by Ria Olivier | Jan 19, 2022 | Announcement, Jobs, Marion Island, Overwintering Team, Research, SANAP, Science, Stations, Team member
Do you have a BSc (Hons) degree in the ecological field? This might be an opportunity for you!
Two Ecological Field Assistants/Researchers needed for the 2022/2023 overwintering team on the South African, sub-Antarctic Marion Island.
This is an opportunity not the be missed!
Deadline: 21 January 2022.
Always keep an eye on the SANAP Jobs page, where all vacancies on Marion Island, Gough Island and Antarctica are advertised.
Anche Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 19 January 2022.
by Ria Olivier | Oct 11, 2021 | Announcement, Jobs, Marion Island
Job opportunities available on Marion Island Overwintering Team – download the job description below and complete a Z83 available on the website. Closing date for applications is 18 October 2021.
The purpose of the Z83 is to assist a government department in selecting a person for an advertised post. This form may be used to identify candidates to be interviewed. Since all applicants cannot be interviewed, you need to fill in this form completely, accurately and legibly. This will help to process your application fairly.
by Ria Olivier | Dec 11, 2020 | Announcement, geochemistry, Jobs, Oceanography, Research, SA Agulhas II, SANAP, Science, Southern Ocean
The Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP) was established in 2019 in terms of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap, a high-level research strategy of the national government Department of Science and Innovation.
BIOGRIP comprises four research ‘nodes’ based at the Universities of Cape Town (focusing on isotope biogeochemistry), Stellenbosch (water and soil biogeochemistry), Free State (mineral biogeochemistry) and North-West University (atmospheric biogeochemistry), with the administrative ‘hub’ located at UCT. The Director will be based at UCT and will report directly to the DVC Research. The Director will (1) provide strong leadership and scientific guidance to the BIOGRIP platform as a whole, ensuring that it delivers on its mandate (2) liaise with stakeholders, the management steering committee and scientific and technical advisory committees (3) hold overall financial responsibility for BIOGRIP and (4) contribute to the research output of BIOGRIP.
“Biogeochemistry” is the study of how biological, geological, chemical, and physical processes interact to shape natural environments over time and space. It covers a range of interdisciplinary research foci, from the origin and diversification of life, to how anthropogenic drivers alter modern environments, to the response of natural systems to environmental change. Biogeochemistry was identified by the 2016 South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) document as an emerging interdisciplinary field of strategic importance. SARIR recommends that the central objective of biogeochemical research in South Africa should be to gain “further insight into the interactions of human activity and the environment over the past several hundred millennia and to determine how the environmental impact of anthropogenic activity has contributed to the change in Earth system dynamics (chemical, physical and biological). This includes the search for an understanding of the behavior of well characterized and emerging pollutants and their current impact on the environment”. There are a number of strong research groups in South Africa already investigating various aspects of this broad research objective, but their efforts to-date have been isolated and/or fragmented. Moreover, biogeochemistry requires high precision data and measurements of a vast range of inorganic and organic chemical components, including isotope ratios and trace elements, some of which cannot currently be made in South Africa and many of which cannot be run at the volume and quality required. The investment in BIOGRIP will provide the platform to drive biogeochemical knowledge creation through investment in (1) technical capacity, training and scientific leadership in biogeochemical research, (2) world-class analytical facilities, and (3) improved monitoring of biogeochemical environmental variables through the generation and compilation of statistically meaningful datasets.
BIOGRIP will provide significant opportunities to advance South Africa’s research infrastructure and technical capacity in the field of biogeochemistry, while also facilitating a high level of scientific impact on a range of temporal and spatial scales. BIOGRIP will extend the practical research questions that address specific South African problems to include those that are purely curiosity-driven, creative, and/or risky, while also deepening the extent to which ongoing research themes can be probed. An additional impact of developing analytical capacity in-country is the potential for creative methods development, particularly South African-specific applications (e.g., for research questions relevant to the Cape floristic kingdom, hominin evolution, water availability and quality, Antarctic ecosystems, etc.). This will allow the South African research community to push the frontiers of knowledge in a variety of fields where biogeochemical techniques have yet to be applied (or have yet to be applied at the resolution offered by BIOGRIP).
