Poh Poh Wong

• National University of Singapore

Based on accumulated field experience, the author proposed a schema for the study of coasts and beaches. Six sequential steps are recommended in knowing: (1) the tidal range, (2) waves and coastal processes, (3) coastal habitats, (4) extreme changes, (5) spatial variation, and (6) human actions. This provides a helpful start for beginners and a bas...

Human interference with the climate system is occurring. [WGI AR5 2.2, 6.3, 10.3-6, 10.9] Climate change poses risks for human and natural systems (Figure TS.1). The assessment of impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (WGII AR5) evaluates how patterns of risks and potential...

Introduction This chapter presents an updated picture of the impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation of coastal systems and low-lying areas to climate change, with sea level rise perceived as the most important risk for human systems. Unlike the coastal chapter in the previous assessment (Fourth Assessment Report, AR4), materials pertinent to the oc...

The use of combined approaches to coastal adaptation in lieu of a single strategy, such as sea-wall construction, allows for better preparation for a highly uncertain and dynamic coastal environment. Although general principles such as mainstreaming and no- or low-regret options exist to guide coastal adaptation and provide the framework in which c...

A powerful earthquake off Sumatra on 26 December 2004 set off the most disastrous tsunami to impact on the coasts and coastal communities of the Indian Ocean. Coastal tourism in Thailand, Sri Lanka and the Maldives was significantly affected. Examples from Phuket Island, Khao Lak and Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand, show the variation in the impacts, reco...

Robert Nicholls is a Professor of coastal engineering in the School of Civil Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton, UK. His main technical areas of interest are long-term coastal engineering and management, especially the issues of coastal impacts and adaptation to climate change, with an emphasis on sea-level rise. Natio...

In the international climate change negotiations, the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have emerged as a credible group through the AOSIS (Alliance of Small Island States) and have called for a global temperature rise of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. Whatever the outcomes of the negotiations, they are exacerbated by climate change and a ri...

This is a record of the rapid recovery of the Aceh coast, northwest Sumatra after its destruction in the tsunami of 26 December 2004, using high-resolution IKONOS images and field visits. We mapped the same 175 km of coastline at 1 m resolution five times: 2003 (before the tsunami); 2004 and early 2005 (immediately after the tsunami); 2006; 2007; a...

IntroductionSome Indian Ocean islands are described in other chapters: MadagascarSri Lanka and Indonesia while subantarctic islands south of 50°S are described in Antarctic Coast.The islands of the Indian Ocean (Fig. 18.2.1) fall into three major groups: the numerous archipelagoes of the western part, mainly north and east of Madagascar; the chain...

The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami wrought environmental damage beyond the normal framework of integrated coastal management and has implications for coastal management in Asia-Pacific in the post-tsunami phase. Fieldwork conducted on the coasts of four tsunami-affected countries in 2005 and 2006 identified several “practitioner-type” issues th...

The impacts of the 26th December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were examined on three separate coastal sectors in the west, north and east of Banda Aceh. The most vulnerable coasts are the soft coasts, such as mangroves, and the least vulnerable are the rocky headlands with the sandy coasts occupying a broad intermediate position. The extent of impact...

Coastal zone management in China has undergone a developmental leap since 1978, a turning point in the country's economic and institutional reform. In examining China's reform in coastal management, this paper assesses the evolution of marine activities including coastal tourism. It also looks into the present issues of coastal resource uses and ho...

Coastal vulnerability assessments still focus mainly on sea-level rise, with less attention paid to other dimensions of climate change. The influence of non-climatic environmental change or socio-economic change is even less considered, and is often completely ignored. Given that the profound coastal changes of the twentieth century are likely to c...

The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, the relationship of tourism with the environment is complex. It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. Many of these impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism...

The December 2004 Sumatra earthquake triggered a massively destructive tsunami that affected several coastal areas in the Indian Ocean. In this study, very high resolution IKONOS satellite images acquired before and after the tsunami were used to study the changes of the coastal morphology in the Northwestern coast of Sumatra. The coasts were erode...

The Great Sumatra Earthquake of December 26, 2004 and resulting tsunami largely devastated the coastal zone of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, because it was located so close to the epicenter. Sustainable management of the coastal zone of Banda Aceh in future requires knowledge about the impact of the tsunami on the coast of Banda Aceh and knowledg...

