Meet Benguela expert Dr Jennifer Veitch

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Physical oceanographer Jennifer Veitch will be furthering her research on the Benguela System at SAEON’s Egagasini Node

Jennifer Veitch is a physical oceanographer who uses numerical models as a tool to better understand ocean processes that are difficult to observe in a cohesive way using in situ or satellite data. 

Her area of expertise is the Benguela system, from the Angola-Benguela Frontal Zone at its northern boundary to the Goodhope Jet at its southern.

In her PhD, Jennifer focused on understanding the equilibrium dynamics of the disparate northern and southern Benguela systems, both of significant ecological and economic importance. While the northern Benguela is subject to influence from the tropical Atlantic, the southern Benguela is influenced by waters originating from the tropical Indian Ocean - in the form of Agulhas leakage that results in the extraordinarily turbulent Cape Basin that lies adjacent to the southern Benguela upwelling system.

Model experiment

In order to investigate the influence of the high offshore turbulence, she ran a model experiment in which she removed Agulhas leakage from the Benguela by creating a huge dam that diverted the Agulhas Current eastward on the east coast at Durban.

Jennifer has been appointed as a PDP* research fellow with Dr Juliet Hermes at SAEON’S Egagasini Marine Offshore Node. She will be working on mechanisms of connectivity between large-scale ocean and atmospheric processes and the nearshore Benguela system.

It is her hope that an improved knowledge of the oceanic boundary conditions will allow for better interpretation of the impact of large-scale modes of variability, including climate change scenarios, on the Benguela system.

Surface eddy kinetic energy (a measure of turbulence) for the experiment in which the Agulhas has been diverted (left), and for a reference experiment (right) in which the region of extremely high turbulence can be seen in the offshore region of the southern Benguela

^* The Professional Development Programme of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation aims to accelerate the development of scientists and research professionals in key research areas.