by Ria Olivier | Jul 17, 2023 | Announcement, Antarctica, Gough Island, Marion Island, Prince Edward Island, Prince Edward Islands, Research, SA Agulhas II, SA Polar Research Infrastructure, SANAP, SAPolarRI, SAPRI, Science, Southern Ocean, Stations, STEM, sub-Antarctic
In 2015, The Department of Science and Technology (DST) facilitated the first dedicated oceanographic winter expedition on the S.A. Agulhas II from 23 July – 14 August 2015. The success of this expedition and others that followed demonstrated the need expressed by the wider marine and Southern Ocean research community and has prompted the DSI to secure funds for additional dedicated research expeditions in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The number of dedicated research expeditions will depend on the need expressed and the funding available. The core objective is to develop a comprehensive marine and Antarctic research expedition plan for 2024-2026, underpinned by the Marine and Antarctic Research Strategy (MARS) and contributing to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for sustainable development. These dedicated research expeditions will not only encompass oceanography but will provide research opportunities for marine-related and South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) –related research.
MARS was developed to provide a platform from which to coordinate marine and Antarctic research. The assumption is that improved coordination of a currently fragmented science system will improve returns on investment. Structured planning and a guided strategic focus will maximize human capital development and bring South Africa to the international forefront of knowledge production in these research areas. From this will follow innovation, increased international influence, and ultimately, economic growth.
The NRF and the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) have been tasked with coordinating various activities that will feed into improved planning and coordinating of marine and Antarctic research activities. As such, the NRF together with SAPRI would like to maximise on the opportunities for dedicated expeditions based on research community needs to enable long-term planning for expeditions, including sourcing funding for such expeditions. Dedicated expeditions may be implemented in periods where the S.A. Agulhas II is available. The schedule for the annual relief voyages indicate periods when the S.A. Agulhas II is not available (relief voyages for Antarctica, Marion Island and Gough Island). The direction (expedition transects), duration (including number and types of stations) and research focus of each dedicated research expedition would then be decided on by the DSI, together with the NRF, based on such variables as proposed participation, research area alignment, MARS theme alignment, contribution to the Ocean Decade and overall return on investment (data collection and capacity development.). To this end, SAPRI can support the costs of any in person meetings required to discuss collaborative research expeditions.
It should be noted that the attached annexure may change depending on the activities of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE). For example, an emergency may require DFFE to deploy the S.A. Agulhas II to enable the Department of Public Works to do building maintenance and repairs at any of the three bases. As such, all potential dedicated expeditions will need to be approved by the DFFE before final planning can begin.
Please complete the template and return to tj.klarenbeek@risa.nrf.ac.za no later than 15 August 2023. The completed templates will give an indication of research community demand. More detailed research plans will be requested hereafter.
Expression of interest – dedicated S.A. Agulhas II voyages
Text: Expression of interest, Participation in dedicated research expeditions 2024, 2025, 2026. Tracy Klarenbeek, Director: Knowledge Advancement and Support (KAS), National Research Foundation (NRF), Research Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA).
by Ria Olivier | Jul 12, 2023 | Announcement, Antarctica, Gough Island, Marion Island, News, Research, SA Agulhas II, SA Polar Research Infrastructure, SAPolarRI, SAPRI, Science, Southern Ocean, Stations, sub-Antarctic
The South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) is getting a corporate identity (CI).
The South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) is one of 13 large Research Infrastructures (RIs) developed by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR).
The SAPRI was established in 2021 to ensure coordination of South African marine and Antarctic research as a national Big Science programme, providing seamless access to existing and new research infrastructure required to develop and enhance long-term observations of South Africa’s polar region.
The ultimate objective of SAPRI is to enable balanced research growth across the polar disciplines, and to maintain and further expand the world-class long-term observational datasets already established.
The SAPRI is designed as a consortium hosted at the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), a long-term environmental observation and research facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF).
The SAPRI logo
The first step of the SAPRI CI was the design of a logo. The CI vendor has worked with a somewhat complicated brief, making sure that the CI is inclusive of marine and polar (land and sea), not focusing on one specific aspect within SAPRI.
The brief furthermore included:
- Transforming, strengthening and consolidating SA’s marine and polar sciences.
- Recognisable, professional and accessible.
- Pride in SA’s involvement in marine and polar research.
SAPRI logo rationale:
The graphic element in this logo is a representation of SAPRI’s infrastructural support to research on both land and at sea.
While the top part is representative of land features of Antarctica and sub-Antarctic islands (e.g. ice, mountain), the bottom section represents water, or the ocean, as well as the shape of South Africa as seen on a map. In addition, the simplistic lines used to form the water is a rudimentary representation of data and the continuity of research.
To make for a versatile logo, transferable to different materials and backgrounds, various modifications can be used.
The main logo will have the colours of the South African flag incorporated.
Full colour versions (horizontal, vertical or in a circle):
Black versions (horizontal, vertical or in a circle):
White versions (horizontal, vertical or in a circle) – to be used on a full colour backgrounds:
Read more about SAPRI here.
Note that the SAPRI website is currently in the design and development phase.
Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI DPS Node), 12 July 2023
by Ria Olivier | Jun 21, 2023 | Antarctica, Gough Island, International Days, Marion Island, Midwinter, Overwintering Team
We wish the South African team on Antarctica (SANAE 62), Marion Island (Marion 80) and Gough Island (Gough 68) a Happy Midwinter!
See midwinter greeting cards from the stations below.
Antarctica, SANAE 62
Marion Island, Marion 80
Gough Island, Gough68
VIDEOS:
Follow APECS South Arica on Instagram for video interviews from Antarctica, to be posted throughout this week.
The first interview is with Dr. Abby Paton, Medical doctor at SANAE IV.
Scan the QR code below on click on the image to watch the interview.
by Rabia Mathakutha | Jun 19, 2023 | Antarctica, Current Event, Environment, Important Dates, International Days, Invasion Biology, Marion Island, Mice Eradication, Research, SANAP, SAPolarRI, SAPRI, Southern Ocean, sub-Antarctic, Uncategorised
On 19th of June, the world comes together to celebrate World Albatross Day, an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about these magnificent seabirds and the conservation challenges they face. World Albatross Day serves as a crucial platform to educate and inspire action to protect these iconic ocean wanderers. With their graceful flight and important ecological role, albatrosses deserve our attention and concerted efforts for their survival.
South Africa is a long-standing Party to the International Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP). The agreement was brought into existence on 1 February 2004. The day also falls on the date of the signing of the Agreement 22 years ago. ACAP has chosen the theme “Plastic Pollution” to mark the fourth World Albatross Day, to be celebrated on 19 June 2023. This follows the inaugural theme “Eradicating Island Pests” in 2020, “Ensuring Albatross-friendly Fisheries” in 2021, and “Climate Change” last year in 2022.
Albatrosses close to home
Multiple species of albatross are found across the Southern Ocean. This includes Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and subtropical waters. These albatrosses breed on sub-Antarctic and Antarctic islands including South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island. Marion Island holds significant breeding populations of four albatross species – the Wandering Diomedea exulans, Grey-headed, Light-mantled Phoebetria palpebrata and Sooty Phoebetria fusca. In addition to this, two other species of albatrosses have been seen ashore on Marion Island – Black-browed and Indian Yellow-nosed Thalassarche carteri. To read more about the “other” two species of albatrosses recorded from Marion Island as uncovered by one of our researchers Kim Stevens, click here.
The Challenges Facing Albatrosses
Albatrosses face a range of challenges that threaten their survival. One of the most pressing issues is longline fishing, where albatrosses can become accidentally caught on fishing hooks, leading to injury or death. Pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, and invasive species on breeding islands also pose significant risks to their populations. World Albatross Day sheds light on these challenges and promotes measures to mitigate their impact. The pressing threats to Albatrosses in the Southern Ocean include invasive species on breeding islands, most notably, the house mice on Marion Island. Introduced to Marion Island by sealers in the early 19th century, the house mice have been inflicting devastating impacts on the ecology of the island, including killing its native seabirds.
Conservation Efforts and Awareness
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is a registered non-profit company in South Africa, established to eradicate the invasive albatross-killing mice on Marion Island. The project was initiated by BirdLife South Africa and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Upon successful completion, the project will restore the critical breeding habitat of over two million seabirds, many globally threatened, and improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate. For more information or to support the project please visit mousefreemarion.org.
May 2023: Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment, confirms government support for the Mouse-Free Marion Project in her budget speech.
What can you do?
In keeping with this year’s theme for World Albatross Day “Plastic Pollution”, as an individual you can participate by reducing plastic pollution, organising or joining local beach cleanups, where you can help remove litter and prevent it from reaching the oceans, including minimising the use of single-use plastics. Education plays a vital role in driving positive change for albatross conservation. Increase your understanding of albatross biology, their unique adaptations, the threats they face, and the ecological importance they hold in marine ecosystems by reading some of these selected publications here. By raising awareness and fostering partnerships, we can work collectively to safeguard albatross populations and their habitats.
Let us unite in our efforts to protect these majestic ocean wanderers and ensure a future where albatrosses continue to grace our oceans for generations to come.
YOU CAN HELP SAVE MARION ISLAND’S SEABIRDS
Images: The Mouse-Free Marion Project (text added to MFM poster) and Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA)
Rabia Mathakutha, South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI DPS Node), 19 June 2023
by Ria Olivier | May 18, 2023 | Announcement, Marion Island, News, Newsletters>Marion Island Newsletters, Overwintering Team, Research, SA Agulhas II, SANAP, SAPolarRI, SAPRI, sub-Antarctic, Team member, Team Photo
The 79th Marion Island overwintering team arrived on Marion Island on 21 April 2022.
They are back in Cape Town, after spending 386 days on the island and 6 nights on the S.A. Agulhas II for the journey home.
If you want to know more about the work this team did on the island, check out their newsletters (click on the link below).
Marion79 Newsletters
The featured image is the team’s official team photo and displayed on the wall inside the sub-Antarctic Marion Island research station.
