Sunday Science: SEAmester Programme
The SEAmester programme is a marine science winter school founded by Prof. Isabelle Ansorge of UCT which takes place at sea and provides the perfect platform for coupling both academic research and learning. Every year approximately 100 students, lecturers and scientists from over 15 different institutions (both local and international) come together for approximately 10 days at sea onboard the SA Agulhas II. SEAmester exposes postgraduate students to multiple different marine science disciplines through daily lectures, practicals, and regular interaction with many professionals conducting their research onboard South Africa’s state of the art research vessel.
3 of the 4 previous SEAmester cruises have sampled the Agulhas System Climate Array (ASCA) transect. ASCA was an array of moorings deployed across the Agulhas Current from April 2016 to May 2018, in order to better understand the physical properties and dynamics of the Agulhas Current. The ASCA project extended the research undertaken along this array during the Agulhas Current Time-series project by continuing to sample the same 20 hydrographic stations. In-situ data in the Agulhas Current is very rare, and the collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach adopted during SEAmester has greatly improved our understanding of the complex Agulhas Current System. More information in paper by Morris et al., 2017 Above: Location of the stations sampled during SEAmester. Figure by James Maitland.
Left: Last year during SEAmester IV we experienced 3 consecutive cold fronts with resulting waves of up to 10m in size. This rough weather meant we were only able to sample 16 out of 20 of our planned stations. Photo credit: Thando Mazomba
Sampling during SEAmester IV has included physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, microplastics, marine parasites, marine bacteria, marine seabirds and mammals, meteorology, benthic dredge sampling and more. SEAmester has provided an incredible opportunity for scientists from different disciples to work together and at the same time providing students with invaluable seagoing experience. The 5th SEAmester cruise which was due to take place this week has unfortunately been postponed until next year due to COVID-19.
SEAmester has changed the lives of students! “Department of Science and Innovation’s 10-year Global Change Grand Challenge programme requires platforms to ‘attract young researchers and retain them by exciting their interest in aspects of global change; while developing their capacity and professional skills in the relevant fields of investigation.” – Isabelle Ansorge
- “This programme has been the best experience in my life. It changed my outlook on how to gather knowledge, where to do research, how to think logically as well as to be creative and intuitive”
- “I have made so many new friends and build up my contacts for future endeavours”
- “SEAmester has made me realise that I have a passion for ocean-based research”
- “It has greatly influenced my general career goals and aims”
- “I really enjoyed meeting so many people from a diverse range of backgrounds and sciences”
- “I loved the way the content of SEAmester has helped me to link up all the theory that I have learnt over the years”
- “SEAmester was the best experience of my life”
- “I hope that SEAmester will continue in years so other students get the chance to have such an awesome experience”
- “I have been changed positively by this course – I am more motivated to tackle my studies”
- Just being together as a team – it didn’t matter what your background was”
- “It was a time of my life that I will never ever forget”
Text Supplied by Laura Braby – SAEON- Egagasini Node. Student Comments supplied by Isabelle Ansorge. Images available on Antarctic Legacy of South Africa Archive. More videos and images available at www.seamester.co.za
Where did it all started for Tahlia: “From an early age I have had an unbridled passion for the ocean and understanding technology, which led me to pursue my studies in Oceanography at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). I chose to study here as it provided a platform to not only gain academic experience within an oceanographic context, but to also gain field experience. In my third year (2014) I was placed at Bayworld Centre of Research and Education (BCRE) in order to complete a number of research projects which spanned across an array of oceanographic disciplines, namely: Marine Instrumentation, Marine Resource Management, Ocean Sciences and Marine Outreach. This placement exposed me to the different aspects of oceanography and allowed me to find my particular field of interest. It was there, at BCRE, that I was exposed to physical oceanography, data processing and development of marine instrumentation. I knew that I had found my niche within the oceanographic community and would strive to further my education, work experience and continue to learn and grow within this sector. After earning a National Diploma, I completed a BTech degree where I continued to work part-time at BCRE and develop my final research project. This project focused on the development of two sub-sea moorings, each housing a 75 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), which I was fortunate enough to deploy between two sub-Antarctic Islands—Marion Island and Prince Edward Island—while aboard the research vessel, SA Agulhas II.
