DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.55122022
Processed CTD continuous observations from the Spanish-Namibian Environmental Cruise (SNEC) on the Africana Voyage 035, September 1985

This is processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data from the Spanish-Namibian Environmental Cruise (SNEC) on the Africana Voyage 035, collected between 16 September and 06 October 1985. The cruise operated in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. The objective of this cruise was to investigate the hydrology and plankton of the coastal waters off Nambia between 20 S and 26 S.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.63122022
Processed CTD continuous observations from the West Coast Hake Biomass on the Africana Voyage 039, January 1986

This is processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous 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...

(No DOI)
Raw SDS from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) on Algoa Voyage 239, May 2017

This is raw Scientific Data System (SDS) data from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) onboard the Algoa Voyage 239 (ALG239) from 22 to 29 May 2017. This programme is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional platform to undertake relevant science in the Southern Benguela; also functioning as a platform for collaboration and learning. All projects aim to develop an ecosystem indicator that can be used to effectively monitor and understand the Southern Benguela i.e physical, chemical, planktonic, microbial, seabird and benthic ecosystem indicators, used for ecosystem-based management.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.01142023
Benguela Air-Sea CO2 and Heat Flux Experiment on the Algoa Voyage 278, December 2021

The Benguela Air-Sea CO2 and Heat Flux Experiment was conducted on the Algoa Voyage 278 from 6 to 19 December 2021. The cruise operated on the West Coast of South Africa at a fixed location between Station 4 and 5 of the St. Helena Bay monitoring line (SHBML) with the ship's bow into the wind. The objectives of the cruise were to examine, using high-resolution Eddy Co-Variance (EcV) and in situ observations, the role of the ocean “cool skin” on the air-sea flux of CO2 and heat; to examine, through high-resolution observations, the impact of the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 10m of the water column on the estimation of the air-sea flux; to examine the sensitivity of 1 and 2 under a wide range of diurnal and synoptic wind stress and surface layer mixing conditions; to link the variability in the temperature gradients and pCO2 to mixed layer dynamics in response to the interaction of wind-linked mixing and heat-linked stratification; to understand the synoptic scale...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.01122023
Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 051, March 2022

The Marion Island Relief Voyage was conducted on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 051 from 31 March to 23 May 2022. The 2022 Marion Relief Voyage 051 offered the 10th opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary, ship-based oceanographic research on board the SA Agulhas II en route to, from, and around, the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (PEI’s). For the first time since the start of the global pandemic, 17 berths were allocated for ship-based scientists, but due to the helicopter logistics still being ship-based no additional research time was allocated and ship-based research was capped to 13 days before the voyage. This meant 10 days of research was allocated to the area around the PEI’s and 3 days allocated to the return leg to Cape Town, to enable the sampling of the Crossroads Transect. Thus, not all the approved NRF-funded SANAP projects could be accommodated. Similarly, annual ship-based research and long-term monitoring conducted by the Oceans & Coasts Research Branch of the...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.01102023
Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 045, May 2021

The Marion Island Relief Voyage was conducted on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 045 between 9 April and 12 May 2021. The 2021 Marion Relief Voyage 045 offered the 9th opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary, ship-based oceanographic research on board the SA Agulhas II en-route to, from, and around, the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands. Due to the world wide Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures implemented by the South African government to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus in South Africa, the main ship-based research objectives normally associated with the Marion relief voyage (as submitted through SANAP3 applications) were, like in 2020, once again curtailed. Thus, not all the approved NRF-funded SANAP projects could be accommodated. Similarly, annual ship-based research and monitoring conducted by the Oceans & Coasts Research Branch of DFFE was similarly substantially reduced. This was mainly due to the number of participants allowed to participate on the voyage...

