DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.250121-9
Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) on the Algoa Voyage 258, February 2019

This Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) cruise was conducted on the Algoa Voyage 258 in February 2019. This is a long-term monitoring line conducted off the coast of Kleinsee, Namaqualand, Elands/St Helena Bay and Scarborough on the west coast of South Africa. The IEP:SB in 2013 consolidated a long-term, multi-decadal time-series (from 1951 onward) of information for this important region and has continued monitoring in the form of the IEP:SB. The programme is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative and capacity building platform undertaking relevant science, including updating technology, with the aim to develop ecosystem indicators that can be used to effectively monitor and understand the Southern Benguela. These include physical, chemical, planktonic, microbial, seabird, marine mammal, benthic and pollution (plastic) ecosystem indicators as required by ecosystem-based management regarding the following priorities: ocean warming, ocean acidification, trophic...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.05092023
Processed CTD discrete observations from the West Coast Hake Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 054, June 1987

Here we present processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) discrete data from the upcast collected between 16 June and 10 July 1987, during the West Coast Hake Biomass Cruise on the Africana Voyage 054, in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. Neil Brown MK3 and MK4 CTD instruments were used to measure pressure, temperature and conductivity through the water column during research and monitoring cruises between 1983 and 2000. The scientific targets of the trip revolved around the determination of biomass index of both Cape hake species off the South African west coast. The diurnal cycle of Cape hake and their relationship with environmental parameters was also studied. Some hake material were collected in South West African waters. Deep-water trawls were made to delimit the offshore extent of hake distribution and to collect rare specimens of fish for accession to museums. Demersal community interrelationships were...

(No DOI)
Processed XBT data from the Gough Island Relief on SA Agulhas II Voyage 004, September 2012

The Gough Island Relief Voyage is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering team in Gough Island and to replenish the supplies at the British’s leased Gough Island Research base. The cruise also serves as a means to transport the residents and/or visitors to Tristan da Cunha using a signed agreement between South Africa and United Kingdom (UK). This voyage was to deliver the Gough 58 team to the island and return with the Gough 57 team. This is processed Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) data from the Gough Island Relief on SA Agulhas II Voyage 004 , 6 September to 11 October, 2012.

(No DOI)
Processed SADCP data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on SA Agulhas II Voyage 011, April 2014

This is processed Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (SADCP) data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on SA Agulhas II Voyage 011, 14 April to 14 May 2014. The 2014 Marion Relief Voyage on board South Africa’s polar research and supply vessel MV SA Agulhas II, offered another opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary ship-based oceanographic research focusing on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and biology. The overall aim was to continue contributing to the establishment of an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, the global requirements of GOOS, SOOS, CCAMLR, ACAP, etc. With the recent declaration in April 2013 of the Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) as South Africa’s first offshore Marine Protected Area (MPA), the outcomes of this cruise will further contribute toward an integrated view and a better...

(No DOI)
Processed XBT data from Gough Island Relief / Tristan da Cunha on SA Agulhas II Voyage 009, September 2013

This is pre-processed Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) data from the Gough Island Relief on SA Agulhas II Voyage 004 , 6 September to 11 October, 2012. The Gough Island Relief Voyage is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering team in Gough Island and to replenish the supplies at the British’s leased Gough Island Research base. The cruise also serves as a means to transport the residents and/or visitors to Tristan da Cunha using a signed agreement between South Africa and United Kingdom (UK). This voyage was to deliver the Gough 58 team to the island and return with the Gough 57 team. This dataset was processed using older standards which may not align with international best practices and the standards currently adhered to by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). The Department is re-processing and replacing data to ensure everything has the same format and is of the same quality and...

(No DOI)
Raw CTD data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on SA Agulhas II Voyage 011, April 2014

This is raw Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on SA Agulhas II Voyage 011, 14 April to 14 May 2014. The 2014 Marion Relief Voyage on board South Africa’s polar research and supply vessel MV SA Agulhas II, offered another opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary ship-based oceanographic research focusing on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and biology. The overall aim was to continue contributing to the establishment of an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, the global requirements of GOOS, SOOS, CCAMLR, ACAP, etc.With the recent declaration in April 2013 of the Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) as South Africa’s first offshore Marine Protected Area (MPA), the outcomes of this cruise will further contribute toward an integrated view and a better understanding of the...

