Station D

Station D: Vegetation and its adaptation to the environment
For the same reason, our group did not manage to visit this station but we heard two of our friends talking about it. We got to touch and feel the casuarina plant. This tree resemble a long needled pine tree. This hardy tree is used fro the protection of the shoreline. Its leaf is flexible and flowing. This is to ensure their survival when the strong winds blow. Also, this tree has very strong roots which keep them firmly rooted to the ground. This plant is an example of soft engineering.

Why come to Changi Spit?

Why should you choose Changi Spit?

Changi Spit is the only spit in Singapore. It is educational and definitely an eye-opener for many. The spit is also accessible as you can take bus services 9, 19, 89 to get to Changi Village and a simple 5 minutes walk to the beautiful park. Due to the many facilities available at the beach, it is suitable for morning walks, work-outs and jogs, it is also suitable for afternoon/evening picnics, BBQ dinner and even a nice cold swim in the sea. Furthermore, you can relax and camp overnight at the beach. You will not only be in the company of other campers but you will be accompanied by the nice sky and picture perfect seaview. 

Imagine a nice weekend where you just want to be alone and not bump into any familiar faces. Where can you go? Changi Beach. If you were to go to East Coast, it will be crowded and noisy and you will not be able to just rest in tranquility. 

Furthermore, if it were to rain, there is a nearby hawker centre where you can not only get shelter from the rain, but also food. The famous Nasi Lemak there would definitely satisfy your hunger. The satays and pratas would leave you begging for more. So come on down to Changi Beach for not only a great experience, but also a mouth-watering meal!

Conclusion to our field trip

3 things we learnt:

1. The spit will not join to the opposite island to form a tombolo due to the ferry activities. However, if the ferry port is removed, it might form into a tombolo.
2. How to do beach profiling. 
3. To consider different factors before conducting our hands on experiment. (E.g the orange)

2 areas in the data collection process that we think can be improved upon:

1. Not to panic while collecting data just because it is scary and theres lightning present as we might miss out little details. 
2. We could have used a protractor while doing the beach profiling to ensure a more accurate result.

How would you improve the data collection process:

1. To remain calm and composed at all times. 
2. Use a protractor.

Station B

Station B: Measurements/ Observations of wave characteristics
The equipments need for this station was a stopwatch and an orange. We did not go to station due to the lack of time, hence, we got our information from another group. Firstly, the reason why we chose to use an orange is because it is bio-degradable, bright and less dense than water (so it will float). If we were to choose a ping pong ball or a lime, it will be too small and light.

To ensure that the readings would be accurate, the orange would have to be thrown by the same person for at least 3 times. The person should not throw the orange too far into the sea as it would not bounce. The weather is also a factor that affects the direction and the speed of longshore drift. At that point in time, the direction of the waves approaching is South to North.

According to the group at this station, the average time taken for the orange to travel 1m due to longshore drift is 19 seconds. However, this reading is not accurate due to the weather and the ships in the sea. This is because the choppy waters would make the orange bop more than usual.

Station C

Beach Profiling at Station C

Us using measuring tape to measure 2 metres. 

When we were carrying out beach profiling it was low tide, however, due to the weather, our recordings were not accurate. The reason why we needed the low tide was because it gives the whole expense of how big the beach was. We were given 2 long rulers and a measuring tape. We were assisted by Mrs Hariz due the time constraint.

How the rulers are placed. 

Mrs Hariz demonstrating. 

Together with another 2 groups, we collated our results and recorded it in a table as shown above. The rulers were placed 2 metres apart and the rulers had to be 90 degrees upright to the ground in order to get an accurate reading.  

After gathering our results, we can conclude that as we move closer to the water, the gradient increases slowly. 

Station A

Recordings we took at Station A.

Sketch we drew at Station A.

We were having a great time there listening to the teachers telling us about the spit. We did several activites while we were at station A. Firstly, we walked around and drew out the spit that we saw.  In class, we were only able to see a map image of a spit that we did not even realise that we were actually already sitting on the spit itself. To our dismay, the weather was not on our side and there was the lightning alert. We were not able to complete all of our stations. We were split into 3 groups and our group did station C: Beach profiling. 

The bad weather. 

Amenities

The amenities currently present at Changi Beach are:

1. BBQ pits
2. Campsites
3. Fitness Corner/ Fitness Equipment Station
4. Playground
5. Toilets with or without shower facilities/ Restrooms

While we're at the beach, we saw several human activities there. There were people cycling, strolling, camping, swimming and even fishing. There is also a ferry port terminal nearby.

Strong winds blowing. 

Ferry Port Terminal.

Seawall.

We also saw a very notable coastal protection measure, which is the seawall. The seawall, according to Mrs Hariz, is made out of granite and cement.

History

On the 17th of February 2012, our group of 6 people accompanied by many others made our trip to Changi Spit by bus. We arrived at Changi Beach at 3.50 p.m. 

The picture shown above is the map of the spit. It was a cloudy afternoon and it was not the high tide period. The moon was absent. 

Sook Ching at Changi Spit

Map of Singapore.

Changi is found on the right side of the map.

Information and History of Changi Beach
Changi Beach is a beach park located at the North-eastern tip of Singapore. It is 28 hectares in size and it is one of the oldest coastal parks in singapore. Retaining, the Kampong or village atmosphere of the 60s and 70s. The park is approximately 3.3 km long with stretches of sandy beaches between changi point and changi ferry road.
During the Japanese Occupation, Changi Beach was one of the locations where the massacre took place. It was the Sook-Ching point of the victims of Bukit Timah and Stevens road. Changi Beach park was the site of one of the most brutal killings in Singapore's history. On 20th February 1942, 66 Chinese males were lined up along the edge of the sea and shot by the military police. The beach was the first of the killing sites of the Sook-Ching massacre, with another one at Tanah Merah.