Opportunities for Post-Graduate Studies in Marine Science
2016
Background:
January 2016 will see the start of a new partnership between the Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan University and the University of Southampton (UK) to establish a regional centre for ocean
sciences aimed at securing marine food resources for the Western Indian Ocean. The Ocean Sciences
& marine Food Security Research Centre will be based at NMMU with an ‘innovation bridge’ to the
University of Southampton which hosts the world renowned National Oceanography Centre (NOC).
The initiative is based on the fact that artisanal and industrial
fisheries, as well as other food resources, in the Western Indian
Ocean (WIO) are all in a serious state of decline (FAO, 2009)
raising fears of inadequate food security for the region ─
compounded by climate change and a changing global ocean.
Indeed, the Indian Ocean is now recognised as one of the
fastest warming ocean basins and convincing evidence exists
that demonstrates climate change is impacting ocean upwelling
─ one of the most fundamental and powerful mechanisms in
ocean dynamics that underpins the critical supply of nutrients
to sustain ecosystems and marine food resources. In response,
the newly formed Ocean Sciences & marine Food Security
Research Centre will investigate upwelling systems in the
Western Indian Ocean and their links to food security. This
requires a full multidisciplinary approach from physics to fish to
forecasts (security), and encompasses and couples the fields
of physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, plankton, trophic
ecology, fisheries and food resources ─ all quantified by end to end ecosystem and socio-economic
modelling. The research program (see Figure above) encompasses upwelling systems1 of the Agulhas
Current (1), Mozambique Channel (2), Madagascar Ridge (3), East Madagascar Bloom (4), East African
Coastal Current (5) and the Mascarene Plateau (6). The ultimate deliverable is how and to what extent is
climate change and a changing ocean going to impact food resources in the WIO. Great emphasis is
placed on linking and transferring these research outputs into ocean governance and food security
structures. Indeed, the FAO is a major partner in the program via its EAF−Nansen program. The Ocean
Sciences & marine Food Security Research Centre will be based in the newly acquired Maritime and
Ocean Sciences building on the NMMU Campus.
Opportunities to Study:
The first PhD and MSc opportunities to study under the new UK−SA
Bilateral Research Chair in Ocean Sciences and marine Food Security are now available for 2016. These
focus on the start-up of the Agulhas Current RUP1 which is on NMMU’s doorstep and the Madagascar
Ridge RUP3 which is reasonably close to South Africa. Scholarships will be based on the NRF scales but
may also be supplemented depending on the student’s record and strengths. More scholarships will be
offered annually as the research program develops and expands to cover the RUPs shown in the figure.
At the outset most projects involve physical and biological oceanography but other fields of research
including biogeochemistry, trophic ecology, fisheries science, and ecosystem modelling will be added to
each RUP. Each year students will be expected to spend time between NMMU, the National
Oceanographic Centre (University of Southampton) in the UK and other universities in South Africa to
develop skills sets, gain experience working in an international research institution, and receive
supervision. Students will also be expected to go to sea on research vessels throughout the Western Indian
1
Referred to as Regional Upwelling Projects (RUPs)
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Opportunities for Post-Graduate Studies in Marine Science
2016
Ocean, be members of international science teams and hence reliably deliver their respective
components/contributions to the RUP, present their results at regional and international forums, and in
some cases undergo SCUBA training depending on project needs. Most MSc projects listed below can be
upgraded to PhDs if desired. You will need to be strongly self-motivated to complete your project!
Physical Oceanography
RUP1 (see Figure for region)
1. KZN Bight ocean model (PhD): Setup a nested ocean model (ROMS) for the circulation in the
KwaZulu-Natal−Delagoa Bight region to investigate and determine mechanisms for (1) coastal
upwelling in the northern bight, (2) spin up, break-away and fate of the Durban cyclonic eddy, and
(3) southern KZN Bight swirl. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data collected in 2010 will
be used to validate the model. This project can be expanded to include the role of the Bight in
creating mesoscale turbulence in the Agulhas Current system and will serve as a base model for
the next steps of biogeochemical coupling and larval advection using an Individual-Based
Modelling (IBM).
2. Agulhas Current inshore boundary turbulence (PhD/MSc): This project will investigate the
varying scales of turbulence which are found along the KZN south coast. These include the Natal
Pulse, Durban break-away eddies, meanders and small scale cyclones initiated upstream off the
KZN Bight. Of interest are the origins, behaviour and fate of this turbulence, and most importantly,
what the impact on the adjacent shelf waters is. A combination of in situ mooring data, satellite
SST, ocean colour and coastal altimetry will be used in the study.
3. Oceanography of the Transkei shelf (PhD/MSc): Involves workup of existing ADCP (current
meter) data from moorings to determine the circulation over the Transkei shelf in relation to the
dynamics of the Agulhas Current, offshore eddies and the Natal Pulse. Data include moorings
along the shelf edge, across the shelf off Morgan Bay, Port Alfred and East London, across the
Agulhas Current as well as ship-based survey ADCP. Driving forces such Coastal Trapped Waves
(CTW) and wind will also be investigated. Aspects of particular interest are mechanisms
underpinning shelf edge upwelling and cross-shelf nutrient fluxes. This project will serve to groundtruth an existing ocean model.
4. Eastern Agulhas Bank circulation (MSc): This project investigates the origin and movement of
the cold bottom layer on the EAB. It is hypothesised that the cold nutrient-rich bottom water that
forms this layer is pulled up onto the shelf off Port Alfred as a result of Agulhas Current meanders,
topographically-driven divergence and cyclonic eddies such as the Natal Pulse. It is thought that
the upwelled water then flows westwards under a pressure gradient and retained on the shelf by
a balance between Coriolis force and bottom friction. The project will be based on ADCP data
collected by moorings placed across the shelf in 2014 and new data to be collected in 2016.