(No DOI)
Raw SADCP data from SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 018, December 2015

This is raw Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (SADCP) data from SANAE, S.A Agulhas II voyage 018 from 05 December 2015 to10 February 2016. The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering teams in Antarctica and to replenish the supplies at the SANAE IV Research base. This voyage was to deliver the SANAE 55 team to the island and return with the SANAE 54 team. The cruise was undertaken between with full scientific complement.

(No DOI)
Raw SDS data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 007, April 2013

This is raw Scientific Data System (SDS) data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 007, 10 April to 16 May 2013. The 2013 Marion Relief Voyage 007 on board South Africa’s new polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II, afforded yet another opportunity to conduct multi-institutional (DEA, DAFF, UCT, SAEON, Rhodes University) and multi-disciplinary ship-based oceanographic research that focused on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, biogeochemistry, plankton and benthic communities and island-based top predators. The overall aim is to establish an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, the global requirements of the Southern Ocean Observation System (SOOS), CCAMLR, ACAP, etc., by documenting ship-board observations in the oceanic environment around the Prince Edward Islands in a holistic manner, from the sea...

(No DOI)
Raw Echo Sounder data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 007, April 2013

This is raw Echo Sounder data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 007, 10 April to 16 May 2013. The 2013 Marion Relief Voyage 007 on board South Africa’s new polar research and supply vessel, the SA Agulhas II, afforded yet another opportunity to conduct multi-institutional (DEA, DAFF, UCT, SAEON, Rhodes University) and multi-disciplinary ship-based oceanographic research that focused on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, biogeochemistry, plankton and benthic communities and island-based top predators. The overall aim is to establish an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, the global requirements of the Southern Ocean Observation System (SOOS), CCAMLR, ACAP, etc., by documenting ship-board observations in the oceanic environment around the Prince Edward Islands in a holistic manner, from the sea floor, through water...

(No DOI)
SDS data from the Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III Winter Cruise on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 016, July 2015

This is raw Scientific Data System (SDS) data from the Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III Winter Cruise on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 016, 22 July to 15 August, 2015. The third Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III is a high-resolution full seasonal cycle experiment using integrated observational and modeling platforms. A novel aspect of SOSCEx III is the integrated multi-platform approach, which aims to explore new questions about the climate sensitivity of carbon and ecosystem dynamics in the Southern Ocean and how these processes are parameterized in models. This winter 2015 cruise can be divided into two primary tracks, the GoodHope line, between Cape Town and the ice edge along the Greenwich Meridian, and the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) line, between Cape Town and the Greenwich Meridian, at 34.5 degrees South longitude.

(No DOI)
Preliminary processed CTD data from SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 018, December 2015

This is processed Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from SANAE, S.A Agulhas II voyage 018 from 05 December 2015 to10 February 2016. The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering teams in Antarctica and to replenish the supplies at the SANAE IV Research base. This voyage was to deliver the SANAE 55 team to the island and return with the SANAE 54 team. The cruise was undertaken between with full scientific complement. This dataset was processed using older standards which may not align with international best practices and the standards currently adhered to by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). The Department is re-processing and replacing data to ensure everything has the same format and is of the same quality and datasets will be marked as obsoleted once that is done. As such the user assumes the entire risk related to the...

(No DOI)
Processed XBT data from the Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III Winter Cruise on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 016, July 2015

This is processed Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) data from the Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III Winter Cruise on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 016, 22 July to 15 August, 2015. The third Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) III is a high-resolution full seasonal cycle experiment using integrated observational and modeling platforms. A novel aspect of SOSCEx III is the integrated multi-platform approach, which aims to explore new questions about the climate sensitivity of carbon and ecosystem dynamics in the Southern Ocean and how these processes are parameterized in models. This winter 2015 cruise can be divided into two primary tracks, the GoodHope line, between Cape Town and the ice edge along the Greenwich Meridian, and the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) line, between Cape Town and the Greenwich Meridian, at 34.5 degrees South longitude.

(No DOI)
Raw TSG data from SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 018, December 2015

This is raw Thermosalinograph (TSG) data from SANAE, SA Agulhas II Voyage 018 from 05 December 2015 to 10 February 2016. The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering teams in Antarctica and to replenish the supplies at the SANAE IV Research base. This voyage was to deliver the SANAE 55 team to the island and return with the SANAE 54 team. The cruise was undertaken between with full scientific complement.

