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DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.36042025

Short-term observations of daily currents at the Walters Shoal, southwest Indian Ocean at location WSS01 (30 May 2014 - 02 August 2015)

The Walters Shoal project, part of the broader African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP III), conducted an oceanographic and biological survey of the Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the southwest Indian Ocean, in order to understand the biodiversity and ecological processes occurring on this unique seamount. The project used a multidisciplinary approach that included the sampling of sponge fauna, fish populations, and oceanographic conditions. Oceanographic data (including moored ADCP data, CTD profiles, as well as underway S-ADCP and TSG data) was collected to understand the circulation patterns and hydrography that could influence the biological communities on the seamount. Here, we present the moored ADCP data that was collected to determine currents and sub-surface temperatures. Two ADCP moorings were deployed, one on the northern part and the other on the southern part of Walters Shoal, at depths of 500m, between May 2014 and August 2015. Here we present processed...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.26052019

Long-term moored observations at the Prince Edward Island archipelago

Here we present long-term observations from the Prince Edward Island (PEI) shelf moorings. These moorings form part of the South African component of the International South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation project (SAMOC-SA), which aims to characterize the time-mean and time-varying components of the SAMOC in the South Atlantic Ocean and monitor the variability of the main Southern Ocean frontal systems associated with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), south of Africa.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.38042025

Short-term observations of daily currents at the Walters Shoal, southwest Indian Ocean at location WSN01 (26 May 2014 - 01 August 2015)

The Walters Shoal project, part of the broader African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP III), conducted an oceanographic and biological survey of the Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the southwest Indian Ocean, in order to understand the biodiversity and ecological processes occurring on this unique seamount. The project used a multidisciplinary approach that included the sampling of sponge fauna, fish populations, and oceanographic conditions. Oceanographic data (including moored ADCP data, CTD profiles, as well as underway S-ADCP and TSG data) was collected to understand the circulation patterns and hydrography that could influence the biological communities on the seamount. Here, we present the moored ADCP data that was collected to determine currents and sub-surface temperatures. Two ADCP moorings were deployed, one on the northern part and the other on the southern part of Walters Shoal, at depths of 500m, between May 2014 and August 2015. Here we present processed...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.32042025

Short-term observations of daily bottom temperatures at the Walters Shoal, southwest Indian Ocean at location WSS01 (30 May 2014-01 August 2015)

The Walters Shoal project, part of the broader African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP III), conducted an oceanographic and biological survey of the Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the southwest Indian Ocean, in order to understand the biodiversity and ecological processes occurring on this unique seamount. The project used a multidisciplinary approach that included the sampling of sponge fauna, fish populations, and oceanographic conditions. Oceanographic data (including moored ADCP data, CTD profiles, as well as underway S-ADCP and TSG data) was collected to understand the circulation patterns and hydrography that could influence the biological communities on the seamount. Here, we present the moored ADCP data that was collected to determine currents and sub-surface temperatures. Two ADCP moorings were deployed, one on the northern part and the other on the southern part of Walters Shoal, at depths of 500m, between May 2014 and August 2015. Here we present processed...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.13912023

Long-term monitoring of inshore temperatures in Elands Bay to support physiological research

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 (Jasus lalandii) 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...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.08122022

Processed CTD continuous observations from the Coastal Current Meter Programme on the Africana Voyage 017, March 1984

This is processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data from the Coastal Current Meter Programme on the Africana Voyage 017 collected between 19 and 27 March 1984. 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 retrieve ten moorings, eight on the shelf and two on the shelf break between Cape Columbine and Port Nolloth; to deploy three moorings in the coastal zone between Cape Columbine and Cape Town; to obtain Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiles and water samples on a transect bearing 270° from Cape Columbine; to profile currents, make repeated CTD casts and record atmospheric conditions in St Helena Bay as part of a vertical mixing study, participating in this work were two scientists from UCT; to calibrate the CTD temperature probe in-situ using reversing thermometers; to allow the chemical oceanography team to familiarise themselves with...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.06122022

Processed CTD continuous observations from the West Coast Physical Oceanography cruise on the Africana Voyage 016, February 1984

This is processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data from the West Coast Physical Oceanography cruise on the Africana Voyage 016 collected between 03 and 04 February 1984. 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 conduct torsional vibration trials to meet the requirements of Lloyds, to retrieve and deploy two thermistor chain/current meter moorings and to conduct CTD profiling in the area of operations.

