OCEANSAFRICA TTG:IO Operational and Observational Oceanography

Transcription

1 OCEANSAFRICA TTG:IO Operational and Observational Oceanography Minutes for IO-Tech 6th meeting CSIR, Stellenbosch 22 March 2012 Apologies Mr C Wainman (IMT) Dr S Swart (CSIR) Miss L Hancke (DEA) Mr B Blows (BCRE) Miss S DuToit (SAWS) Mr R Harding (DEA) Mr P Roux (SAWS) Mr C Sparks also invited, but couldn t attend Present Mr E Mabille (CSIR) Miss S Gildenhuys (IMT) Miss B Maritz (IMT) Mr N Weggelaar (CSIR Mechatronics) Mr G Tutt (DEA) Mr M van den Berg (DEA) Miss T Morris (BCRE) Mr G Tutt (DEA) Mr M Rossouw (CSIR) Dr M Roberts (DEA) Mr D Muller (CSIR) Mr G Louw (BCRE/DEA) Absent Agenda points: 1. General 1.1 Feedback on international conferences (e.g. IBSA) and research initiatives

2 Mike Roberts showed an image illustrating the positions of various in-situ oceanography research areas / buoys around southern Africa (M Roberts Feb 2012 image). Included on the image is the SAMBA line South Africa and France responsible for first 9 moorings off Cape Town stretching west towards Brazil. 200 to 5500 m depth moorings to go in. DEA (SA) have purchased 2/3rds of the equipment required. Scheduled deployment in March 2013 need to get technicians and data processing/warehousing capabilities ready. Communications with CPUT and UCT to get the manpower ready. Major research initiatives are getting underway and the TTG:IO needs to collate the technical capacity in South Africa in order to work / provide support on those projects. Need institutes to provide technicians / personnel. E.g. IMT and CSIR can use inservice training or practical requirements of engineering and oceanography degrees to train young professionals. IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa collaboration) took place early March 2012 presentations by India (National Institute for Oceanographic Technology); Brazil (on par with SA i.t.o. universities etc.). SAMBA array is part of IBSA. SA s monetary contribution negligible compared to Brazil and India. Collaboration still hoped for. SAMBA array nature? Will end up multi-disciplinary. Brazil buying C-pie s. SA s contribution along with French of current meters and c-pie s. 1.2 Feedback on South African Safe Seas Network (SASSN) Proposal went in, accepted, starts 1 st April 2012 ocean watch project SA contribution is operational oceanography system demo to put SAWS buoy km SW of Cape Town. HAS to be Oceanor buoy. Expected to be a long deployment cruise meeting for planning scheduled in late Feedback on local / national conferences and research initiatives NORTEK training course, April 2012, DEA Lwandle organised a representative from Nortek to host a course on Nortek equipment and data analysis. 10 Participants from TTG:IO identified DBCP workshop in Kenya, April 2012 In-region training workshop/ get together aimed at marine oceanography and marine meteorology. Trainees from various western Indian Ocean countries and elsewhere in Africa. Week-long workshop designed to train on operational oceanography and modelling (lesser degree this year). Suggested hands-on session of long term monitoring in Kenya (after workshop, Mombasa sea temperature sensor to get ADCP as well as part of long term monitoring project for coral).tammy to present on long-term monitoring initiatives, 3 instruments to be used for deployment and actual operational how to set up instrumentation, etc.various lectures on regional

3 networks, policies etc.presentations by CLEVAR, ACLME, NOAA with buoys, etc.annual event. Need weather stations in the region next to the UTR s. InterMet company that builds weather stations building special travel kit for M Roberts. Demo can be arranged e.g. ppt at next ttg:io AGU Chapman Conferences at Spier Estate, 8 12 October 2012 See attached call for papers for more details. American Geophysical Union conference entitled The Agulhas System and its Rolein Changing Ocean Circulation, Climate and Marine Ecosystems. Prestigious conference; M Roberts encouraged TTG:IO to do presentations and posters, and to attend. G Louw to do something, D Muller (poster). Abstracts are due on the 1 st June DEA, October 2012 cruise Cruise to service / train on UTR s and service NOAA moorings near north Madagascar, along with Dutch moorings. MUST be a diver INMARTECH Symposium,Netherlands, 25-28September 2012 Aimed at Marine Technicians, the conference topics include: in-situ observations, coring, seismics, shipboard sessions and open sessions. See the attached pdf for more information. 1.4 New jobs CSIR advertising for multiple technical posts; IMT will look for technician person in future; DEA?. Training opportunities CSIR take on engineering project students from Stellenbosch, UKZN, UCT, etc. MariusRossouw to provide info of who the mechanical modelling prof is to M Roberts. Stellenbosch University runs a coastal engineering course (week long) consisting of lectures and presentations (application) on a yearly basis. Mike Roberts can provide money if there is interested candidates. NEED to meet with C Sparks to emphasize need for instrumentation and physical oceanography students to cater for future technicians.must on getting training structured, e.g. using Dirk Muller as guide and link with mechanical engineers at Stellenbosch University to forge the links to get ocean engineers. E.g. also funding for innovations by oceanographic technicians.(action Tammy, Mike, Carl, Dirk push with Conrad to meet). DEA advertised engineering / electronics or equivalent post in Sunday Argus on 18 th March 2012 to link electronic and ocean; diving / skippers / driver s license preference will be given to that listwith ND qualification. 3 or 4 more posts to come up later in year.mechtronics (university course that has mixture of mechanical and electronics background) programme processors / control

