by Ria Olivier | Jul 15, 2022 | Current Event, News, Research, SA Agulhas II, SA Polar Research Infrastructure, SAPolarRI, Science, Southern Ocean, sub-Antarctic
| TEAM | FE |
| Project name | Seasonal iron speciation in the Southern Ocean |
| Principal Investigator 1 | Tommy Ryan-Keogh | Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) |
| Principal Investigator 2 and onboard team leader | Thato Mtshali | Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment (DFFE) |
Onboard FE team members:
| Team Member | Role | Affiliation |
| Thato Mtshali | Onboard Team Leader | DFFE |
| Natasha van Horsten | Postdoc | CSIR/UCT |
| Gareth Kiviets | Technician | DFFE |
| Gemma Portlock | PhD | University of Liverpool |
The project description as per the sailing orders for the SCALE Winter Cruise of 2022:
The overarching goal of the project is to improve our understanding of the natural complex biogeochemistry of iron in terms of sources, sinks and internal cycling on a seasonal scale in the Southern Ocean, in both the open ocean and naturally fertilised regions downstream of sub-Antarctic islands.
This morning, in the hangar of the RV S.A. Agulhas II, the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) trainees and the Mercury team got the opportunity to learn more about the sampling process used for all projects requiring extremely pure sampling conditions, such as the Fe-project. The experienced Dr Thato Mtshali explained how the CTD rosette is loaded with sampling bottles. The SAPRI trainees had the opportunity to assist in this process.
Images supplied by Susanne Fietz, PI and onboard team leader of the MERCURY team – to be introduced next.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 15 July 2022
by Ria Olivier | Jul 14, 2022 | Current Event, News, Research, SA Agulhas II, SA Polar Research Infrastructure, SANAP, SAPolarRI, Science, Southern Ocean, STEM
Through the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI), the current SCALE-WIN22 (21-day) cruise, onboard the RV S.A. Agulhas II, is offering polar science training to 8 young individuals from South African universities not historically involved in polar sciences (or involved but in a small extent) or perhaps holding degrees not historically considered to be included in polar sciences.
They will get the opportunity to job-shadow members of the various research teams during onboard activities and get first-hand experience in polar sciences, by assisting with sampling. They will learn more about polar sciences through the onboard seminars delivered during the voyage.
Meet the 8 South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) Trainees:
Pre-voyage logistics for the trainees were handled by the acting manager of SAPRI, Prof Juliet Hermes (Manager: South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) Egagasini node).
Read more about SCALEwin22 here!
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 14 July 2022
by Ria Olivier | Jul 12, 2022 | Current Event, News, Oceanography, Research, SA Agulhas II, SA Polar Research Infrastructure, SANAP, SANAP Student, SAPolarRI, Science, Southern Ocean, STEM
SCALE (Southern oCean seAsonaL Experiment) Winter 2022 Expedition (SCALE-WIN22) onboard the RV S.A. Agulhas II
This dedicated science cruise is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) in support of the scientific community involved in Southern Ocean projects (South African National Antarctic Programme – SANAP and other fundings). The South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) facilitated the coordination of logistics.
This is a continuation of the SCALE coordinated effort (Southern oCean seAsonaL Experiment) proposed by the South African scientific community as a bottom-up experiment.
“SCALE-WIN22 will be a 21 days cruise of intensive sampling of the ocean-atmosphere- sea ice processes in the Antarctic polar zone. Multidisciplinary measurements of physical and biogeochemical properties of the ocean and sea ice will be performed in a set of process stations in the outer and inner MIZ”.
Departure: 11 July 2022
ETA back in Cape Town: 31 July 2022
Area of operation: The S.A. Agulhas II will operate from Cape Town to the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) along the Good Hope Line.
Provisional map of the track and stations.
Chief Scientists:
| Prof Marcello Vichi (UCT, on board) | Dr Sarah Fawcett (UCT, on land) |
| |
This cruise involves 13 national and 4 international research projects:
These projects will be introduced throughout the course of the cruise.
The number of passengers onboard:
84 passengers onboard the vessel. This number includes the 8 South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) trainees.
National and international scientific institutions involved:
1. South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) and South African Environmental Network (SAEON)
2. University of Cape Town (UCT)
3. Stellenbosch University (SU)
4. South African Weather Service (SAWS)
5. Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
6. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory – SOCCO)
7. Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)
8. University of Pretoria (UP)
9. Nelson Mandela University (NMU)
10. Representatives from the University of South Africa (UNISA), Rhodes University (RU), University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), University of the Free State (UFS), Walter Sisulu University (WSU)
11. University of Gothenburg, Sweden
12. British Antarctic Survey, UK
13. University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
14. The University of Melbourne, Australia
15. University of East Anglia, UK
16. Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), France
17. CNR, Italy
18. University of Tasmania, Australian Antarctic Division, Australia
19. Aalto University, Finland
20. Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland
21. SYKE, Finland
22. Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany
East Pier, Port of Cape Town. Cruise participants arriving from the quarantine facility. Only participants with negative Covid-19 test results will be allowed onboard.
The offical cruise hashtag to be followed: #SCALEwin2022
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 12 July 2022
by Ria Olivier | Jul 7, 2022 | Announcement, Current Event, News, Research, SA Agulhas II, SANAP, Science, SEAmester, Southern Ocean, STEM, sub-Antarctic
South Africa’s 5th class afloat voyage, SEAmester V, is currently on the final leg home. On this last day on board the vessel, students are finishing up all deck work, and completing all projects and project presentations. There will be an art exhibition and farewell gathering later this evening.
This year, there were 21 lecturers involved in the SEAmester program.
Meet the lecturers of SEAmester V (2022)
by Ria Olivier | Jun 27, 2022 | Announcement, Current Event, News, Research, SA Agulhas II, SANAP, Science, SEAmester, Southern Ocean
The S.A. Agulhas II is getting ready for departure on the 5th SEAmester cruise. The expected time of departure is today, 27 July 2022.
37 students from 14 national higher education institutions and 1 international institution, were selected for SA’s class afloat which is an 11-day marine science winter school onboard the S.A. Agulhas II. The cruise will take part along the South African coast and across the Agulhas current to the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands. Students will be exposed to hands-on ship-based deck activities, as well as traditional classroom lectures.
Places of origin – 31 of the 37 students indicated where they originally come from.
Read more about SEAmester
Meet the 37 students that were selected for this cruise:
* Note that only students presenting a negative Covid-19 PCR test will be permitted to board the vessel.
