by Ria Olivier | Mar 9, 2022 | Announcement, Antarctica, Current Event, News, Research, SA Agulhas II
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, The Endurance was crushed and sank to the ocean floor, in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica (1915). Read more here.
The Endurance was found at a depth of 3008 meters in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Image Credit: Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust/National Geographic
The South African (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) owned research and supply vessel, the S.A. Agulhas II (managed and operated by African Marine Solutions), is currently in the Weddell Sea, chartered by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust to locate the sunken ship of Shackleton. The Endurance 22 Expedition made an official press release earlier today, announcing that The Endurance has been found and successfully surveyed and filmed for research purposes. Read the press release on Endurance 22 here.
Congratulations to all the different research teams on board and to the captain of the vessel, Captain Knowledge Bengu, and his crew that ensured the safety of all passengers.
WATCH the footage here!
After the unsuccessful Weddell Sea Expedition in 2019, these are the proud individuals (including Captain Knowledge Bengu, Ice Pilot Captain Freddie Ligthelm and many S.A. Agulhas II crew members) that were able to join this second and very successful hunt for Shackleton’s Endurance.
L-R: James-John Matthee, John Shears, Annie Bekker, Pierre Le Gall, Mensun Bound, Chad Bonin. Image Credit: Chad Bonin.
Before heading to Cape Town, with only 3 days left of the original charter time, the S.A. Agulhas II is now on her way to South Georgia, the burial place of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton.
LIVE Interview from the S.A. Agulhas II – Captain Knowledge Bengu
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 09 March 2022
by Ria Olivier | Mar 8, 2022 | Engineering, Genomics, International Days, News, Oceanography, Research, SA Agulhas II, Southern Ocean, STEM, sub-Antarctic, Women in Science
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Break the Bias”.
This year we are featuring three inspiring women within the South African National Antarctic Programme. They are leaders in their fields and represent South Africa on an international level.
Prof Annie Bekker – Stellenbosch University
Professor in Engineering, Director of the Sound & Vibration Research Group, and currently on the international Endurance 22 expedition (Antarctica).
“My job is about applying maths and science to technology… discovering and searching for new things. It is sometimes difficult, it takes long hours, breakthroughs can be incremental… and many times the belief, momentum, and enthusiasm for success have to come from within myself… Today, I love my job and the hard work to this point is absolutely worth it. I could not get here without encouragement, love, and mentorship in key moments. I cannot continue without the support of my family, the example of my colleagues, or the curiosity of my students – their excellence and hunger for their own new frontiers of discovery.
This is your life. Invest in your education. Believe in yourself, try, try again, never give up. Be hungry to learn. Sharpen your skills. Absorb all that is positive around you. Find mentors. Accept responsibility. Rebound from failure. Celebrate success. Be brave. Dream”.
Check out the Sound & Vibraton Research Group website: svrg.sun.ac.za.
Read more about Annie’s work and adventures here.
Prof Isabelle Ansorge – University of Cape Town
Head of the Oceanography Department at UCT and mastermind behind South Africa’s first class afloat – SEAmester.
Isabelle Ansorge is an observational oceanographer, Professor, and first female Head of the Oceanography Department at the University of Cape Town. Having built an observational oceanography career both nationally and internationally, Prof. Ansorge’s interests lie in Indian, Atlantic, and Southern Ocean dynamics that include Southern Ocean eddy transports of heat and salt, frontal dynamics, and variability in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its effects on Subantarctic Islands such as Marion Island. Another passion of Isabelle’s is the shipboard training of postgraduate students from all over South Africa and she is the mastermind behind the SEAmester Floating University programme. SEAmester provides an incredible teaching and research platform for South African early-career scientists and lecturers alike. Prof. Ansorge’s list of affiliations is a testament to her extensive experience in the field including being a committee member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), as a member of the start-up committee for the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), as an Executive Bureau Member of the International Union for Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) and formally the vice-president of the International Association for Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO).
Check out the SEAmester website: seamester.co.za.
Read more about Isabelle here.
Prof Bettine van Vuuren – University of Johannesburg
Professor of Zoology, Director of the Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, and Chair of the South African Committee for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SANC for SCAR).
