ZGE477

PHYSICAL
OCEANOGRAPHY

TITLE: MERBOK ESTUARY FIELD TRIP

REPORT

NAME: NUR SYAHIDA BINTI NOOR RASHID (134769)

LECTURER’S NAME: DR. NOORDIN BIN ABU BAKAR

DATE: 16 DISEMBER 2019

 ABSTRACT

Estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers
or streams flowing into it. It has a free connection to the open sea and greatly influenced by
river discharge and tidal mixing. The objective of this trip is to study the oceanographic
parameters in Merbok estuary, Kedah and to compare the data acquired with the previous data
in the same study area. GPS Aquameter AP-800 was used to measure the oceanographic
parameters like the water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and total
dissolved solid. Surfer software and Excel were used to plot the graphs of these parameters
versus depth. The salinity value measured is compared to the salinity value from 2001 data in
the same study area. Next, the sound speed measured is compared to the standard value of
sound speed in water. The result obtained shows that the pattern of salinity profile is similar in
2001 and 2019. However, the reading of salinity is higher in 2001 than in 2019.
 INTRODUCTION

Title: Oceanography Field Trip at Merbok Estuary, Kedah

Objectives:

The survey was conducted with the following objectives:

1. To study the oceanographic parameters in Merbok estuary, Kedah.

2. To compare the data acquired with the previous data in the same study area.

Apparatus:

The apparatus used during the survey are:

1. GPS Aquameter AP-800

2. Data sheet

3. 2001 data sheets

Location:

This survey was conducted at night in Merbok estuary, Kedah. We stayed in Teluk

Bayu Chalet, Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, and made measurement form there. Merbok estuary

is located in the north-west Peninsular Malaysia at 5°30’N 100°25’E. Here, the Merbok river

flows through paddy field with alluvium soils to the mangrove area on its estuarine part into

the Straits of Malacca. The length of the river is about 35 kilometres and 3 to 5 metres in

depth. The freshwater part of the river consists of only few kilometres long as the seawater

intrudes until 30 kilometres of its length. Tidal occurs at most part of the river.

Merbok river brings discharge water from the surrounding catchment area together

with alluvium deposit and mudstone with a few scattered outcrops of granite and quartz. The

catchment area around the Merbok estuary was estimated about 550 km square. This estuary
was connected with the Sungai Muda through a channel at the south part of the river and

covered by about 50 km square of mangrove vegetation on the estuarine part.

Figure 1: The survey area in Merbok river, Kedah. Image from Google Earth Pro.

Introduction:

Estuary is where rivers meet the seas. It is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish
water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it. It has a free connection to the open
sea and act as a boundary between fluvial and marine processes. Estuary is greatly influenced
by river discharge and tidal mixing. Estuaries can be grouped into classes according to their
circulation properties and steady state salinity distribution. There are five types of estuary
which are salt wedge, highly stratified, slightly stratified, vertically mixed and inverse/reverse.

Salt wedge estuary:

This estuary contains little or no tidal water at all. All mixing is restricted to the thin
transition layer between freshwater at top and saltwater at bottom. Vertical salinity profile
shows zero salinity at surface and oceanic salinity near the bottom.
Highly stratified estuary:

Here the volume of freshwater is larger than saltwater. There is an entrainment of saltwater
upward due to strong velocity shear. No freshwater is mixed downward so this will result in
the increase of salinity for the upper layer while salinity in the lower layer remains
unchanged.

Slightly stratified estuary:

Tidal flow is turbulent through the entire water column. A s a result, saltwater is stirred into
the upper layer and freshwater into the lower layer. Salinity changes in both layers. This type
of estuary usually found in temperate and subtropical climates.

Vertically mixed estuary:

Tidal mixing dominates the entire estuary. It achieves complete mixing between surface and
bottom. Vertical salinity profile shows uniform salinity.

Inverse/reverse estuary:

This type of estuary can be found in a region of high evaporation. The surface salinity
increases as it approaches the inner estuary.

Tides greatly influenced the properties of an estuary. Tides are long-period waves that
roll around the planet as the ocean is "pulled" back and forth by the gravitational pull of the
moon and the sun as these bodies interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits.
During full or new moons (which occur when the Earth, sun, and moon are nearly in alignment),
average tidal ranges are slightly larger. This occurs twice each month. The moon appears new
(dark) when it is directly between the Earth and the sun. The moon appears full when the Earth
is between the moon and the sun. In both cases, the gravitational pull of the sun is "added" to
the gravitational pull of the moon on Earth, causing the oceans to bulge a bit more than usual.
This means that high tides are a little higher and low tides are a little lower than average. These
are called spring tides.

Seven days after a spring tide, the sun and moon are at right angles to each other. When
this happens, the bulge of the ocean caused by the sun partially cancels out the bulge of the
ocean caused by the moon. This produces moderate tides known as neap tides, meaning that
high tides are a little lower and low tides are a little higher than average. Neap tides occur
during the first and third quarter moon, when the moon appears ‘half full’.

