Title Seawater temperature data from a subtidal habitat in Elands Bay, 1 to 13 February 2024
Project Conservation Physiology Programme
Authors

Tanya Haupt
Oceans and Coastal Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Production Scientist; contact details: email: thaupt@dffe.gov.za

Liesl Janson
Oceans and Coastal Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Technician; contact details: email: LJanson@dffe.gov.za

Lutz Auerswald
Fisheries Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Specialist Scientist; contact details: email: LAuerswald@dffe.gov.za

Ricardo Williamson
Fisheries Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Technician; contact details: email: RWilliamson@dffe.gov.za

Publisher Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (2024)
Contributors

Contact Person: Tanya Haupt
Oceans and Coastal Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Production Scientist; contact details: email: thaupt@dffe.gov.za

Project Member: Ricardo Williamson
Fisheries Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Technician; contact details: email: RWilliamson@dffe.gov.za

Project Member: Toufiek Samaai
Oceans and Coastal Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Specialist Scientist; contact details: email: TSamaai@dffe.gov.za

Project Member: Kezia Samuels
Oceans and Coastal Research, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE); role: Intern; contact details: email: KSamuels@dffe.gov.za

Abstract To better understand the physiological effects of climate change and ocean acidification on marine organisms, information on the environmental conditions experienced in their natural habitats is required. Data from long-term monitoring studies capture in situ variability of environmental parameters that are used to relate experimental findings with field conditions. Elands Bay on the west coast of South Africa is a key location for such research and monitoring. It is a popular location for West Coast rock lobster fishing and therefore an important sentinel site for a commercial fishery species and the benthic communities upon which it depends. Low pH conditions exist along the west coast due to effects of upwelling, while cold-bottom waters in Elands Bay often result in low oxygen events responsible for mass walkouts of rock lobster. Additional exposure to extreme stressors associated with climate change can exacerbate impacts on their physiological processes. For example, acute thermal stress experienced during a marine heatwave may cause a rapid deterioration of cellular processes and performances beyond tolerance limits, affecting survival, growth and development. In South Africa, occurrences of marine heatwaves are increasing all along the coastline, and occur on average at least once a year. Data on temperature extremes are therefore important to design experiments and calculate thermal windows. We initiated long-term monitoring of inshore environmental parameters in Elands Bay by deploying temperature loggers in representative habitat types: intertidal rock pools varying in surface area, volume and position along the shore, sun-exposed habitats, and subtidal habitats. The subtidal logger is positioned at an overhang in the same vicinity of the rockpools and housed in a mooring block. Here we present the cleaned up version of temperature measurements from the subtidal from 1 to 13 February 2024.
Methods The details of the subtidal habitat are captured in the 'README' file. The HOBO TidbiT temperature logger was set to record temperature every 5 minutes. The logger is enclosed inside a plastic housing embedded in a cement mooring block. The mooring block is held in place by a chain secured to a ledge. Data were extracted from the loggers using HOBOware Pro software and exported into Excel files. Times are GMT+2. The data available are the raw files (all temperatures even outside of the water) and 'clean' files where only the temperatures recorded once loggers were submerged are provided. Clean data are presented here for the subtidal. To avoid the inclusion of any 'handling' temperatures in the clean datasets, the temperatures extracted are from ten minutes once the logger is deployed, and 10 minutes before it is removed to download data.
Data
Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Temporal extent 01 Feb 2024 – 13 Feb 2024
Geographic extent

Elands Bay, South Africa

Lat: -32.31493
Lon: 18.32978

Keywords logger, SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, subtidal, temperature
Related resources
  • This digital object continues Seawater temperature data from a subtidal habitat in Elands Bay, 1 to 31 January 2024 (10.15493/DEA.MIMS.14492023)
  • This digital object is new version of Raw seawater temperature data from a subtidal habitat in Elands Bay, 18 October 2023 to 13 February 2024 (10.15493/DEA.MIMS.14452023)
  • This digital object is part of Long-term monitoring of inshore temperatures in Elands Bay to support physiological research (10.15493/DEA.MIMS.13912023)