“The first thing to say is that I believe there is nothing that any person can’t do if they apply their mind (and time) to it. We often set our own ceilings based on general beliefs that society or others impose on us, and it is crucial that we break through these (non-real) boundaries. STEM fields are a case in hand. This is especially true for women, who traditionally were seen as homemakers or child-carers. In STEM specifically, fields such as mathematics, physics, and engineering, and traditionally more field-based disciplines such as zoology, botany, or oceanography, are seen as more suited to men (either because women were not traditionally considered as analytically strong, capable to work in the field, or for that matter, be away from home for any period of time). It is critical that any person (both men and women) should carefully consider what they enjoy, what their specific strengths are (be that a STEM career for a woman, or as a childcarer/homemaker for a man), and then pursue that with all their strength and passion. Personally, I was initially directed into a field that I had no interest in (because I could not answer questions asked re where I would work if my husband lived in a small town), and from a personal perspective I strongly urge and support women that want to step out of the usual/ typical / what is expected from you by society and follow what they are passionate about”.
Follow Bettine on Twitter (Click here).
You can also visit her website: molzoolab.co.za.
Meet the SANC for SCAR committee here.
Read more about Bettine here.
Image of Prof Bekker supplied by: James-John Matthee.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 08 March 2022
by Ria Olivier | Mar 4, 2022 | Announcement, News, Newsletters>SANAE Newsletters, Overwintering Team, Stations, Team member
In this edition we meet the 9 team members of the 61st SANAE Overwintering Team:
- JC Laubscher (Doctor and Team Leader)
- Mfezeko Rataza (Electronic Engineer – South African National Space Agency)
- Read more about SANSA’s presence in Antarctica here.
- Maanda Mulaudzi (Electro-Mechanical Technician)
- John Manyatsa Skelete (Diesel Mechanic)
- Eric Randall (Snr Meteorological Technician – South African Weather Service)
- Thulani (Innovation) Ngwaqa (Mechanical Engineer/Base Engineer, Deputy Team Leader and Technical Team Leader)
- Innocent Sicelo Mthethwa (Diesel Mechanic)
- Aphiwe Dyum (Communications Engineer)
- Thobani Mabaso (HF Radar and Space Weather Engineer, South African National Space Agency)
Click here to view or download this issue!!
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 04 March 2022
by Ria Olivier | Mar 2, 2022 | Announcement, Antarctica, COMNAP, Fellowship, IAATO, News, Research, SCAR, Southern Ocean, STEM
Attention all early-career researchers (ECRs).
Fellowship opportunities are now available at three Antarctic organisations.
- The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) – offering one fellowship with funding of up to USD $15,000.
- The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) – offering one fellowship with funding of up to USD $15,000.
- The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) – offering four or five fellowships with funding of up to USD $15,000 each.
COMNAP, IAATO, and SCAR encourage all talented early-career researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and those in other early-career professions to apply for these fellowships.
“The purpose is to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in fields such as climate, biodiversity, conservation, humanities and astrophysics research by providing annual funding opportunities” (as per the fellowship announcement).
Application Deadlines:
- COMNAP – 30 June 2022
- IAATO – 30 June 2022
- SCAR – 31 August 2022
For more details: Click here.
Download the relevant information here.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 02 March 2022
by Ria Olivier | Feb 18, 2022 | Announcement, Antarctica, Current Event, News, SA Agulhas II
This vessel, currently chartered by the Falklands Heritage Trust to locate the sunken ship of Shackleton, is in the Weddell Sea at the coordinates last recorded by Shackleton’s crew before the ship sank. Read more about thie Endurance22 expedition here.
The vessel is in the experienced hands of Captain Knowledge Bengu. Captain Bengu is supported by Captain Michael Mdluli, Ice Pilot Captain Freddie Ligthelm, Chief Officer Reagan Paul, and a crew of 43 South African seafarers. The Chief Engineer on the cruise is Themba Tshongweni, who leads a team of marine engineers and technical support personnel, responsible for optimising the vessel’s performance during the cruise.
Track the ship’s progress in real-time
here.
Captain Knowledge Bengu will be interviewed LIVE today, 18 February 2022 at 18:00 (South African Standard Time).
For more information about the Endurance 22 Expedition – click here to go to the Offical Endurance22 expedition website.
Image of Captain Bengu supplied by AMSOL.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 17 February 2022
Prof Annie Bekker – Stellenbosch University
Prof Isabelle Ansorge – University of Cape Town
