Coast Of Sabah Research Articles

E&P Notes (December 2022)

E&P Notes (December 2022)

Activity Recording of Free-Ranging Tri-spine Horseshoe Crabs in the Southeastern Coast of Sabah, Borneo

Activity Recording of Free-Ranging Tri-spine Horseshoe Crabs in the Southeastern Coast of Sabah, Borneo

New Records of Cubozoan and Scyphozoan Jellyfish from Sabah Waters, Malaysia

Jellyfish play a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem, acting as a nursery for young fishes, crabs, and brittle stars, as well as a source of food for certain charismatic megafauna, such as sunfish and sea turtles. They also pose a threat to human activities, with jellyfish blooms negatively impacting fisheries, power generation, and tourism. However, very little information is available on the biodiversity of jellyfish within the waters of Borneo. Here, we present new records of jellyfish found along the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, located in northern Borneo, bordering the megadiverse region of the Coral Triangle. A total of six species belonging to two classes and six families hitherto not recorded to the state are reported, Chironex yamaguchii, Acromitus maculosus, Crambione mastigophora, Linuche aquila, Netrostoma sp., and Phyllorhiza punctata. Of these, two species (C. yamaguchii and L. aquila) are harmful to humans, with C. yamaguchii capable of causing human fatalities. Reports of harmful jellyfish are useful to the medical and tourism industry, as some of these species may inflict stings and adverse reactions to humans ranging from rashes and skin irritation to fatal envenomation. A checklist has also been provided for all collected jellyfish species from Sabah waters of Borneo, Malaysia.

Estimation of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Resources in the East of Malaysia

The Malaysian Government has set a target of achieving 20% penetration of Renewable Energy (RE) in the energy mix spectrum by 2025. In order to get closer to the target, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) aligned with solar PV, biogas and biomass energy sources must be evaluated and comprehended. Hybrid OTEC systems consisting of energy and water production are currently under research and validation. Therefore, for the construction of a commercial OTEC plant, 1 MW or 2.5 MW, the choice of a strategic location or potential site is vital. In this paper, oceanographic data such as seawater temperature, depth, salinity and dissolved oxygen obtained from the Japan Oceanographic Data Center (JODC) for Semporna, Tawau, Kudat, Pulau Layang-Layang and Pulau Kalumpang in Sabah, Malaysia, are reported. The RE available from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on the coast of Sabah was estimated based on the JODC data obtained. There were no remarkable differences in temperatures between the five sites, which were reported as approximately 27 °C at the surface and 7 °C at depths below 600 m. The surface salinities below 100 m at those sites were slightly lower than the deeper waters, where the salinity increased up to approximately 34.5 PSU. Dissolved oxygen data from the Pulau Kalumpang site showed a slight increment to approximately 4.7 mL/L at depth intervals below 50 m, before declining steadily to approximately 1.7 mL/L along with the depth. The temperature-salinity profiles of the Malaysian sites were congruent with those of Palau, Kumejima and Okinawa, but not with that of Fiji, where the salinity profile showed a distinct variation at the relative depth (below 200 m). Estimates of RE using two different methods were used to prove the potential of OTEC in Malaysia.

Feasibility Study on the Transportation Network in the East Coast of Sabah

Sabah is located in the northern part of Borneo Island. Three nations share the island namely Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. The study focuses on the transportation network in the east coast of Sabah, mainly Semporna and Tawau. In general, most of the transportation network in Sabah is known to be in poor conditions. Although there are efforts to revamp the transportation system, it is met with heavy resistance due to budget constraints. Transportation network in Tawau and Semporna is in poor condition as heavy trucks especially from palm oil plantations, quarries, and logging areas pass through the main road which goes through village areas. For this study, the information is gathered by conducting site visitation to the areas, engaging with local communities as well as collecting feedback through surveys.