(No DOI)
Raw SDS data from SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 018, December 2015

This is raw Scientific Data System (SDS) data from SANAE, SA Agulhas II Voyage 018 from 05 December 2015 to 10 February 2016. The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual cruise undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to change the overwintering teams in Antarctica and to replenish the supplies at the SANAE IV Research base. This voyage was to deliver the SANAE 55 team to the island and return with the SANAE 54 team. The cruise was undertaken between with full scientific complement.

(No DOI)
Processed and corrected CTD data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 019, April 2016

This is processed and corrected Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from the Marion Island Relief Voyage on the MV SA Agulhas II Voyage 019, 7 April to 16 May 2016. The 2016 Marion Relief Voyage 019 offered the 4th opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary, ship-based marine research focusing on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and biology, including microbial, planktic and benthic communities on board South Africa’s polar research and supply vessel MV SA Agulhas II en route to, and around, the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward archipelago. The overall aim was to continue contributing to an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, in support of global requirements of inter alia the Global Oceans Observing System (GOOS), the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.32062025
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP: SB) cruise on the Algoa Voyage 228, May 2016

Here we present the 6-second resolution processed TSG data collected, between 19 May 2016 and 26 May 2016, during Voyage 228 on the Algoa. A SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used to opportunistically collect underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements during research and monitoring cruises. Water is continuously pumped to the TSG from an intake located in the hull of the vessel, and the observations are continuously interfaced with navigational information. A temperature sensor close to the intake provides temperature measurements of the incoming water (T1). The temperature of the water inside the conductivity cell (T2) is used to accurately compute salinity (S) from the conductivity measurements (C).

(No DOI)
Raw TSG data from Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) IV on the SA Agulhas II, Voyage 020, July 2016

The SA Agulhas II operated from Cape Town along the Goodhope Line, completing underway biogeochemical and physical oceanography observations along the transect, as part of the Winter 2016 Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) IV and Marginal Ice Zone Dynamics. The cruise included deployment of expendable bathythermographs underway, deployment of four autonomous robotics instruments at two stations (2 wavegliders and 2 buoyancy gliders, per station), and the deployment of two Argo floats. One CTD for instrument calibration and verification was deployed at each glider station. The transect commenced to the Marginal Ice Zone for sample collection of sea ice and biological community composition in this region. This collection includes raw Thermosalinograph (TSG) data from S.A Agulhas II, Voyage 020A (AGU020A) that took place between 15 July 2016 and 29 July 2016.

(No DOI)
Raw SADCP data from Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) IV on the SA Agulhas II, Voyage 020, July 2016

The SA Agulhas II operated from Cape Town along the Goodhope Line, completing underway biogeochemical and physical oceanography observations along the transect, as part of the Winter 2016 Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx) IV and Marginal Ice Zone Dynamics. The cruise included deployment of expendable bathythermographs underway, deployment of four autonomous robotics instruments at two stations (2 wavegliders and 2 buoyancy gliders, per station), and the deployment of two Argo floats. One CTD for instrument calibration and verification was deployed at each glider station. The transect commenced to the Marginal Ice Zone for sample collection of sea ice and biological community composition in this region. This collection includes raw Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (SADCP) data from S.A Agulhas II, Voyage 020A (AGU020A) that took place between 15 July 2016 and 29 July 2016.

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.25010007
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the SA Agulhas II Voyage 035, November 2018

A SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used to opportunistically collect underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements during research and monitoring cruises. Water is continuously pumped to the TSG from an intake located in the hull of the vessel, and the observations are continuously interfaced with navigational information. A temperature sensor close to the intake provides temperature measurements of the incoming water (T1). The temperature of the water inside the conductivity cell (T2) is used to accurately compute salinity (S) from the conductivity measurements (C). Here we present the 6-second resolution processed TSG data collected, between 30 November 2018 and 14 March 2019, during Voyage 035 on the SA Agulhas II.

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.25010009
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the SA Agulhas II Voyage 036, April 2019

A SeaBird SBE45 Thermosalinograph (TSG) is used to opportunistically collect underway near-surface temperature and conductivity measurements during research and monitoring cruises. Water is continuously pumped to the TSG from an intake located in the hull of the vessel, and the observations are continuously interfaced with navigational information. A temperature sensor close to the intake provides temperature measurements of the incoming water (T1). The temperature of the water inside the conductivity cell (T2) is used to accurately compute salinity (S) from the conductivity measurements (C). Here we present the 10-second resolution processed TSG data collected, between 10 April 2019 and 14 May 2019, during Voyage 036 on the SA Agulhas II.