(No DOI)
Raw SADCP data from SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 014, December 2014

The is raw Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (SADCP) data from the SANAE on SA Agulhas II Voyage 014, 14 December 2014 and 19 February 2015 with full scientific complement.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 54 team to the island and return with the SANAE 53 team.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.05122022
No Download
Plankton Shoal Ecology on the Africana Voyage 020, May 1984

This Plankton Shoal Ecology cruise on the Africana is the second of two and comprised an extensive grid (stations E01-E14), an intensive grid (stations SH01-12 to SH05-24) and a 1x1 nautical mile box grid for time series sampling (stations TS01-18 to TS03-18). Sample data was only collected at the SH and TS stations.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.04122022
West Coast Physical Oceanography on the Africana Voyage 019, May 1984

Africana Cruise 019 lasted from May 7 to May 17th 1984 and undertook several scientific tasks. The first part of the cruise was mostly devoted to bathymetric and geophysical (continuous reflection seismic) surveys in the region of the Cape Canyon of SW Cape. These surveys were the responsibility of personnel from the Marine Geoscience Unit of the University of Cape Town, and were done as part of a collaborative project with officers of the Sea Fisheries Research Institute who have an interest in the physiography of the Canyon and adjacent areas. The project received nominal financial support during 1984 from the SANCOR CSP Marine Sedimentology Programme.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.42112024
Current Meter and Sediment Trap Recovery Shelf Chemistry on the Africana Voyage 114, June 1993

The Current Meter and Sediment Trap Recovery Shelf Chemistry on the Africana Voyage 114, June 1993 was conducted from 21 June 1993 to June 30 1993. The main objectives of the cruise were to recover and redeploy the inshore time series current meter array deployed in 168m off Cape Columbine. To locate and attempt recovery of the inshore current meter deployed in 132m off Hondeklip Bay; to locate and attempt recovery of the offshore current meter sediment trap array deployed in 686m off Hondeklip Bay; to attempt location and recovery of the offshore current meter array deployed in 278m off Cape Columbine. To conduct research into the shelf geochemistry on a line off Hondeklip Bay and, if time, in St Helena Bay and to conduct a survey of nearshore dissolved oxygen in the vicinity of Port Nolloth to link in with research on Namagualand stocks being undertaken by the Rock Lobster section.

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

This is processed Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) 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,...

(No DOI)
Raw SDS data from the Winter Shakedown Cruise on SA Agulhas II Voyage 003, July 2012

This is raw Scientific Data System (SDS) data from the Winter Shakedown Cruise on SA Agulhas II, Voyage 003, 9 July to 6 August, 2012. The cruise started in Cape Town and went down to the GoodHope Line then up to the Prince Edward Islands, on to Port Elizabeth and then back to Cape Town. After the arrival of SA Agulhas II back to South Africa, an inaugural Southern Ocean cruise was undertaken, which included a multidisciplinary program to measure oceanographic and biological parameters that characterise the state of the Southern Ocean in the region of interest to South Africa, along with the ecosystem properties of the major gyres, frontal systems and shelf and plateau areas. Additionally, land-based research on marine mammals and seabirds was undertaken at South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands (PEIs). The aim of the cruise was to test the research vessels capability and its equipment and to increase our understanding with regard to the influences of oceanographic conditions...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.15142023
Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 066, April 2025

The 2025 Marion Relief Voyage 066 offered the 13th opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary, ship-based oceanographic research on board the SA Agulhas II en route to, from, and around, the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (PEIs). The ship-based research was conducted as a joint multi-institutional, multidisciplinary effort with scientists, research technicians, interns and students from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment: Oceans & Coasts Research (DFFE-OCR), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment: Specialist Monitoring Services (DFFE-SMS), Bayworld Centre for Research and Education (BCRE) and the University of Cape Town (UCT), all collaborating to achieve a variety of research and monitoring project objectives. The voyage took place between 17 April 2025 and 27 May 2025.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.10522023
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) Monitoring Line cruise on the Algoa Voyage 253, October 2018

Here we present the 6-second resolution processed Thermosalinograph (TSG) data collected between 01 October and 16 October 2018 during the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Basin-wide Array (SAMBA) Monitoring Line cruise on the RS Algoa Voyage 253. A SeaBird SBE45 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). The cruise operated from Slangkop, off Cape Town, westwards to 15° E, in the South Atlantic Ocean along the SAMBA transect. The objectives of the...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.10562023
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP: SB) on the Algoa Voyage 277, November 2021

