Ocean systems and climate

Research focus

The Ocean Systems and Climate research group is interested in understanding how and why CO2 and Oxygen are changing in the thermocline waters of the South East Atlantic and Southern Oceans. These changes are important not only in respect of constraining the rate of global warming but also as indicators of the rate and the way the regional system is adjusting to climate change.

The regional ocean system shapes the variability of coastal and terrestrial ecosystems around Southern Africa (low oxygen regimes and acidification) as well as having a global scale feedback through CO2 on net-radiative heat fluxes and through de-nitrification in Oxygen Minimum Zones.

• Understanding through observation and modelling the adjustment of ocean – atmosphere CO₂ fluxes in the Southern Ocean and assessing the implications for medium term change in global atmospheric CO₂.
• Understanding the basis for the seasonal and long term variability of primary production and carbon export fluxes in the sub-Antarctic Zone
• Understanding through modelling and observations the variability of the Oxygen Minimum Zone and oxygen concentrations in the SE Atlantic basin
• Assessing climate scale implications of ocean – shelf coupling for the Benguela ecosystem hypoxia/anoxia variability and global budget of de-nitrification and atmospheric oxygen reservoir

Our research focus is centered on the Southern Ocean CO₂ Observatory Programme starting in 2008 this will be expanded to include the South East Atlantic Hypoxia Observatory in 2009/2010.

The Ocean Systems and Climate Research Programme is strongly linked to the R&D and graduate programme of the Africa Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS) as well as the Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC) where most of the large scale modelling is undertaken.

Southern Ocean CO2 Observatory

This is the core of a 4 year (2007 – 2011) multi-project programme to put in place a climate centred biogeochemistry - oceanography R&D capability in the Southern Ocean that will make a significant contribution to the ACCESS – DST climate research and science education plans. The focus is on the ocean – atmosphere exchange fluxes of CO₂ in the Southern Ocean south of Africa. Its emphasis is on understanding through modelling and observation the basis for the important CO₂ sink in the Sub-Antarctic Zone (40 – 50oS) and how this may be modified through global warming. Central to this are the ocean – atmosphere links that drive the variability of the biological and solubility “pumps”.

This Programme combines elements of both research investigation of potential thresholds through integrated regional scale domains within global models and assessment of ongoing system adjustments through long term observational activities.

The Programme aims to make a significant contribution to the strategies defined by the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) through the NRF as well as the South African Department of Science and Technology’s 10-year Grand Challenge on Climate Change. The SANAP research strategy outlines a strong link to International Polar Year objectives of which this proposal is particularly addressing Themes 1 (present status of polar systems) and 3 (linkages between polar systems and planet). It also outlines the Antarctic Research Strategy for South Africa (ARESSA) where this proposal particularly addresses Theme 2 (Climate Variability). Overall this programme should have an impact on South Africa’s contribution in Southern Ocean science and help to close important knowledge gaps on the long term response of the planet to global warming.

Apart from quality scientific outputs it is planned that the programme will deliver an operational product in the form of an ongoing assessment and index of the state of the CO₂ sink in the Sub-Antarctic Zone and the CO₂ out gassing in the polar zone. The long term observational work will be networked into the global programmes through the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project and will fill an important long term observational and assessment gap in the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean CO₂ Observatory Programme comprises links to four fully funded core external and internal collaboration initiatives:

• The SOBER (Southern Ocean Biogeochemistry Education and Research) project (SA – Norway Bilateral funding): 2007 – 2010. Principal Investigator in SA: Dr Pedro MS Monteiro: Norway: Dr Richard Bellerby (2 PhDs and 1 Post Doc). This project mainly supports the productivity process studies being undertaken on the BONUS GOOD HOPE cruise on the RV Marion DuFresne in early 2008 as well as post graduate courses at UCT.
• South African Southern Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory: (NRF – SANAP): 2008 – 2013. Principal Investigators: Dr Pedro M.S. Monteiro and Dr Howard Waldron (UCT). (2 PhDs and 1 Post Doc): This project mainly supports the long term CO₂ and productivity observational programme being undertaken on the SA Agulhas in each of its three cruises to the Southern Ocean.

Our research group

Dr Pedro M.S. Monteiro	(Head)
Dr Nicollete Chang	(Ocean Modelling)
Mthutuzeli Ghulekana	(Oceanography and data analysis)
Warren Joubert	(PhD Student: Shelf and Ocean Biogeochemistry)
Sharifa Engel	(Research Group Administration)

Research Partners in CSIR

External Partners

Contact us:

Postal Address
CSIR
PO Box 320
Stellenbosch 7599
South Africa

Telephone / Fax / email
Dr Pedro M.S. Monteiro: +27218882437
Administration: Sharifa Engel: +27218882528 Fax: +27218882693
Communication: Wiida Basson: +27 12 841 3412/4362