(No DOI)
Raw TSG data from the South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, July 2014

This is raw Thermosalinograph (TSG) data collected on the South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, 9 to 24 July 2014. The South Coast Mooring Cruise had two scientific objectives: (1) Service, maintain and extend the in situ operational oceanography network currently deployed around South Africa and (2) to investigate the dynamics of the Port St Johns eddy and biological implications. Between 1988 and 2011, environmental and plankton sampling was conducted every summer along the South Coast during the annual pelagic spawner biomass surveys. Data collected during these cruises has provided valuable insight into environmental change in this region. There has been significant decline in copepod biomass on both the western and central Agulhas Bank over the past two decades, as well as a decline in the proportion of the large dominant species Calanus agulhensis, resulting in a shift towards a smaller copepod-dominated community. These changes are thought to have been largely...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.33112024
Short-term observations of hourly currents on the continental shelf off Port St Johns, along the east coast of South Africa (December 2013 - September 2014)

Between 2013 and 2014, a short-term mooring deployment was conducted to determine the oceanographic characteristics and variability off Port St Johns, along the east coast of South Africa. One mooring (PJ) was deployed, at a depth of 90m, between July 2013 and September 2014. This mooring measured currents, as well as sub-surface bottom temperatures on the continental shelf off Port St Johns, on the east coast of South Africa. Here we present processed magnitude and direction of hourly currents throughout the water column (4.24 - 90.24 m) from an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) at location PJ (31.73°S; 29.51°E) on the continental shelf off Port St Johns, between December 2013 and September 2014.

(No DOI)
Raw CTD data from the Transkei Shelf Oceanography Cruise on the Algoa 241, July 2017

This is raw Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from the Transkei Shelf Oceanography Cruise on the Algoa 241, 12 July to 11 August, 2017. The area covered includes the Transkei shelf and continental slope (20m to 1000m), of the Eastern Cape, between Cape St Francis and Port Shepstone in the South-West Indian Ocean.Our knowledge of the distribution of offshore benthic biodiversity on the Transkei shelf is very limited. The region between Algoa Bay and Port Edward is not only important for understanding the functioning of existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) such as Pondoland, Dwesa-Cwebe, and the Amathole, but is of particular relevance to the new Operation Phakisa proposed MPA network that will potentially include additional MPAs such as the Protea Banks, Amathole Expansion, and the proposed Addo MPA. In addition, further knowledge is needed to support decision-making about the offshore extent of the Dwesa-Cwebe MPA. The oceanography in the form of water column and energy...

(No DOI)
Raw TSG data from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) on the Algoa Voyage 218, September 2015

This is raw Thermosalinograph (TSG) data from the St Helena Bay Monitoring Line September 2015 cruise (now under the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela). The St Helena Bay Monitoring Line was initiated as a BENEFIT-driven project on "shipboard monitoring" which linked with similar lines run in Namibia and Angola. The aims are to obtain seasonal and interannual information on the hydrology and productivity of the area. Data on harmful algal blooms, low oxygen water and intrusions of Agulhas Bank water along the west coast will also be collected. A long-term, multi-decadel time-series (from 1951 onward) of information already exists for this important region and has continued in the form of the IEP:SB to detect long-term changes in the hydrology and the plankton, which are important for the detection of regime shifts.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.64122022
Processed CTD discrete observations from the West Coast Hake Biomass on the Africana Voyage 039, January 1986

This is processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) discrete data from the West Coast Hake Biomass on the Africana Voyage 039, collected between 08 January and 05 February 1986. The cruise operated in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. The objectives of this cruise were to survey by means of trawling the abundance of adult and recruiting hake; to investigate the diurnal cycle of hake and other demersal species; to investigate the environment and ecological interrelationships of hake and other demersal species; to carry out acoustic target identification of mesopelagic species with RMT 8 nets; to make a few experimental trawls in deep water to search for the other species of monkfish and to determine the offshore limit of hake distribution; if possible to rendezvous with Spanish and Soviet vessels and to carry out standardisation trawls in parallel and to conduct net mouth-opening experiments with transducers on each wing...

Geographic extent

Temporal extent