Since the IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR), our understanding of the implications of climate change for coastal systems and low-lying areas (henceforth referred to as ‘coasts’) has increased substantially and six important policy-relevant messages have emerged. Coasts are experiencing the adverse consequences of hazards related to climate and sea...

Examines the various aspects of the coastal environment relevant to the existing beach resorts on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The site of each resort in relation to the beach erosion problem, if any, and the impact of the northeast monsoon are highlighted. -from Author

After giving an introduction on tourism development in the country as a background to coastal tourism, examines some geographical factors influencing tourism development on the east coast and the growth of the beach resorts. A classification of the resorts is attempted. Concludes with a discussion on some factors likely to influence the future deve...

Up to June 1993, 207 articles on physical geography have been published in the Malayan Journal of Tropical Geography (MJTG) (1953–57), Journal of Tropical Geography (JTG) (1958–79) and the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography (SJTG) (1980–93). These articles are examined initially in terms of their sub-fields (Biogeography, Climatology, Geomorph...

Our knowledge regarding the physical geography of Southeast Asia is incomplete to a surprising extent. This paper reviews the past research, describes the ongoing work, and attempts to identify the future trends. Coverage of such a large area, even for the last 25 years, requires study of publications in several languages and coping with literature...

Dachangshan Dao represents one of China's latest moves to develop tourism in the coastal zone. This paper examines how homestay operators on Dachangshan Dao perceive the tourism impact on their community and how their social demographics influence their perception towards tourism. Using factor analysis the impacts on the local community perceived b...

Main Messages The coastal, marine, and inland ecosystems of islands provide valuable regulating, provisioning, and cultural services to more than 500 million people. Many small islands have a strong traditional dependence on marine and coastal biodiversity for their food, tools, industry, medicine, transport, and waste disposal. With increasing hum...

Coastal environments of Southeast Asia have been discussed in Chapter 11. This chapter focuses on the utilization of the region’s coastal resources, reflecting not only its varied physical characteristics but also the traditional practices and more modern economic influences that have developed along the coastal regions. Historically, the region se...

Several physical features combine to make Southeast Asia one of the most distinct and unique coastal regions in the world. The mainland or continental part of Southeast Asia consists of a number of peninsulas extending south and southeast from the Asian continent and separated by gulfs and bays. The world’s two largest archipelagos form the islands...

From a physical geography perspective, tropical coasts are characterised by coral reefs, mangroves and carbonate beaches on atolls and low reef islands. They face threats not only from sea level rise, but also from human activities that destroy mangroves, degrade coral reefs and accelerate beach erosion. Physical conditions in the tropics are suita...

Geography has been taught as a secondary school subject for almost a century in most Southeast Asian countries. In the universities, it would have had at least eighty years of existence as, for example, in Singapore where the Raffles College offered courses in geography as a minor component in 1928 (Goh and Cleary, 1991). In Indonesia, fullfledged...

Cebu and the adjacent limestone island of Mactan constitute the second most popular tourist destination in the Philippines after Manila. The more exposed southeast side of Mactan has a low rock coast with limited sandy beaches and two lagoons. Since the 1970s, this coast has experienced significant change due to resort development. Based on a surve...

The increasing demand for resorts has brought about substantial changes in the spatial and structural patterns of coastal tourism development in Southeast Asia. While unplanned resort development has resulted and will continue to have negative impacts on the coastal environment, integrated resort development will increase significantly in future. I...

The increasing demand for resorts has brought about substantial changes in the spatial and structural patterns of coastal tourism development in Southeast Asia. While unplanned resort development has resulted and will continue to have negative impacts on the coastal environment, integrated resort development will increase significantly in future. I...

Artificial changes to the coastline of Singapore dated from the 1820s. From 1960s large-scale reclamation was carried out to meet the demand for economic development. Two major methods were used to protect the newly reclaimed land : seawalls and revetments and breakwaters deployed in series. The use of the methods depends on a number of factors suc...