The east coast districts are the possible epicenter of severe dengue in Sabah

BackgroundMalaysia recorded the highest number of dengue cases between 2014 and 2017. There are 13 states and three federal territories in Malaysia, and each area varies in their prevalence of dengue. Sabah is one of the states situated in Borneo, Malaysia. Although dengue has been increasing for the last several years, no study was being done to understand the burden and serotype distribution of the dengue virus (DENV) in Sabah. Therefore, the present study was carried out to understand the epidemiology of the dengue infection and the factors responsible for severe dengue in Sabah.MethodsData on dengue infection were extracted from the dengue database of the state of Sabah from 2013 through 2018. DENV NS-1-positive serum samples from multiple sites throughout Sabah were sent to the state public health laboratory, Kota Kinabalu Public Health Laboratory, for serotype determination. The analysis of factors associated with severe dengue was determined from the data of 2018 only.ResultsIn 2013, there were 724 dengue cases; however, from 2014, dengue cases increased exponentially and resulted in 3423 cases in 2018. Increasing dengue cases also led to increased dengue mortality. The number of dengue deaths in 2013 was only five which then gradually increased, and in 2018, 29 patients died. This is an increase of 580% from 2013 to 2018. Deaths were considerably more in the districts of the east coast of Sabah compared with districts in the west coast. During the study period, all DENV serotypes could be identified as serotypes circulating in Sabah. In 2018, the predominant serotype was DENV-3. The monthly peak of dengue infection varied in different years. In the logistic regression analysis, it was identified that children were 6.5 times, patients infected with mixed serotype of DENV were 13 times, and cases from the districts of the east coast were 5.2 times more likely to develop severe dengue.ConclusionsAn increasing trend of dengue infection has been observed in Sabah. The burden of dengue, severe dengue, and mortality was noted especially in the districts of the east coast of Sabah. Severe dengue was most likely developed in children, cases from the east coast, and patients infected with mixed serotype of DENV.

EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF RESIDUAL SOIL ON SLIDING AREA AT BUNDU TUHAN, SABAH, MALAYSIA

The study of the earth mass movement has long been regarded as one of the most important and interesting aspect of engineering geology and geotechnical engineering, which the designers and planners from the private and public sectors address when implementing the initial stage of urban and rural development projects. This involves highways and infrastructures construction and land use planning among the others. Failure to appreciate the problems relating to mass movements of earth material could lead to damage of man made structures and even the loss of lives. These studies focused on the mass movement in Bundu Tuhan to Kundasang highway area approximately 84 km to 96 km from Kota Kinabalu city, Sabah, one of the most vulnerable to mass movements occurrence in west coast of Sabah. It is bounded by longitude line E 116o 31.592’ to E 116o 36.183’ and latitude line N 06o 00.269’ to N 05o 57.610’. The main objectives of this study are; 1) to map and locate the landslides in the study area; and 2) to study the mechanism and the influence of geological factors causing the mass movement. Geology of the study area and its surrounding is hosted mainly by three sedimentary rock formations: Trusmadi Formation (Palaeocene to Eocene age), Crocker Formation (Late Eocene to Early Miocene age) and Pinousuk Gravel (Upper Pleistocene to Holocene age). These three geologic formations dissected by numerous geological lineaments structural produced by a complex tectonic history of multi phase folding and thrust, normal and reverse faulting. These tectonic setting reduce the physical and mechanical properties of the soil and produced intensive displacement in substrata resulting in intensive high degree of weathering processes. The weathered materials are weak and cause sinking, subsidence and sliding due to high pore pressure subjected by both shallow and deep groundwater. Evaluation 10 boreholes data in study area indicated that the groundwater table in study area is shallow and range 1.9 meter to about 11.3 meters. The groundwater in study area fluctuate drastically even within short period. Sand and gravel layer with variable thickness defined the major shallow aquifers within the top weathered materials while the highly fracture sedimentary rocks defined the major deep aquifers. Most of the aquifer within top unconsolidated weathered material is under unconfined condition. Most of significant aquifers within the sedimentary rocks are sandstones. The sandstones generally fracture and contain coarse sediments, which increase the permeability. Geologic and geotechnic evaluation of the study area indicates that the mass movement take place when slope materials are no longer able to resist the force of gravity. These decrease the shear resistance resulting mass movement, which is due to internal and external factors. Internal factors involve some change in either physical or chemical properties of the rock and soil. External factors involve increase of shear stress on slope, which usually involves a form of disturbance that is induced by man. The triggering mechanism in the study area most likely involves heavy rainfall causing water saturation of the slope material and loss of cohesion along rapture planes. The sheared shale, bedding and fault planes, and opening fractures are all structural weaknesses, which acting as pathways for water seepage, hastening the weakening and eventual mass movement in the study area. Development planning has to consider these hazards in order to counter their effect. An environmental management program should be implemented to prevent these losses. Geological and geotechnical studies will play a vital role in ground stability assessment that critical in public safety.