Team Photo:
Top row (L-R): Banele Dosi (MIMMP Sealer), Samuel Peta (O & C Birder – DFFE), Sanele Action Mkhize (Diesel Mechanic), Siphesihle Faltein (Assistant Meteorological Technician – SAWS), Lucy Smyth (MAPRU/NMU Birder), Michael Ross (MIMMP Sealer).
Middle row (L-R): Monica Leitner (MIMMP Killer whaler/Sealer), Mndeni ‘Amani’ Hlatshwayo (Medical Orderly), Thendo Sikhwari (Senior Meteorological Technician – SAWS), Andile Ace Mdluli (O & C Birder – DFFE), Gladys Kemei (Communications Engineer and Deputy Team Leader), Tankiso H. Moso (SANSA Electronics Engineer and Science Team Leader), Ntlangemhlophe Sanele Sukude Nombekela (Chef), Mishumo Masithembi (Environmental Control Officer).
Bottom row (L-R): Gcobani Tshangana (Assistant Environmental Control Officer), Austin Acro Gumba (UKZN Astrophysicist), Tanganedzani Tshitavhe (Assistant Meteorological Technician – SAWS), Tshimangadzo Jufter Munyai (Base Engineer and Team Leader), Elsa van Ginkel (MFM Ecologist).
Inserts (left): Abuyiselwe Nguna (Geomorphologist); (right): Vhuawelo Simba (MFM Ecologist). These team members were evacuated from the island in July 2022, due to injuries obtained.
MAPRU/NMU – Marine Apex Predator Research Unit / Nelson Mandela University; MFM – The Mouse-free Marion Project; MIMMP – Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme; DFFE – Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment; O & C Birder – Oceans and Coasts Birder; SANSA – South African National Space Agency; SAWS – South African Weather Service; UKZN – University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Images taken on arrival – 18 May 2023
Featured image credit: Tshimangadzo Jufter Munyai (Base Engineer and Team Leader).
Arrival images credit: South African Polar Research Infrastructure research coordinators.
Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI DPS Node), 18 May 2023
by Ria Olivier | May 10, 2023 | Current Event, Marion Island, News, Overwintering Team, Prince Edward Islands, Research, SANAP, SAPRI, Science, Southern Ocean, Stations, sub-Antarctic, Team member
| TEAM | MAPRU | Affiliation |
| Project Name | Avian scavengers & seabirds |
| Principal Investigator | Dr Maëlle Connan | MAPRU, Nelson Mandela University |
| Co-Investigator | Prof Peter Ryan | Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town |
| M79 Field Assistant | Lucy Smyth | MAPRU, Nelson Mandela University |
| M80 Field Assistant | Christopher Jones | MAPRU, Nelson Mandela University |
| M80 Field Assistant | Michelle Risi | MAPRU, Nelson Mandela University and the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) |
This team is studying seabirds at Marion Island and has two projects for the period 2021-2023:
1) Avian scavenger project focusing mostly on Black-faced Sheathbill, Kelp Gull and Brown Skua as well as some of their prey.
2) FitzPatrick long-term monitoring of Wandering Albatross, Grey-headed Albatross and Northern Giant Petrel.
More about the avian scavenger project:
This project started in 2021. It is tightly linked to the Mouse-Free Marion project.
Our aim is two fold: 1) we fill identified scientific gaps at the bird level that are crucial for best planning of the mouse eradication and development of appropriate mitigation measures. We are mostly focusing on three species of avian scavengers: Black-faced Sheathbill, Kelp Gull and Brown Skua and some of their prey. 2) we propose to use the three scavengers as indicators of recovery of the terrestrial ecosystem post-eradication by establishing baselines for the scavenger guild and their prey against which the impact of a successful mouse eradication can be measured in years to come.
More about the FitzPatrick long-term monitoring project:
The FitzPatrick long-term monitoring of Wandering and Grey-headed albatrosses and Northern Giant Petrel started in the early 1980s and has continued ever since. This individual-based monitoring of threatened species allows us to study the threats they face at sea (e.g. fisheries) and on land (e.g. mice) in order to act and decrease these threats and improve the conservation status. The species’ long-term monitoring is crucial as it allows us to decipher abnormal years from long-term trends.
More about the fieldwork:
The two projects above involve for example extensive counts of birds, lots of hiking, observations of bird behavior and record keeping of the activity of known individuals year after year.
What are your plans for this takeover:
During the takeover, we will be debriefing the year of Lucy Smyth who has worked on the island for our projects since April 2022. We will also train Chris and Michelle for the year ahead in all aspects, from field work to data entry and back-ups.
Follow MAPRU:
Follow PFIAO:
Text by Dr Maëlle Connan.
Images supplied by Christopher Jones.
Featured image: The MAPRU takeover 2023 team. L-R: Dr Maëlle Connan (PI), Lucy Smyth (M79 MAPRU Field Assistant), Michelle Risi (M80 MAPRU Field Assistant) and Christopher Jones (M80 MAPRU Field Assistant). Image taken on the Western side of the island.
Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI DPS Node), 10 May 2023