Following the completion of my BTech degree, I continued to work on this mooring data over the next four years, returning to Marion Island and ensuring the safe retrieval and re-deployment of the sub-sea moorings. The data collected formulated the basis of my MSc research project, entitled Impact of ocean variability on Shelf-Seas surrounding the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands.
More recently I have been exposed to the commercial oceanographic industry by working as a marine technician for Lwandle Marine Technologies. Albeit a brief time spent with Lwandle, I have experienced a very different aspect of oceanography in practice. I worked on a variety of contracts utilising skills I’ve gained over the years such as commercial diving operations, in situ data collection and hands-on instrumentation repairs/maintenance. These contracts also opened the door to innovative ways of thinking, problem solving and team work. I was also involved in equipment sales, field trip logistics and ‘meet and greets’ with clients which have been a great learning opportunity.
In December 2018 I was hired by the 
I love my career as it is ever changing and growing with the current climate or latest technological advances. I have been able to see the world, visit remote and beautiful locations, sail the high seas and build incredible bonds with fellow scientists. It isn’t always an easy journey, but conquering the challenge of this lifestyle and career choice is what makes it worthwhile. The sense of adventure is never ending and I’m always learning along the way. Madame Curie once said that nothing in life is to be fear but rather understood, so that we understand more and fear less. I think this gives us a great sense of pride in what we do and to strive to be curious about our world, to best understand, preserve it and pass the torch on to future generations.
To future researchers, be diligent, work hard and persevere throughout your career. There will be challenging days but there will also be days that out shadow the challenges and fuel your passion for science. Always be teachable no matter your age, and always willing to learn and lend a hand to your fellow scientists. The work you do throughout your career will not only impact and improve your life but will pave the way for those coming up behind you. So take pride in what your work, rise up to the challenges and enjoy the journey! (Right: Photo credit:Alexander Oelofse during SEAmester)
Isabelle as a child always wanted to be an oceanographer. “When I was 13 my father sent me off for 6 months on a Tall Ship to sail around Africa. And so, having grown up on sailing ships and sailing the world at a very young age it seemed only natural to follow in my passion to build a career around the sea.
I first studied at 
One of my first jobs at 
Isabelle’s Working Life: “I was employed as a lecturer at UCT in 2006 and have worked hard to build a career both nationally and internationally in observational oceanography. My passion and love for the sea can be seen in the many opportunities that I create for students both at UCT, and as can be seen from the 
What drives me:” I love teaching students. Taking a student to sea and watching them learn and seeing their eyes light up when they first board the SA Agulhas II is extremely rewarding. Many of my former students have returned to sea either as senior researchers leading their own cohort of students, or they have built their career in marine management or moved into the academic field. It is so rewarding see young inexperienced students join a cruise and leave imbued with a new confidence and a passion for their discipline.
“I am proud of the SEAmester programme and how we have been able to develop linkages with traditionally non marine universities both through their students joining as SEAmester students or their own Lecturers joining the academic programme. The state-of-the-art research vessel, SA Agulhas II, provides such an incredible teaching and research platform for this programme; its size, comfort and shipboard facilities allow groups of 46 students and 30 lecturers to productively interact over a period of 10 days as can the photo of Prof Gammon teaching students in the ship’s stairwell shows so well!.”
My advice to the young generation: “Four words – always take the initiative! In the UK the only sea-going opportunity I had was to work on the River Tamar outside of Plymouth! In South Africa our students go to Antarctica! But it takes you to make that difference. We have so many wonderful opportunities in South Africa and access to such incredible marine programmes and platforms but the sparkplug to get started must come from you. All academics get frustrated by students not willing to engage with their surroundings and 
not even realise the enormous privilege it is to be on a research vessel such as the SA Agulhas II. You don’t have to be the brightest student in the class but by staying engaged, enthusiastic, interactive and dedicated to your studies you will always go much further in life. Opportunities are endless but it takes you to grab it!”
From 2017, he is a PhD student at the 
Earth science, in general, has always been fascinating to me and since I was little, my desire was to discover and learn new things related to our oceans.
