. Although this work is case-study based, the output is applicable to other lagoon systems with similar characteristics

Intermonsoon Variation of Physical Characteristics and Current Circulation along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Data from eight cruises spanning from 2002 to 2007 are used to investigate the seasonal changes in water characteristics and current circulation in southern South China Sea along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The surveys were made during two intermonsoon periods which are during March/April and September/October. In addition, monthly sea surface temperature from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is used to provide wider coverage of spatial and temporal for seasonality study. Overall, the area shares different physical properties between the two seasons. During September/October temperature is lower and salinity is higher compared to the data during Mac/April/May. The current along the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia also shows seasonality, with dominant current flow southward during Mac/April and northward during September/October

Spatiotemporal trends in the southwest monsoon wind-driven upwelling in the southwestern part of the South China Sea.

This study analyzes two wind-induced upwelling mechanisms, namely, Ekman transport and Ekman pumping that occur during the southwest monsoon. The results suggest that the coastline of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia (ECPM) is affected by upwelling with spatiotemporal variations. Characterization of upwelling by using wind-induced upwelling indexes (UIW) indicate the existence of favorable upwelling conditions from May to September. Upwelling intensity increased in May and peaked in August before declining in September, decreasing intensity from the southern tip towards the northern tip along the coastline of the ECPM. The existence of upwelling along the ECPM has resulted in an important difference between the SSTs of the inshore and the oceanic regions. Nonetheless, the use of the SST gradient between the inshore and the oceanic SSTs to characterize upwelling (UISST) was found to be unsuitable because the SST along the ECPM was affected by water advection from the Java Sea and incessant changes in the SST. In order to indicate the major contributor of wind-induced upwelling along the ECPM in terms of the spatiotemporal scale, a comparison between Ekman transport and Ekman pumping was drawn by integrating Ekman pumping with respect to the distance where the positive wind stress curl existed. The estimation of Ekman transport and Ekman pumping indicated that Ekman pumping played a major role in contributing towards upwelling in any particular month during the southwest monsoon along the entire coastline of the ECPM as compared to Ekman transport, which contributed towards more than half of the total upwelling transport. By dividing the ECPM into three coastal sections, we observed that Ekman pumping was relatively predominant in the middle and northern coasts, whereas both Ekman transport and Ekman pumping were equally prevalent in the southern coast