Click here for advertisement. Closing date: 1st February 2021
Photo Credit: Sarah Fawcett, Alakendra Roychoudhury, Susanne Fietz
Cover Image: Ben van der Walt
by Ria Olivier | Nov 9, 2020 | Announcement, Antarctica, Jobs, Research, Science, Southern Ocean
Dr. Sarah Fawcett of the Department of Oceanography at University of Cape Town is part of the Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land (WS-DML) Working Group (WG). A great opportunity for an early career scientist has become available within this group to become the APECS representative.
The group facilitates coordinated and standardized observational studies of major physical, chemical and biological variables including their drivers and interactions. This refers to a regional but also a circum-Antarctic approach. The WS-DML WG will contribute to an increase in quality of the science output and strengthen the awareness of the relevance of research in the WS-DML sector of the Southern Ocean through international projects contributing to the SOOS. The Working Group is open for involvement to anyone working in the Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land region. (Report of 2019)
The WS-DML-WG is looking for an early career scientist to join the SOOS Southern Ocean Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land Sector Regional Working Group and become our APECS representative. The successful applicant will have working knowledge of observational research of the Southern Ocean with a particular interest in the Weddell Sea and Dronning Maud Land. The APECS representative will attend RWG meetings, and be responsible for assisting with data collection, curation, and reportage, and will be an important link in liaising between APECS and SOOS. We are interested in receiving applications from any countries, including those not yet represented by the WG Leadership Group. For specific questions on this position, please contact Alyce Hancock (alyce.hancock@utas.edu.au).
The position will be for 2 years and non-salaried, but there will be travel reimbursement for attending one meeting if the working group holds a meeting during your term, and potential for co-authorship of publications.
To apply, you need to meet the following criteria:
– Early career researcher (up to 5 years past PhD)
– Have a research background that fits the focus of the group
To apply send the following information to info@apecs.is by 15 Dec 2020
– your CV
– Statement of Interest (max one page), including your research background,
– your motivation in joining the working group,
– your thoughts on how you can contribute to the group
– how this would benefit your career
The SOOS WS-DML WG aims to fulfill the following terms of reference:
Develop and enable regional-scale observing using SOOS best practice for observing systems, including areas from which data sets already exist, to detect long-term changes.
Identify physical, geochemical and biological key processes and their coupling in areas of the WS-DML region under climate change as well as in presently stable areas expected to experience warming and melting of sea-ice in the future.
Identify and assemble key legacy data sets and sampling techniques.
Provide best practice sampling protocols to enable the standardization of measurements.
Based on the experience in the region, identify data gaps and bottlenecks in the observation systems that hinder a comprehensive understanding of the physical, geochemical and biological systems.
Facilitate coordinated and, where possible, multi-disciplinary observations.
Make plans of operations available on the SOOS website to increase collaboration amongst the international community.
Facilitate procedures to achieve data availability across the science community according to SOOS data policy, which includes the publication of data and meta-data.
Convene focussed sessions at international meetings, including SCAR, SCOR and their scientific initiatives, and facilitate synthesis products, to increase the awareness of the science community to the importance of the Weddell Sea – Dronning Maud Land region. Also joint events with the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) on polar comparative observations and analysis as well as should be supported.
Provide support to the International Program Office (IPO) by providing short reports to be available at the SOOS SSC annual meeting, as well as providing content for the IPO website/newsletters on the activities and outcome.
Contribute to international initiatives assessing the state of the SO, especially with reference to climate change, pollution and the exploitation of natural resources.
Support stakeholders with scientific information, especially the initiative to develop an MPA; support the MPA management plan after its endorsement.
Credit Cover Image: Weddell Sea gallery
by Ria Olivier | Nov 6, 2020 | Announcement, Jobs, Marion Island, SANAP, Science
Stephanus Schoeman
Current engineer at Marion Island is Stephanus Schoeman: “One of the five Marion Island first-timers is SANSA Space Weather Engineer Stephanus Schoeman. He will monitor and maintain systems, report on the status of different instruments, and develop new hardware and software to maximise efficiency, reliability and uptime of the systems.”
“On the island we have a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scintillation receiver, magnetometer, Very Low Frequency (VLF) antenna with five different analytic systems, and a riometer,” he says.
Schoeman helped upgrade a tide gauge, which forms part of the International Tsunami Early Warning System. He also helped install a DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite) beacon, which helps satellites stay in orbit by compensating for loss of altitude due to atmospheric drag. Read the full article
SANSA has again an opportunity for an engineer at Marion Island for 2021/2020 . The applicants will be expected to
- Design and build new equipment
- Maintain and upgrade instrumentation.