Thanks to oceanography, I can attend fantastic expeditions anywhere in the world, exploring from the icy polar seas to the warmer waters of the equator, spending weeks or even months on board of research vessels. During these trips, I always meet colleagues and extraordinary scientists that share the same interests and passions of mine, even if they are from different fields. Furthermore, coming to South Africa, I joined two great scientific communities: one is the 
This is a great career that stimulates you at any moment of your life, and if you are curious, motivated, and resourceful, well… this job is waiting for you.
Sandy Thomalla only ever wanted to be two things in my life; when I was really young I wanted to be a pilot, and from the age of about 10, I wanted to become a marine biologist. Which is perhaps a bit surprising for someone that grew up in Brakpan (yes that is a real town and not just the butt end of South African jokes), which is VERY far away from the sea. But like a lot of typical ‘inlanders’, we made our way to the Natal coast for family holidays and according to my parents I could snorkel in a rock pool before I could walk. My love of the sea (and all creatures in it) was also fueled by my father who is passionate about the ocean and an avid yachtsman (who gave up on his dream of sailing around the world when he had my sister and I …. Sorry Dad.). We spent countless hours swimming in the sea (jumping over and diving under waves) and exploring rock pools in search of starfish and anemones. By the time I was in high school I had my sights firmly set on 
There are many reasons why I love my career and these have also changed over the years. The first, and probably most important one, is that I get to go to sea. I get to sail on ships in wild oceans like the Southern Ocean and experience epic storms that drive 15m waves and winds so strong they whip off the crests of the waves and yet still are no match for a .Wandering Albatross that holds its own in any weather. Or sail across the equator on a sea that is mirror still and so blue that it defies your eyes, while flying fish burst the surface leaving a trail of ripples as their tail fins propel them through the air. My career has also allowed me to travel extensively to many countries around the world for cruises, conferences, meetings and workshops. With each trip (particularly before I had children) I would always make sure I took some time to explore the country or city I was visiting, be it India, Russia, Croatia, Iceland or South Korea. Then there are the people, I would have to say that scientists in general are just pretty awesome people. They are typically down to earth, aware, curious, rational, open minded and free of bias. I have had the pleasure of meeting, working with, and getting to know so many wonderful people from around the world, and I treasure every one of them. In more recent years, being able to teach, supervise students and pass on some of my knowledge and passion has also been very rewarding. Finally, the science itself is very stimulating. Every day you learn something new, and you will never stop learning and reading and expanding your horizons, as this is core to what it means to be a scientist, to gain and share knowledge and understanding.
My latest research is a very exciting study that uses autonomous underwater robots (called gliders and floats) that are deployed in the oceans to profile the water column from the surface to 1000m. My colleague Thomas Ryan-Keogh and I have developed a proxy that uses the sensors on these robots to determine the degree of iron limitation of phytoplankton. Iron is a micronutrient in the oceans that is necessary for phytoplankton to photosynthesise, and as such affects the ability of phytoplankton to remove CO2 from surface waters and subsequently from the atmosphere (thus impacting climate change). Preliminary results suggest that phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean are becoming more iron limited over time, which could negatively impact the important role that they play in removing carbon.
Why you love your career in science 
Choosing a career in Science is not easy. There is always a pressure to go into fields where there are prospects of high paying jobs. One can survive in science only if they love what they are doing. My love developed from the sense of adventure that came with scientific research and travelling for fieldwork in remote places. 
Thanks to Science, I have been fortunate enough to touch all of the 
(Above: Images of Science Cruises in the Southern Ocean on the S.A. Agulhas II with Susan Fietz colleague and students) If you don’t ask the question “Why?” all the time until you run out of answers, you cannot be a scientist. Science thrives on curiosity and there is a lot to be curious about when it comes to the oceans. Oceans are truly the last frontier because we know more about space than oceans. Large parts of the oceans are unexplored and there are huge opportunities for one to make their mark. Marine chemistry or biogeochemistry in South Africa is highly underdeveloped, but this is a field that can answer the most critical questions such as climate change and anthropogenic influences on ocean processes, on which survival of the living planet depends. To be a good researcher in ocean sciences, you will have to have a good understanding of the principles and advanced knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics and you will need an open mind to take on the teaching of these different fields while pursuing your focused research.