SPELLING ISSUES IN WEST COAST BAJAU: A COMPARATIVE LOOK

A number of values inform people’s decisions on how to spell their language. Sometimes these values conflict. For example, some may hold strongly to the value that a language should be spelled according to its sound system, while others prioritize the value that their language should be spelled as much as possible like the national language. Both values have been instrumental in shaping the orthography used in West Coast (WC) Bajau [bdr], spoken on the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia. In 2004, a Bajau orthography workshop was held in Kota Kinabalu, involving some 30 WC Bajau leaders and educators. The decisions reached at this workshop have formed the basis of the current WC Bajau orthography. With the publication of the Bajau Sama – Malay – English Basic Dictionary last year (2017), more people are being exposed to the spelling system than perhaps ever before. In the present paper, some of the key features of the WC Bajau orthography will be discussed. These include: the representation of the glottal stop; the representation of the pepet vowel; the use of semivowels (‘y’ and ‘w’) vs vowels (‘i’ and ‘u’) in vowel glides; and the representation of long vowels. We shall consider how the Malay sound system and orthography have influenced the development of the WC Bajau orthography. We shall also examine how the WC Bajau orthography differs from the spelling systems used in other Sama Bajau languages such as Mapun, Central Sama, and Southern Sama, languages which are much more influenced by Filipino/Tagalog than Malay since they are spoken mostly in the Philippines. Keywords: orthography, West Coast Bajau, Mapun, Central Sama, Southern Sama

Malaysia-Indonesia Cross-Border Governance: Is There a Trade-off between Security and Economic Development?

The National Security Council of Malaysia has declared the east coast of Sabah as the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE) to inhibit security threats and enhance security in the east coast of Sabah. This study employed an in-depth interview with the stakeholders involved in security governance and development in the study area. The selection of stakeholders was based on expert sampling. Secondary data relating to maritime economic activities were also used to reinforce the findings of the in-depth interview. The study areas were Tawau (Sabah) and Sebatik Island. Sebatik Island is divided into two regions; the northern region is owned by Malaysia and the south is owned by Indonesia. This paper examined the impact of ESSZONE’s security policy toward economic activities in Tawau and Sebatik Island. The security policy implemented by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) in Sabah’s east coast has a negative impact on maritime economic activities in Tawau and Pulau Sebatik. Therefore, the government must re-evaluate the security measures in Tawau and Pulau Sebatik waters, and the curfew regulations in particular, because the security threat is lower and more manageable than in Sandakan, Tawau, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna, and Kinabatangan, which form the hot spot area. Furthermore, the government should consider appropriate measures to balance the objectives of security and economic interests, depending on the level of security threat zones.

Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, northeastern Borneo, Malaysia

Saw, J.V.M., Hunter, A.W., Johnson, K.G. & Abdul Rahman, A.H.B., November 2018. Pliocene corals from the Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, Sabah, northeastern Borneo, Malaysia. Alcheringa 43, 291–319. ISSN 0311-5518The palaeobiology of the Malay Archipelago region remains poorly documented, despite its present-day significance as a modern global marine biodiversity hotspot. The Togopi Formation of the Dent Peninsula, situated in Borneo on the western Sulu Sea and eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysia, preserves Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary sequences interpreted to represent localized transgressive episodes, and which have a relatively high coral diversity. Fossil corals were sampled from three available quarries on the Dent Peninsula, the sediments of which have been previously dated as 4.5–3.4 Ma in age based on foraminiferal data and radiometric analyses. These Pliocene corals are identified here based on their macromorphology, micromorphology and microstructural characteristics. In total, this study describes 28 fossil coral taxa, with 16 genera recognized and 22 taxa identified to species level, 21 of which can be confidently assigned to extant species. These new data have resulted in revised stratigraphic ranges for eight of these species. As the most comprehensive systematic survey of corals from the Pliocene of the Indo-Pacific to date, this study indicates a high diversity of corals on the margin of the Sabah Sea, Borneo, at this time, including taxa found today, thus casting doubt on the local impact of the Plio-Pleistocene extinction previously reported from faunal analyses of the central Indo-Pacific.Jasmin V.M. Saw [varnmay@yahoo.com] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia; Aaron W. Hunter* [awh31@cam.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK; Kenneth G. Johnson [k.johnson@nhm.ac.uk] Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Abdul Hadi B Abdul Rahman [hadi_rahman@utp.edu.my] Department of Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia. *Also affiliated with: School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

Numerical Evaluation of Broadband Penetration in the South East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia

Numerical Evaluation of Broadband Penetration in the South East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia

Tsunami run-up and inundation along the coast of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia due to a potential Brunei submarine mass failure.

Submarine landslides, also known as submarine mass failures (SMFs), are major natural marine disasters that could critically damage coastal facilities such as nuclear power plants and oil and gas platforms. It is therefore essential to investigate submarine landslides for potential tsunami hazard assessment. Three-dimensional seismic data from offshore Brunei have revealed a giant seabed mass deposited by a previous SMF. The submarine mass extends over 120km from the continental slope of the Baram Canyon at 200m water depth to the deep basin floor of the Northwest Borneo Trough. A suite of in-house two-dimensional depth-averaged tsunami simulation model TUNA (Tsunami-tracking Utilities and Application) is developed to assess the vulnerability of coastal communities in Sabah and Sarawak subject to potential SMF tsunami. The submarine slide is modeled as a rigid body moving along a planar slope with the center of mass motion parallel to the planar slope and subject to external forces due to added mass, gravity, and dissipation. The nonlinear shallow water equations are utilized to simulate tsunami propagation from deepwater up to the shallow offshore areas. A wetting-drying algorithm is used when a tsunami wave reaches the shoreline to compute run up of tsunami along the shoreline. Run-up wave height and inundation maps are provided for seven densely populated locations in Sabah and Sarawak to highlight potential risks at each location, subject to two scenarios of slide slopes: 2° and 4°. The first wave may arrive at Kudat as early as 0.4h after the SMF, giving local communities little time to evacuate. Over a small area, maximum inundated depths reaching 20.3m at Kudat, 26.1m at Kota Kinabalu, and 15.5m at Miri are projected, while the maximum inundation distance of 4.86km is expected at Miri due to its low-lying coast. In view of the vulnerability of some locations to the SMF tsunami, it is important to develop and implement community resilience program to reduce the potential damage that could be inflicted by SMF tsunamis.

