ES0001

The Physical Environments of Singapore

Singapore's modern environments developed through a complex history, which arguably began hundreds millions of years ago when ancestral Singapore broke away from the supercontinent Gondwana and assumed its own geological and ecological trajectory. More recently, the environments of Singapore have changed due to diverse human impacts. In this course, students venture into the field to learn about the many different environments of Singapore: past, present, and future.

Course Aims

This is an introductory course designed to provide students with a broad understanding of the physical environments found in Singapore, and the environments that existed here in the past. Students learn about how Earth Systems have influenced the physical environment of Singapore over time.


This EESS Year 2 asks students to think critically and creatively about the diverse natural physical processes affect our physical environment. Each week, we venture as a class into the field to witness these environments firsthand and learn how to make their own observations. They upon content from their previous courses, including concepts in geology, ecology, society, physics, and chemistry, to aid them. This course provides a strong basis for understanding and evaluating potential changes to Singapore's environments in the future.

Course Topics


  • Singapore's geological evolution from 400 million years ago up to the present day, in the context of plate tectonics

  • Singapore's weather and climate

  • Soils, erosion, landslides, and flooding

  • Urban environments

  • Singapore's marine and coastal environments

    • Rocky shorelines

    • Mangrove forests

    • Coral reefs

    • Seagrass meadows

  • The role of sea level change in past, present, and future environments

  • Singapore's primary and secondary forests in the context of environmental succession

  • The role of historical agriculture in the modern environments of Singapore and the surrounding region

  • Invasive plant and animal species in Singapore

Intended Learning Outcomes


By the end of this course, students will be able to:


  1. Identify and describe the key physical environments of Singapore.

  2. Critically evaluate the effects of human interventions into Singapore’s marine, coastal and terrestrial environments.

  3. Apply scientific methods of investigation of the environments of Singapore.

  4. Speculate in an informed manner on the future of the physical environments of Singapore.

  5. Communicate fundamental concepts of Earth and environmental science to a lay audience.

Field trips

The core experience of ES0001 is a weekly field trip to a location of interest in Singapore. We venture into different environments to better understand how they developed and how they are positioned for an uncertain future. Students are active participants in these trips: they set their own course and document their own observations using maps and field sketches.

Some of these field trips are partially adapted from trips originally run by Dr. Grahame Oliver. His books Field Guide to the Geology of Singapore and Dynamic Environments of Singapore are excellent starting point for those interested in undertaking their own learning journeys here!

Adventure is everywhere...

Pennisetum purpureum (elephant grass) was imported into Singapore as silage for dairy cows.

Preparing for our first geological mapping exercise - the Jurong Group.

Vegetation on reclaimed land at East Coast Park.

Singapore's mangrove forests - is there evidence for typical mangrove zonation at Sungei Buloh?

Exploring and observing the diverse secondary forest types at Dairy Farm.

Infographics

A primary goal of the EESS program is to help students develop the ability to communicate their knowledge of Earth's environments to a wide audience. In ES0001, students choose a topic related to the course content, research it, and create an infographic aimed at a general public audience. They think about the value of creative design, and properly source all information. They present their infographics to the class, explaining their design decisions and challenges met over the course of the project. Peer evaluations give students a chance to receive constructive advice on design and content from their fellow students.

Note: The following low-resolution images are the property of their student authors and all rights are reserved; if you are interested in a particular graphic, please contact me and I can contact the student directly!

ArcGIS StoryMaps

Some students elect to make an ArcGIS StoryMap instead of an infographic for their final class project. These projects can delve more deeply into a subject than an infographic, but designing them requires significant thought about how a reader will interact with the material.