An Introduction to the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Hong Kong

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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pp. iii-

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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pp. iv-

The authors are grateful to the Royal Society for providing a travel grant to E. Harper to visit Hong Kong in March-April 1994 in order to research this book. The authors are also grateful to past research students of The University of Hong Kong for access to their unpublished ...

PREFACE

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pp. v-

The shores of Hong Kong are geologically diverse and have been shaped by wind, rain and sea to produce a wide array of seascapes, from towering cliffs in the southeast and on many wave-battered islands, to wide expanses of mud in the northwest. Fringed by tropical mangroves, such mudflats ...

INTRODUCTION

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pp. vi-vii

The seas and shores of Hong Kong, located on the northern rim of the South China Sea, are home to a rich variety of marine life. A sub-tropical climate, a varied geology, proximity to the Pearl River and the seasonal influence of currents in its surrounding sea, combine to ...

THE CAPE D'AGUILAR PENINSULA AND ITS HISTORY

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pp. 1-4

The Cape d'Aguilar Peninsula (Plate 1) is named after Major-General G.C. d'Aguilar who took up appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Hong Kong and Commander of the British troops in China during late 1843, soon after Hong Kong was founded in 1841. The Cape d'Aguila

HONG KONG'S CLIMATE

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pp. 5-

Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical being influenced by the cold and dry northeast monsoon in winter and the hot, wet, southeast monsoon in summer. Important climatic features are identified in Table 1. The prevailing wind directions and speeds of the two monsoons influence the sea ...

THE SEA CLIMATE

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pp. 6-8

Sea surface temperatures generally follow those of the air, with a slight time lag in summer, so that the mean minimum temperature of 16.6�C is recorded in February and the mean maximum of 28.8�C in September. Sea surface temperature is not wholly dictated by the prevailing ...

GEOLOGY OF HONG KONG AND THE CAPE D'AGUILAR MARINE RESERVE

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pp. 9-18

In order to understand the rock formations seen in both the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve and those in Hong Kong as a whole, it is necessary to consider the geological history of the region, in particular its setting in ...

GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE MARINE RESERVE

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pp. 19-21

Since their formation, over 65 million years ago, the rocks which make up Cape d'Aguilar, have been subject to erosion and weathering. Younger, later deposited rocks have been stripped off and the intrusive granodiorites and rhyolites ...

THE VEGETATION OF THE PENINSULA

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pp. 22-25

Cape d'Aguilar has a rich flora. Of particular interest are the grasses, shrubs and creepers which inhabit the coastal margin (Plates 12 and 13). A recent student survey recorded over eighty species of plants from around the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve during a period in January and ...

THE CAPE D'AGUILAR SHORES

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pp. 26-68

The tidal rise and fall of the sea has a great impact on the vertical distribution of plants and animals on the shore. Different abilities to tolerate varying levels of desiccation and high temperatures determine that part of the shore which organisms can occupy. These tolerances define bands ...

THE FISHES OF LOBSTER BAY

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pp. 69-71

Hitherto, all research on Hong Kong's fish fauna has been conducted using a trawl net. Very little is known about the fishes occupying habitats other than the flat sea bed. Recently, however Leung (1994) has conducted a survey of Lobster Bay with different gear to catch and ...

BIRDS OF THE CAPE D'AGUILAR MARINE RESERVE

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pp. 72-74

Within a small area, there is a great variety of habitats available at Cape d'Aguilar, b o t h within the sea environment of the marine reserve and the surrounding land which is vegetated by coastal scrub grading into thicket and, even, to the west in the grounds of Hong Kong ...

REPTILES AND MAMMALS

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pp. 75-

As yet there has not been a comprehensive survey of the amphibians, reptiles and mammals of the land areas adjacent to the Cape d'Aguilar Marine Reserve. Snakes, such as the Rat snake (Ptyas mucosus) and Cobra (Naja naja) are seen regularly and one night a ...

THE CAPE D'AGUILAR MARINE RESERVE IN CONTEXT

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pp. 76-78

Land based protected areas are given various names which include: 'National park', 'Nature reserve', and 'Wildlife sanctuary'. Most people will have heard of the Yellowstone National Park and the great national parks of central Africa, such as the Ngorogorro Crater, but in reality

REFERENCES DEALING WITH THE GEOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF CAPE D'AGUILAR

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pp. 81-89

Index

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pp. 91-100