Determination of Significant Wave Height Offshore of the Federal Territory of Labuan (Malaysia) Using Generalized Pareto Distribution Method

ABSTRACT Far, S.S.; Wahab, A.K.A., and Harun, S.B., 2018. Determination of significant wave height offshore of the Federal Territory of Labuan (Malaysia) using generalized Pareto distribution method. Probabilistic evaluation of surface waves was undertaken to estimate extreme wave heights for several return periods to use them in coastal and offshore constructions in the Labuan region. Generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), which is the standard practice in mainstream extreme statistics, was developed in MATLAB programming. Several diagnostic plots were drawn to ensure the validity of the GPD model. Extreme wave heights were estimated for several return periods and the confidence intervals band was determined for the estimated extreme wave heights. The wave height data set used in the modeling was observed during a 41-year period from 1949 to 1989, in the South China Sea, inside the offshore area of the Federal Territory of Labuan, off the coast of Sabah, Malaysia. The results highlight the merits associa...

Old Threats, New Approach and National Security in Malaysia: Issues and Challenges in Dealing With Cross-border Crime in East Coast of Sabah

For centuries there has been the free movement of people and goods across North Borneo to its neighbouring countries, primarily Indonesia and Philippines. However, when Sabah gained independence through the formation of Malaysian in 1963, such activities which were previously considered legal, are now labeled as smuggling and illegal entry, and are thus an existential security threat to Malaysia. Porous and an extremely long border have made it difficult for the state to address the rise of these incidents. The intrusion of Sabah by members of so-called the Royal Sulu Army in 2013 was the last straw. The incident drove the government to establish a civil-military command known as Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM). It was an organization under which all enforcement agencies such as police, army, immigration, marine, coast guard etc, will be coordinated under one command system. The objective of this study is to identify the measures and challenges for ESSCOM and Malaysian government in dealing with Sabah’s East Coast of maritime security. The review will be mainly focused on the nature of the threat, the reasons for the ESSCOM establishment and policy measures taken to strengthen Sabah’s maritime security. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n3s1p178

Status of Sea Urchin Resources in the East Coast of Borneo

Sea urchins are marine benthos that live in different habitats available at shallow and deep waters. In Malaysia, Sabah is the only state that exploits sea urchins without knowing the status of natural stocks. This study identified the sea urchin species diversity at shallow subtidal zones in east coast of Borneo which is part of the Coral Triangle. Belt transects were deployed to quantify the species composition and qualitative observations on the habitat types were also noted. Simultaneously, documentation of species available in several wet markets was gathered through impromptu conversation with the sellers. In this study, a total of 10 species of sea urchin were recorded from 18 sampling sites, namely, Phyllacanthus imperialis, Diadema setosum, D. savignyi, Echinothrix calamaris, Mespilia globulus, Salmacis sphaeroides, Echinometra mathaei, Pseudoboletia maculata, Toxopneustes pileolus, and Tripneustes gratilla. The most dominant one that showed a wide distribution was D. setosum. Three species are new records for Malaysia. Among the study sites, Semporna district showed the highest species number. Our findings illustrate that shallow waters on the eastern part of Borneo support high diversity of sea urchin resources. Future study should explore the sea urchin diversity at deeper waters and also on the west coast of Sabah.

Mapping seagrass cost-effectively in the Coral Triangle: Sabah, Malaysia as a case study

Knowledge of the distribution and relative abundance of seagrass communities in the Coral Triangle is limited, despite their global significance and the vital ecosystem services they perform for local human populations, threatened species such as dugongs and green turtles, as well as the role of being a globally significant carbon stock. To address this gap and investigate cost-effective methods in data-poor regions, we conducted seagrass mapping near two islands off the coast of Sabah in Malaysia: Banggi Island (7°15′N, 117°12′E) and Mantanani Island (6°43′N, 116°21′E). We used a staged approach that included: (1) interview surveys, (2) manta tow and spot surveys, and (3) comprehensive transect surveys. Approximately 415 ha and 112 ha of seagrass meadows were mapped off Banggi Island and Mantanani Island respectively. We found 10 species of seagrasses from two families: Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis (broad and thin leaf varieties), Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotundata, Halophila decipiens, Halophila spinulosa, Cymodocea serrulata, Syringodium isoetifolium, Enhalus acoroides and Halophila sp. nov. Our methodology proved cost-effective and the resultant information should be relevant to conservation planners.