Theory:

The GPS Aquameter AP-800 is the original handheld water quality meter with built in
GPS. The built in GPS receiver allows the meter to record the location of every dataset,
meaning you will always know where your data was captured. The meter is designed to be
picked up and used by anyone intuitively. It requires no boot up or warm up time and allows
you to record data with a single button press.

Figure 2: The aquameter used for the survey at Merbok, Kedah.

The most common physical assessment of water quality is the measurement of

temperature. Temperature impacts both the chemical and biological characteristics of surface
water. It affects the dissolved oxygen level in the water, photosynthesis of aquatic plants,
metabolic rates of aquatic organisms, and the sensitivity of these organisms to pollution,
parasites and diseases. Other parameters measured including:
pH- a measure of hydrogen ion concentration. It is an indicator of relative acidity or alkalinity
of water. Values of 9.5 and above indicate high alkalinity while values of 3 and below indicates
acidity.

Turbidity- is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual

particles.

Salinity- a measure of all the salts dissolved in water. Salinity is usually measured in parts per
thousand (ppt or ). The average ocean salinity is 35ppt and the average river water salinity
is 0.5ppt or less.

Dissolved oxygen (DO)- analysis measures the amount of gaseous oxygen (O₂) dissolved in an
aqueous solution.

Total dissolved solids (TDS)- comprise inorganic salts (calcium, magnesium, potassium,
sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter that
are dissolved in water.

Procedure:

1. Data sheets containing 2001 data (spring and neap tides) and map are given, then the
length of Merbok river is measured from the given map.

2. The readings for water depth, temperature, pH, DO, TDS, salinity and turbidity are
taken using GPS Aquameter AP-800 at a single station.

3. Graphs are made from the data obtained using Surfer software and Excel.

4. The resulted data is being compared to the previous 2001 data in terms of the salinity
and temperature distribution.
Figure 3: Data Acquisition and Processing in Merbok, Kedah.
 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Figure 4: Salinity profile for Spring Tide (High Water)

During spring tide (high water), the value of salinity near the ocean is higher compared
to the value in the inner estuary. There is no huge fluctuation in the salinity distribution because
the saltwater from the ocean had intruded into the estuary, making the salinity value of the
freshwater higher. There is a strong mixing of water approaching the ocean, causing the salinity
values at the surface and the bottom layer is almost uniform. This can be observed by the almost
vertical contour lines.
 Figure 5: Salinity Profile for Spring Tide (Low Water)

During spring tide (low water), the tidal mixing is not as strong as during high water.
As we can see in the figure above, there is a difference in the salinity values between surface
water and deeper water. Generally, the salinity at the surface layer is lower compared to the
salinity in the deeper layer. From this information, we can conclude that the upper layer consists
of freshwater while the lower layer consists of saltwater. These two bodies of water do not mix,
and there is a layer separating them. Overall, the salinity near the ocean is still higher compared
to the salinity in the inner estuary due to the presence of saltwater.
 Figure 6: Salinity Profile for Neap Tide

Based on the figure above, the salinity value increases as approaching the ocean. The
salinity value at the downstream is around 30 ppt while at the upstream, the value decreases

until around 2 ppt. There is a huge range between the maximum and minumum values (between
outer and inner estuary). This is due to the weak current during neap tide, so less seawater

enters the estuary.

 Figure 7: Graph of Temperature versus Depth

From the figure above, we can observe that the temperature of the water column shows
only a slight difference. At the surface, the water is slightly higher, because water has high heat
capacity, so it loses less heat to the surrounding. Then it begins to drop until about 250 cm. The
temperature then begins to increase back in deeper layers. Heat is transferred to the lower layer
largely by the circulation of the body of water. Here, we can say that seawater occupies the
lower layer which is slightly warmer compared to the freshwater above it.

Figure 8: Graph of pH versus Depth

 The maximum pH value of the water is around 7.75 and the minimum value is 7.1. The
water is considered as basic or alkaline as the pH values are greater than 7. This range is
considered normal as the majority of aquatic creatures prefer a pH range of 6.5 to 9.0.

Figure 9: Graph of Dissolved Oxygen versus Depth

Dissolved oxygen (DO) values varied from about 0.8 mg/L to 4.2 mg/L. Higher DO
values may be due to upward movement of tidal surges which entrap oxygen from air. The
lowest DO at night may be due to cessation of photosynthesis

Figure 10: Graph of Total Dissolved Solid versus Depth

 Total dissolved solid (TDS) values range from 0 mg/L to 7000 mg/L. There is a huge
range between the minimum and the maximum values due to the poor mixing of the water. The
lower the value of TDS, the better the water for consumption. High salinity water tends to have
high TDS value.