Tourism takes various forms on many islands off the east and west coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. Penang has developed into the premier island resort. For many islands, tourist development started largely as an unplanned process. In recent years, resorts have been planned and developed on some islands. The distinctive nature of the islands gives ris...

P.P. Wong ABSTRACT Tourism is environmentally dependent. The unique character ofcoastal areas gives rise to a distinctive tourist development. Although accounts on the impacts ofcoastal tourism can be found in works relating to tourism in general, there are few works specifically on coastal tourism. This present volume focuses on the physical envir...

Singapore is an island state with important centres of population, industries, commerce, ports and airports concentrated in its coastal areas of less than 2 m in elevation. Although tidal records for almost 20 yr do not show any increase in sea level, this paper considers and examines the possible impact of a sea level rise of one metre in Singapor...

The erosion problem faced by many beach resorts can often be attributed to the omission or inadequate consideration of the coastal geomorphology of the resort sites. This paper evaluates, on a geomorphological basis, the existing and potential beach resort sites on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The evaluation of the aspects of the coastal...

In this article, the coastal resources of Peninsular Malay sia^ and the problems and issues relating to coastal management are discussed briefly first. The existing pattern and the type of coastal tourism development are then outlined. Some of the positive and negative effects of coastal tourism, and in particular, the environmental problems, are d...

The Republic of Singapore consists of one main island of 570 km2 and 57 offshore islands, the largest of which is 17.9 km2. The coastline is 136 km long for the main island and more than 300 km if the offshore islands are included. ‘If the coastal areas are taken to mean a strip two miles wide along the foreshore (excluding all rivers), this strip...

In its natural state, the coastal zone of Singapore reflected the prevailing low wave energy environment and effects of a sea-level that stabilized about 3,000 years ago (Swan 1971; Anon 1976). Except for a sandy stretch on the southeast coast and isolated cliffs, rocky headlands, and associated pocket beaches elsewhere, the coastal zone was domina...

In both sand quarry faces and boreholes the Old Alluvium of Singapore is a matrix supported pebbly sand with minor beds of better sorted sands and clays. The beds can be grouped into four textural classes (pebbles, coarse sand with fine pebbles, medium to coarse sand, clay, and silt), each with characteristic sedimentary structures. The deposit app...

The concept of a series of breakwater acting as headlands to protect a shore area is applied in Singapore, where more than fifty breakwaters protect some eleven kilometres of coast. Beach evolution between the breakwaters is discussed.

The texture and structure of a near-vertical quarry section in the Cenozoic alluvium is described. The depositional sequence is typical of a river system where channels braided back and forth across a sandy plain. Transverse bars were repeatedly built and periodically eroded within the channels. The alluvium was laid down by a river system carrying...

Concern over loss of shore property and local deterioration of the physical condition of beaches on the west coast of Barbados has led to extended analysis of the coastal subsystems. The main features of the west coast are inherited from events associated with complex sea-level fluctuations and extension of coral terraces in the Quaternary. The con...

Concern over loss of shore property and local deterioration of the physical condition of beaches on the west coast of Barbados has led to extended analysis of the coastal subsystems. The main features of the west coast are inherited from events associated with complex sea-level fluctuations and extension of coral terraces in the Quaternary. The con...

As a subject concerned with the study of human activities in relation to the physical environment, geography should have a strong appeal to young people. Yet in many instances the subject evokes little interest and has even to justify its place in the curriculum. It is regrettable but true that in many of our schools geography is still largely taug...

Breakwaters in a series can be employed to protect sedimentary coasts. They are used to protect newly reclaimed land along the southeast coast of Singapore; they act as headlands between which sand beaches are formed. The development of these beaches takes place under conditions of low energy waves, a predominant wave direction from the southeast a...

Breakwaters in a series can be employed to protect sedimentary coasts. They are used to protect newly reclaimed land along the southeast coast of Singapore; they act as headlands between which sand beaches are formed. The development of these beaches takes place under conditions of low energy waves, a predominant wave direction from the southeast a...

In China, tourism is being actively developed and is evolving towards a more open- economy form. Coastal tourism is encouraged but has come into conflict with other uses and sustainable development is an issue. Dachangshan Dao, the second largest island in the Changshan island group in Liaoning Province, off the Yellow Sea, provides an opportunity...