5. Tsitsikamma Coastal Current (MSc): Will build on the first paper which identified the coastal jet
along the Tsitsikamma coast (Roberts and van den Berg, 2005). This plays an important role in
the transport of chokka squid paralarvae and line fish larvae on the Agulhas Bank. The discovery
of the coastal current was based on a bottom-mounted ADCP mooring placed in 36 m near the
Storms River mouth in July 1998 – and has been serviced ever since. We now have 16 years of
hourly data which is the longest current meter recorded ever collected in South Africa. The data
along with other data from coastal underwater temperature recorders, a temperature array, surface
drifters and satellite data now needs to analysed to determine the full nature of this current, how it
varies on intra-seasonal and inter-annual time scales, and how it fits into the greater circulation of
the Agulhas Bank.
6. East coast eddy upwelling mechanisms (PhD): Uses coastal altimetry to determine
characteristics (dimensions, driving forces, persistence, intensity, fate) of transient and trapped
cyclonic eddies on the inshore boundary of the Agulhas Current. Fixed eddies include the Delagoa
Bight eddy, Durban Eddy, Port St Johns eddy, Port Alfred shelf cyclonic cell. Transient eddies are
the Natal Pulse, the Durban Break-away eddy, and other generated near Cape St Lucia. All are
mechanisms that move cold-nutrient rich water onto the adjacent shelf. This project will strongly
be supervised from the NOC and will include ADCP mooring data to validate satellite observations.
The output will be used to validate an ocean model.
7. East coast slope and shelf edge upwelling (PhD/MSc): Investigates Ekman veering in the
bottom boundary layer of the Agulhas Current and the potential role it has on shelf edge upwelling.
The approach will encompass theoretical calculations and empirical data to determine
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Opportunities for Post-Graduate Studies in Marine Science
2016
characteristics of bottom layer (viscous and logarithmic layers), Ekman spiral and hydraulic
constraints on slope upwelling in relation to a deepening shelf edge.
8. Wind-driven coastal upwelling Agulhas Bank (MSc/PhD): Will investigate the impact of climate
phenomena such as ENSO/SAM events on coastal upwelling along the south coast of South
Africa. Coastal upwelling is a primary source of production on the Agulhas Bank which serves as
the spawning and feeding ground for many commercial fish species. Core analyses will involve in
situ underwater temperature recorder (UTR) and wind data which will be complemented with
satellite observations of SST and chlorophyll, as well as climate related indices. Prediction is
envisaged as the end point of this project.
RUP3
9. Madagascar Ridge ocean model (PhD): This project will develop a nested ROMS in the vicinity
to the Madagascar Ridge to elucidate the 3-dimensional flow structure near the ridge. Of particular
interest is the possible existence of Taylor column eddies over seamounts, upwelling, mixing due
to internal waves, and the behaviour/impact of the East Madagascar Current. The impact on the
ridge of westward propagating mesoscale eddies from farther afield is also of interest as these
feature can act as vectors of biota.
10. Observed circulation around Madagascar Ridge (MSc): This project involves the analysis of
ADCP data from moorings placed near the Walter Shoal and surface drifters and Argo floats
released during the first cruise in 2013. Surface drifters and Argo floats from world data sets will
further be added to these as will the use of satellite altimetry. The output from this project will be
used to validate the ocean model developed in project 8 above.
Biological Oceanography
RUP1
11. East coast of South Africa (MSc): This project aims to determine the chlorophyll hot spots along
the south and east coasts of southern Africa. It will mostly be based on the analysis of satellite
data (ocean colour and SST) which will be used to determine the nature and persistence of these
hots spots (i.e. transient, seasonal, intensity, inter-annual variability), and coexisting conditions
such as wind, dynamics of the Agulhas Current, and mesoscale eddy field. As this will involve shelf
waters, time will need to be spent on developing suitable techniques to deal with case 1 and 2
waters. It is anticipated that these outputs will synergise with those from project RUP1 (6) above.
RUP3
12. Madagascar Ridge (MSc): Covers the region south of Madagascar and aims to determine
whether the East Madagascar Current and Madagascar Ridge and associated seamounts have
any influence on the distribution and intensity of surface and subsurface chlorophyll. This will be
achieved using a combination of satellite data (altimetry, ocean colour and SST) and in situ data
collected during cruises. New in situ data (samples) will also be collected during a cruise in
November 2016 using the French research RV Antea.
13. Madagascar Ridge (PhD): Aims to determine the zooplankton community in the vicinity of the
Madagascar Ridge, in particular near seamounts. Samples have already been collected near the
Walter Shoal which is the most prolific seamount and will be analysed in terms of species, size
structure, biomass and depth of occurrence. New samples (data) will also be collected during a
cruise in November 2016 using the French research RV Antea. This cruise will focus on a cluster
of seamounts south of the Madagascan shelf over which the East Madagascar Current flows at
times.
Candidates are required to have:
 A strong academic record
 Completed an undergraduate degree in either oceanography, marine science, life sciences,
mathematics or physics
 Computing, programming and data manipulation skills (i.e. MATLAB, Python, Fortran etc.)
 A willingness to travel to the UK and France for skills training and supervision and go to sea
 Ability to work in an international team, and be strongly motivated to deliver and publish
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Opportunities for Post-Graduate Studies in Marine Science
2016
For more information on these projects, please contact Prof Michael Roberts (squid@metroweb.co.za).
Enthusiastic and motivated candidates who wish to apply need to provide a full Curriculum Vitae complete
with at least two references (lecturers or supervisors) and a full academic record. Studies will start in
February 2016. In all correspondence please quote the project number(s) you are interested in: i.e.
RUP1(1).
Closing date: 15 December 2015
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