4 engineering toward making low-cost float down to 100 m with sensors (Nick Weggelaar honours in mechatronics at UCT, working with Stewart Bernard). DEA has 5 m-tech or b-tech bursaries to give away by end of March 2012 to send to Conrad to advertise in both oceanography and engineering 1.5 Data policies Trying to get real-time data from coastal weatherstations. STAND OVER. Very broad topic actually. Proprietary info? Cannot just disseminate. Government policy etc cannot give out data (information act). New protection of information act. How can data be made available to researchers / from other institutes. CSIR weather station and wave data fairly easily obtained data data applicant must provide a letter describing the project for which the data is intended, etc. When Safe Seas Network starts up what happens then as all data needs to feed into that network? 1.6 Status of TTG:IO Appears to be growing into the mouthpiece / forum directingresearch & Development and supporting major research efforts.can act as secretariat to forward / distribute technician related information. Mike Roberts working on website to create a focal point (see The distribution list is available to all to share relevant information; add Conrad Sparks, Isabelle Ansorgeand Derek Needham to the list. Also Sean Bailey and Ryan Palmer SAEON is deploying instruments in Algoa Bay. 1.7 Institutional Feedback DEA IMT 3 focus areas: a) get SAMBA line going; paperwork done, buying equipment; b) operational oceanography around SA (includes Waves array) and will feed into Safe Seas Network; andc) new ACEP proposal; Ocean energy project mooring line off Cape Morgan (north of East London). Wave, turbine and other research projects. Feedback on what IMT is up to in terms of project and research. Water quality, MREA, oceanographic capability development. Benita raised issue of checking calibration of instruments. Nick Weggelaar stated that the sensors he is importing comes with kits to calibrate the sensors. He could provide the specification sheet if anyone is interested in these sensors. The possibility of comparing IMT and DEA CTD s was raised to do a data check CSIR

5 Nick Weggelaar gave some feedback on the float he is developing. A presentation on his project will be given at the next meeting. Nick Weggelaar float test plan: from pool, to IMT tank, to dam at Miserverstand, then ocean. Will have poster / something for October Chapman conference / sea deployment? Marius Rossouw is involved with Safe Sea Net. Eugene Mabille is not aware of any dedicated in-situ oceanography projects. There is some Koeberg inshore work with UTR s. One starting up in Durban north and south of the harbour, 20 m depth CTD and ADCP s for desalinisation plant (May 2012). No deepwater stuff. Wavenet still up and running and the Windnet around Durban area is still in operation. CSIR does have some data collected for Transnet ADCP deployments. Supposed to be ADCP off south breakwater, but after the deployment in February 2012 the cable got damaged and no real-time data was available. Redeployment scheduled for April / May Fixed platforms No agenda points were covered under this topic during this session 3. Moving platforms 3.1 Glider course and 1 st deployment mission Three gliders have been purchased by the CSIR at the moment. Some issues were picked up during recent sampling off West Coast; suspect faulty modem, but instrument retrieved. Operated in <100 m depth (between 80 and 120 m depth along coast). Set into mooring phase towards end for 24 hours, sent retrieval at Lamberts, then lost comms halfway there. But came online ntermittently, last reading with GPS so could retrieve it with Hydrophone (Navy rubber duck from Langebaan and DEA acoustic deck unit). All sensors worked, some salinity discrepancies, excellent oxygen and temperature data. 4 more on order, but don t have capacity to operate 6. Approximately 10 SA operators, 2 really experienced.national glider facility to be housed at East Pier. Underway, will happen in next 3 months. Driven by Derek Needham contracted to do it for next 2 years. Mike Roberts proposed expansion to include moorings. How is access to gliders obtained, e.g. Mike Roberts expressed interest in using gliders in 2013 to investigate Mozambique rings. More training of operators required. SA cannot change batteries on gliders, need re-ballasting Derek and Andre working on achieving accreditation from irobot.makes difficult to organise more training limited battery power. If more people interested in piloting training should be made available once the glider facility has become operational (later this year). Nick Weggelaarvolunteered his float to become a glider or boat with additional funding / research as it is open source and at a fraction of the cost. E.g. float comes with ph or dissolved oxygen probes all instruments and probes into Rk25. Gas bottle and battery powered.

6 4. Guest Presentation Tammy Morris Tammy gave a presentation on the comparison of temperature data collected by XBT and CTD instruments in a mesoscale eddy dominated environment. 5. Next Meeting: Nick Weggelaarto present on solar power and float development. Dirk Muller to present on his modelled buoy work. Proposed date: 21 st June 2012, DEA 10:00 Acronyms: AGU American Geophysical Unit ADCP Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler CSIR Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research CTD Conductivity Temperature Depth DEA Department Environmental Affairs IMT Institute for Maritime Technology MREA Maritime Rapid Environmental Assessment SAMBA South Atlantic Margins Basic Analysis UTR Underwater Temperature Recorder