(No DOI)

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Annual State of the Oceans reports

A series of reports on State of the Oceans around South Africa, produced by Branch Oceans and Coasts of South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs, was introduced in December 2006. The reports initially considered environmental parameters for the purposes of establishing general principles, such as annual cycles, and long-term trends, which may provide insight into the local effects of global warming and climate change. The reports were intended to provide an overview of marine environmental conditions that prevailed during the preceding year, which may be of relevance to the management of South Africa’s marine and coastal resources and infrastructure. To this end, use was made of data from a variety of sources, including websites, satellite sensors, the South African Weather Service, coastal and moored instruments, and research and monitoring cruises. Intrinsic to all of these data series is an inevitable lag between the time of sample collection or data capture and the...

(No DOI)

Raw SADCP data from the South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, July 2014

This is raw Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (SADCP) 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...

(No DOI)

SDS data from the South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, July 2014

This is Scientific Data System (SDS) 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...

(No DOI)

Processed CTD data from the South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, July 2014

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

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.14872023

South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 056, December 2022 - February 2023

The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual voyage undertaken by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to facilitate the overwintering team change at SANAE IV Research Base in Antarctica and replenish supplies. This voyage, SA Agulhas II Voyage 056, took place between 07 December 2022 and 13 February 2023, delivering the SANAE 62 overwintering team and returning with the SANAE 61 team. The primary ship based research objectives included underway sampling along the Good Hope transect from Cape Town to Antarctica and back, as well as hydrographic sampling and mooring recovery in the Maud Rise area as part of the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC) program.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.33042025

Short-term observations of hourly bottom temperatures at the Walters Shoal, southwest Indian Ocean at location WSN01 (25 May 2014 - 02 August 2015)

The Walters Shoal project, part of the broader African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP III), conducted an oceanographic and biological survey of the Walters Shoal, a shallow seamount in the southwest Indian Ocean, in order to understand the biodiversity and ecological processes occurring on this unique seamount. The project used a multidisciplinary approach that included the sampling of sponge fauna, fish populations, and oceanographic conditions. Oceanographic data (including moored ADCP data, CTD profiles, as well as underway S-ADCP and TSG data) was collected to understand the circulation patterns and hydrography that could influence the biological communities on the seamount. Here, we present the moored ADCP data that was collected to determine currents and sub-surface temperatures. Two ADCP moorings were deployed, one on the northern part and the other on the southern part of Walters Shoal, at depths of 500m, between May 2014 and August 2015. Here we present processed...

(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.02122022

Coastal Current Meter Programme on the Africana Voyage 017, March 1984

The objectives of this cruise were to retrieve ten moorings, eight on the shelf and two on the shelf break between Cape Columbine and Port Nolloth; to deploy three moorings in the coastal zone between Cape Columbine and Cape Town; to obtain Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiles and water samples on a transect bearing 270° from Cape Columbine; to profile currents, make repeated CTD casts and record atmospheric conditions in St Helena Bay as part of a vertical mixing study, participating in this work were two scientists from UCT; to calibrate the CTD temperature probe in-situ using reversing thermometers; to allow the chemical oceanography team to familiarise themselves with the operation of a new box corer and enable them to analyse intact sediment samples from St Helena Bay; to use the thermosalinograph and fluorometer to obtain 'surface truth' measurements for NOAA thermal infra-red imagery; to test a portable CTD unit to 50m and lastly to train two new members of technical staff.

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.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.05312023

South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 049, November 2021

The South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) is an annual voyage undertaken by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) 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 61 over wintering team to the research base and return with the SANAE 60 team. The cruise was undertaken between 30 November 2021 and 28 January 2022 with full scientific complement. The main ship-based research objectives was to undertake underway sampling along the Good Hope transect from Cape Town to Antarctica and on the return leg from Antarctica to Cape Town and to complete hydrographic sampling and mooring deployments in the Muaid Rise area for the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC) and Southern Ocean Carbon and Heat Impact on Climate (SO-CHIC) research programs.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.40122022

Processed CTD discrete observations from the West Coast Physical Oceanography on the Africana Voyage 025, October 1984

This is processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) discrete data from the West Coast Physical Oceanography on the Africana Voyage 025, collected between 25 and 31 October 1984. The cruise operated in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) region on the west coast of South Africa. The objectives of this cruise included studying shelf circulation in the vicinity of Port Nolloth by placing three current meter moorings across the shelf; exploring the deep circulation in the Cape Basin which is thought to be a driving mechanism for the preponderance of southward flow observed on the shelf by placing a current meter in 3000m of water; recovering one current meter in the Cape Canyon and deploying two current meter moorings and a thermistor string near Cape Columbine and obtaining Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data at these sites; collecting chemical samples and CTD data along a line between Port Nolloth to the deep current meter site, this included 100ml samples...