- Install, commission, maintain, calibrate and modify electronic instruments and systems for the collection, reduction and analysis of data.
- Execute experiments related to Space Weather studies
- Give core engineering support.
Candidates must be physically fit, have sober habits, be mentally strong and prepared for physically challenging and satisfying work.
by Ria Olivier | Oct 20, 2020 | Announcement, Jobs, Marion Island, Overwintering Team, SANAP
Applications now open for Marion Island 2021-2022 season. Visit the Jobs page to see vacancies. Applications close first week of November.
Visit Gallery to see all Marion Team Photos and read more about the expedition and living on the island
Team Structure:
Medical Orderly
Diesel Mechanic
Electrical Engineer Technician
Communications Engineer/Technician
Environmental Officer and Assistant Environmental Officer
Senior Meteorological Technician and 2 Meteorological Technicians
Marion 77 Current Team Leader Winnie (left) and Deputy Team Leader Nkoane (right)
Job opportunities available on 
BIOGRIP comprises four research ‘nodes’ based at the Universities of Cape Town (focusing on isotope biogeochemistry), Stellenbosch (water and soil biogeochemistry), Free State (mineral biogeochemistry) and North-West University (atmospheric biogeochemistry), with the administrative ‘hub’ located at UCT. The 
“Biogeochemistry” is the study of how biological, geological, chemical, and physical processes interact to shape natural environments over time and space. It covers a range of interdisciplinary research foci, from the origin and diversification of life, to how anthropogenic drivers alter modern environments, to the response of natural systems to environmental change. Biogeochemistry was identified by the 2016 South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR) document as an emerging interdisciplinary field of strategic importance. SARIR recommends that the central objective of biogeochemical research in South Africa should be to gain “further insight into the interactions of human activity and the environment over the past several hundred millennia and to determine how the environmental impact of anthropogenic activity has contributed to the change in Earth system dynamics (chemical, physical and biological). This includes the search for an understanding of the behavior of well characterized and emerging pollutants and their current impact on the environment”. There are a number of strong research groups in South Africa already investigating various aspects of this broad research objective, but their efforts to-date have been isolated and/or fragmented. Moreover, biogeochemistry requires high precision data and measurements of a vast range of inorganic and organic chemical components, including isotope ratios and trace elements, some of which cannot currently be made in South Africa and many of which cannot be run at the volume and quality required. The investment in BIOGRIP will provide the platform to drive biogeochemical knowledge creation through investment in (1) technical capacity, training and scientific leadership in biogeochemical research, (2) world-class analytical facilities, and (3) improved monitoring of biogeochemical environmental variables through the generation and compilation of statistically meaningful datasets.
BIOGRIP will provide significant opportunities to advance South Africa’s research infrastructure and technical capacity in the field of biogeochemistry, while also facilitating a high level of scientific impact on a range of temporal and spatial scales. BIOGRIP will extend the practical research questions that address specific South African problems to include those that are purely curiosity-driven, creative, and/or risky, while also deepening the extent to which ongoing research themes can be probed. An additional impact of developing analytical capacity in-country is the potential for creative methods development, particularly South African-specific applications (e.g., for research questions relevant to the Cape floristic kingdom, hominin evolution, water availability and quality, Antarctic ecosystems, etc.). This will allow the South African research community to push the frontiers of knowledge in a variety of fields where biogeochemical techniques have yet to be applied (or have yet to be applied at the resolution offered by BIOGRIP).
The group facilitates coordinated and standardized observational studies of major physical, chemical and biological variables including their drivers and interactions. This refers to a regional but also a circum-Antarctic approach. The WS-DML WG will contribute to an increase in quality of the science output and strengthen the awareness of the relevance of research in the WS-DML sector of the Southern Ocean through international projects contributing to the 
Current engineer at Marion Island is Stephanus Schoeman: “One of the five Marion Island first-timers is SANSA Space Weather Engineer Stephanus Schoeman. He will monitor and maintain systems, report on the status of different instruments, and develop new hardware and software to maximise efficiency, reliability and uptime of the systems.”
SANSA has again an opportunity for an 
Applications now open for Marion Island 2021-2022 season. Visit the 