Species diversity patterns in insular land snail communities of Borneo

Island biogeography, the study of distribution, richness and dynamics of species on isolated patches of habitat, is central to our understanding of what determines species diversity on Earth. Land snails are organisms particularly suited for answering questions pertaining to the factors that determine island species–area relationships, because of their dependence on edaphic conditions, low migration rates and high speciation rates. In this study, we analyse the land snail fauna in 73 standard quadrats of 20 m × 20 m on 13 islands of diverse geological origin off the coast of Sabah, northern Borneo, as well as one mainland site. We find a strong species–area relationship with slope ( z -value) of 0.17. We also find that species abundance distributions for each island are best explained by a niche-based model. Finally, contrary to expectations, island area has a strong positive effect on point diversity within a 20 m × 20 m-quadrat. We discuss these results in the light of the relationship of area to population dynamics, habitat availability and primary productivity. Supplementary materials: The full quadrat-based data for all 98 snail species and goodness-of-fit (AIC-values) for five species abundance distribution models are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18550 .

Combining Wireline and LWD Borehole-Seismic Data for Drilling an HP/HT Well

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper IPTC 13083, ’Combining Wireline and LWD Borehole Seismic Data for Drilling an HP/HT Well: A Novel Approach,’ by T.K. Lim, SPE, and Aqil Ahmed, SPE, Schlumberger, and Gunawan Taslim and Muhammad Antonia Gibrata, SPE, Petronas, prepared for the 2009 International Petroleum Technology Conference, Doha, Qatar, 7-9 December. An integrated borehole-seismic technique was used to access and mitigate drilling risk on a high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) exploration well offshore Sabah, Malaysia. The approach combined wireline vertical seismic profiling (VSP) with logging-while-drilling (LWD) seismic surveys to predict pore pressure, determine geo-stopping, and obtain high-resolution seismic imaging beyond the well path. This high-resolution image was used to select the sidetrack path. The final rig-source VSP was logged at total depth (TD) to complement the pore-pressure prediction and seismic imaging. Introduction Integrating wireline and LWD bore-hole-seismic information for drilling is a new technique in Malaysia. In this approach, borehole-seismic data, which are used conventionally for geologic and geophysical interpretation, have added value for drilling and well planning. The well, drilled in 2008, is off the coast of Sabah, East Malaysia. The target reservoir, in contrast to most other reservoirs in the region, is deeper, hotter, and at much higher pressures than normal. Pore-pressure ramps and depleted sands in the field had made drilling difficult previously, generating hazardous incidents including stuck and in-hole-lost pipe, fluid losses, and kicks. These incidents had resulted in stopping drilling prematurely, resulting in ultradeep targets remaining unexplored. Studies by the sedimentologist suggested that this overpressure hazard is associated with undercompacted bathyal mudstone, and the well-casing design required accurate prediction. The well path was designed to avoid the regional fault that could complicate pore-pressure prediction. Existing surface-seismic and distant-well-based velocity control were inadequate for this purpose. Primary well objectives were the lightly explored, stacked, lowstand Upper Miocene turbidite-reservoir sequences. The deepest of these were expected to be at approximately 4000- to 5000-m sub-sea (SS) depth. The shallow units, which are depleted because of production from other locations, were at approximately 2500- to 4000-m SS depth.

Relative Abundance of Marine Snakes on the West Coast of Sabah, Malaysia

Sea snakes (Elapidae: Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae) are abundant in the shallow seas and estuaries of Malaysia (Lim, 1979). Diversity is highest in the Malacca Straits, where 24 species have been reported (Minton, 1975), and in the Gulf of Thailand where Tu (1974) noted 11 species in a sample of 13,927 snakes taken by trawlers over three years. Voris (1964) reported 8 species from the east coast of Sabah (Island of Borneo). Most of these snakes were taken by local fisherman trawling in the shallow seas over a muddy bottom in Marudu Bay. Reported here are extensive new data on the relative abundance of several taxa