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.20210419

Agulhas System Climate Array (ASCA) cruise on SA Agulhas II Voyage 037, July 2019

The Agulhas System Climate Array (ASCA) is a mooring array and is designed to provide long-term observations of the Agulhas Current's volume, heat and salt transport and its variability from mesoscale (eddies), through seasonal to interannual timescales. The ASCA shelf and tall moorings extend 200 km offshore along decending TOPEX/Jason satellite ground track # 96, through the core of the Agulhas Current, with CPIES measurements extending the array to 300km offshore of Port Elizabeth. The data collected during the ASCA project have been obtained from various oceanographic instrumentation. This data was collected during the ASCA cruise on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 037 between 01 and 16 July 2019.

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.26052230

South Coast Moorings and Monitoring Lines Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 213, December 2014

The South Coast Moorings and Monitoring Lines Cruise was conducted on the Algoa Voyage 213 on 1 to 19 December, 2014. Two data pods were released and recovered from (1) ADCP mooring and (2) CPIES deployed during the September 2013 Gough Cruise. Cape Recife ADCP current mooring was recovered. Four ADCP current moorings were recovered and serviced in Algoa Bay. Port St. Johns ADCP current mooring was recovered. Port St. Johns CTD/bongo survey lines were completed. DIC and pCO2 sampling was conducted along CTD transects. SVP drifters deployed in the Agulhas Current core. ALEX real-time surface buoy and current meter mooring of Port Edward deployed.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...

DOI: 10.15493/dea.mims.26052225

South Coast Mooring Cruise on the Algoa Voyage 208, July 2014

The South Coast Mooring Cruise was conducted on the Algoa Voyage 208, 9 to 24 July 2014. Two ADCP current moorings and a thermistor chain were deployed along the Cape Point Monitoring line. Cape Recife ADCP current mooring was recovered. Four ADCP current moorings were recovered and serviced in Algoa Bay. Port St. Johns ADCP current mooring was recovered. Port St. Johns Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD)/bongo survey lines were completed. SVP drifters in the Agulhas Current core were deployed. ALEX real-time surface buoy and current meter mooring of Port Edward were deployed.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...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.36112024

Short-term observations of daily bottom temperatures 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 daily bottom temperatures (85 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.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.32112024

Short-term observations of daily 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 daily 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 inner shelf off Port St Johns, between December 2013 and September 2014.

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.11712023

Processed CTD continuous observations from the Physical-Chemical Oceanography Cruise on the Africana Voyage 077, September 1989

Here we present processed downcast Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) continuous data collected between 11 September and 22 September 1989 during Voyage 077 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. There were several objectives for the Physical-Chemical Oceanography Cruise, covering Physical Environment (PE), Sedimentation and Nutrient cycling (SN), Chemical Environment (CE), Shoal Ecology (SE), Plankton studies (P) and testing of the new AIDA acoustic system with possible estimates of biomass in specific places such as in the baroclinic jets. The objectives included identifying and documenting near-surface and mid-water baroclinic jets west of Cape Columbine and Cape Town using acoustic doppler profiling and...

DOI: 10.15493/DEA.MIMS.11872023

Physical-Chemical Oceanography Cruise on the Africana Voyage 077, September 1989

The Physical-Chemical Oceanography Cruise was conducted on the Africana Voyage 077, from 11 - 22 September 1989. There were several objectives to this cruise, covering Physical Environment (PE), Sedimentation and Nutrient cycling (SN), Chemical Environment (CE), Shoal Ecology (SE), Plankton studies (P) and testing of the new AIDA acoustic system with possible estimates of biomass in specific places such as in the baroclinic jets. The cruise objectives included identifying and documenting near-surface and mid-water baroclinic jets west of Cape Columbine and Cape Town using acoustic doppler profiling and Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data; observing currents in the upper 200m at regular intervals along the cruise track, using the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP); performing a 30 hour internal tide experiment at the shelf edge west of the Chamais Bay; deploying a series of current meter moorings on the Namibian remote shelf and eastern Cape Basin zones between Chamais...

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Essential Ocean Variables

Essential Biodiversity Variables

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