Figure 11: Graph of Salinity versus Depth

The overall pattern of salinity in the graph above shows an increasing value with depth.
The water surface has lower salinity value (6 PSU) compared to the deeper layer which has a
higher salinity value (16 PSU). From here, we can interpret that the upper layer consists of
freshwater which having lower density and salinity reading. The lower layer comprises of
seawater with higher density and salinity reading. Due to poor mixing, these two water bodies
do not mix and there is a layer (halocline) that separates them.
 Figure 12: Graph of Sound Speed versus Depth

The value of the sound speed in the figure above shows an increasing trend. At the
water surface, the sound speed is lower, then it starts to increase in the deeper layers. The range
of the sound speed we calculated lies between 1515 m/s to 1527 m/s. The standard value of
sound speed in freshwater is 1517 m/s while in seawater is 1531 m/s. The temperature of the
lower layer of the water is higher, resulting in the higher sound speed. Aside from temperature,
the density of water also plays an important role which affect the speed of sound. Deeper water
has high salinity value, thus resulting in high density and high sound speed. At depth of 400
cm, the temperature of water is around 30⁰C, the salinity value is around 16 ppt and the value
of sound speed is around 1526 m/s. This value of sound speed matches the values according to
Table 3 by Sulaiman, S.A. (2011).
Conclusion:

Based on the parameters observed during the field trip, we can conclude that the upper
layer of the estuarine water consists of freshwater while the lower layer consists of seawater.
This conclusion is proven by the temperature and salinity distribution over the water column.
The freshwater above has lower temperature, salinity and density while seawater below has a
warmer temperature, higher salinity and density. This measurement is taken during neap tide,
so there is a poor mixing due to weak tidal current, resulting in a water column of two difference
layers (having difference properties).

Based on the previous 2001 data, we can observe that there is a strong tidal current and
turbulent mixing during spring tide. This result in the almost uniform salinity distribution
throughout the entire water column. On the other hand, the data shows that there is a weak tidal
current and poor mixing during neap tide. There is a significant difference in the salinity
distribution between upper and lower layers of the estuarine water. This is because the two
layers are not mixed together. There is a thin layer separating these two layers known as
halocline.

Comparing the salinity readings taken during the trip to the previous 2001 data, we can
see that both shows similar pattern where salinity increases with depth. The difference is in the
values recorded. The 2001 data shows higher salinity values compared to the values taken
recently. This might be due to the difference precipitation pattern between them. It might be
low precipitation (rainfall) received during the data was collected in 2001, resulting in saltier
water, and higher salinity values. Another reason for the higher salinity values recorded in 2001
is may be due to less freshwater discharged into the estuary. River or freshwater discharge adds
water to estuary, so if there is less river discharge, the salinity of water will be higher.

Lastly, the values of sound speed measured is compared to the standard values of sound
speed in water. Sound speed increases with increasing temperature, density and salinity. The
speed of sound in seawater is very fast compared to that in air. In fact, sound travels even faster
in seawater than in freshwater. However, the speed of sound in seawater is not at all constant.
It can change substantially depending on several factors. The speed of sound in seawater is
dependent largely on three factors which are pressure, temperature, and salinity. Pressure
increases with depth, so the speed of sound does too. In general, an increase of temperature of
1⁰C increases sound speed by 4 m/s and an increase in salinity of 1% increases sound speed by
1 m/s.

References:

Yoon, B. I., & Woo, S. B. (2013). Correlation between freshwater discharge and salinity
intrusion in the Han River Estuary, South Korea. Journal of Coastal Research: Special
Issue 65 - International Coastal Symposium Volume 2: pp. 1247 – 1252.

Talib, K., Sulaiman, S. A., Mohd Yusof, O., & Azizan, A. (2011). Determination of speed of
sound using empirical equations and SVP. IEEE 7th International Colloquium on
Signal Processing and its Applications. DOI: 10.1109/CSPA.2011.5759882

Ambri, F. K. (2013). SOME ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF Plicofollis Argyropleuron

(Siluriformes: Ariidae) in The Merbok Estuary of Kedah.

Fatema, K., Mat Isa, M., & Wan Omar, W. M. (2015). Limnology of Merbok Estuary, Kedah,
Malaysia. 3rd International Conference on Environmental Research and Technology
(ICERT), Penang, 476-479.

Kappenberg, J., Berendt, M., Ohle, N., Riethmuller, R., Schuster, D., & Strotmann, T. (2016).
Seasonal, Spring-Neap and Tidal Variation of Hydrodynamics and Water Constituents
in the Mouth of the Elbe Estuary, Germany. Journal Ocean Sci. pp. 1-11.

Li, A. W. (2013). Recent Changes in The North Sea: Temperature & Salinity. pp. 2-4.

Chan, C., Cockey, E., Rasay, S., & Yim, J. (2011). Investigating How Tidal Changes Affect
the Chemical Composition of Water in Zones 1, 3 and 5 of the Ala Wai Canal. pp. 2-
13.
Appendix:

Table 3: Value of Speed of Sound at Estuarial Site Using Sound Velocity Profiler Equipment
by Sulaiman, S. A. (2011)