Here we present the 6-second resolution processed Thermosalinograph (TSG) data collected between 15 November and 23 November 2021 during the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) on the RS Algoa Voyage 277. A SeaBird SBE45 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). 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...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.10072024
Processed CTD discrete observations from the Anchovy Recruitment Survey on the Africana Voyage 081, May 1990

Here we present processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) discrete data from the upcast collected between 07 and 12 May 1990, during voyage 081 on the FRS Africana, in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of Southern 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.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.13072024
Processed CTD continuous observations from the South Coast Demersal Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 082, May 1990

Here we present processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data collected between 23 May and 13 June 1990, during voyage 082 on the FRS Africana, in the Agulhas Current Large Marine Ecosystem (ACLME) region on the south coast of Southern 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.

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.20210409
Processed underway Thermosalinograph (TSG) observations from the Algoa Voyage 269, October 2020

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 03 October 2020 and 16 October 2020, during Voyage 269 on the Algoa.

(No DOI)
SDS data from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela (IEP:SB) on the Algoa Voyage 202, September 2013

This is raw underway Scientific Data System (SDS) data from the Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela on the Algoa Voyage 202, 9 to 19 September, 2013. This was the pilot cruise for the IEP:SB for site determination and gear testing.The Integrated Ecosystem Programme: Southern Benguela is a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional platform to undertake relevant science in the Southern Benguela; also functioning as a platform for collaboration and learning. All projects aim to develop an ecosystem indicator that can be used to effectively monitor and understand the Southern Benguela i.e physical, chemical, planktonic, microbial, seabird and benthic ecosystem indicators, used for ecosystem-based management.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.36072024
Pelagic Pre-Recruit Mesopelagic Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 090, March 1991

The Pelagic Pre-Recruit Mesopelagic Biomass Survey was conducted on the Africana Voyage 090 from 05-19 March 1991. The objectives of the cruise were to get an estimation of the biomass and population structure of epi-pelagic pre-recruit fish off the West Coast by means of echo-integration and midwater trawling; get an estimation of an epi-pelagic pre-recruit biomass index using quantitative Methot trawls; get an estimation of the biomass and population structure of mesopelagic fish using echo-integration and midwater trawling; to investigate the behaviour of pelagic pre-recruit fish in relation to oceanographic variables; get a collection of biological material for age, oil content, diet and condition studies on pelagic pre-recruits; to determine oxygen concentrations in rock lobster distribution areas; the profiling of currents by means of the acoustic doppler current profiler; and testing the feasibility of the acoustic assessment of juvenile hake.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.11122024
Anchovy Recruitment Survey on the Africana Voyage 103, May 1992

The Anchovy Recruitment Survey was conducted on the Africana Voyage 103 from 12 - 28 May 1992. The main objectives of the cruise were to estimate the abundance and size-structure of anchovy and pilchard recruits; to describe the distribution and behaviour patterns of anchovy and pilchard recruits and the influence of oceanographic variables on these; to collect biological data on pelagic fish species and to examine the distribution, abundance and production of plankton in relation to the environment and to recruit distribution and condition.

(No DOI)
Raw CTD data from the Moorings and Monitoring Lines Cruise: Cape Point and Port St Johns on the Algoa Voyage 204, November 2013

This is raw Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) data from the Moorings and Monitoring Lines Cruise: Cape Point and Port St Johns on the Algoa Voyage 204, 25 November to 6 December, 2013. 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.

(No DOI)
Raw Distributed Data System (DDS) data from the African Coelecanth Ecology Programme (ACEP) Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 130, July 2004

This is raw DDS data from the African Coelecanth Ecology Programme (ACEP) Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 130, July 2004. The area covered includes the Western Indian Ocean; South African East Coast; Delago Bight - Mozambique; Tanzanian Coast; Comoros.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.56072024
Processed CTD discrete observations from the Pelagic Pre-Recruit Mesopelagic Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 101, March 1992

Here we present processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) discrete data from the upcast collected between 11 and 23 March 1992, during voyage 101 on the FRS Africana, in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of Southern 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.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.52072024
Processed CTD continuous observations from the West Coast Hake Biomass Survey on the Africana Voyage 100, February 1992

Here we present processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data collected between 06 February and 03 March 1992, during voyage 100 on the FRS Africana, in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of Southern 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.

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