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Training young scientists at the RGNO discovery camp in Namibia
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The fifth Regional Graduate Network in Oceanography (RGNO) discovery camp took place from 16 April to 11 May 2018 at the University of Namibia’s Sam Nujoma Marine Research Centre (SANUMARC) in Henties Bay.
Of the honours, master’s and PhD-level student participants, seven came from within Africa with three others hailing from Europe.
This year’s theme was, “Response and resilience of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem towards changes in the global and regional environment” - with a specific focus on micro-scale microbial and biogeochemical ecosystem processes occurring in redox transition zones.
The first week of the camp was wholly dedicated to introducing the students to the Benguela upwelling system through lectures, followed by preparation of projects and equipment for the sampling cruise which formed part of the programme. Collection, preservation and analysis of samples were performed onboard the RV Mirabilis during the second week of the camp, along 23oS off Walvis Bay. The samples were then transferred to Henties Bay where students further performed analyses at the SANUMARC.
Lectures
I presented lectures on the application of satellite-based observations and global datasets in Oceanography during the third week - from 1 to 4 May. The opening lecture mainly dealt with the contribution of satellite observations and their importance in operational Oceanography.
Altimeter and sea surface temperature (SST) products as tools to study ocean circulation and aid in climate monitoring and climate change detection were discussed in this lecture. Climate phenomena such as the El Niño can also be tracked and monitored using high-resolution SST observations and the 2015 phase was discussed as an example.
Satellite observations are also imperative in constraining ocean models and they are used for assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Towards the end of the lecture, a practical session was included to help the students find and access the datasets and the tools used to process them.
The following lecture focused on the application of global datasets in biogeochemical modelling. Global datasets are crucial for constraining and validating biogeochemical models to aid in understanding oceanic processes and air-sea interactions.
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This lecture demonstrated the application of high-resolution biogeochemical models in understanding oxygen minimum zones, the production and emission of greenhouse gases and carbon export to the deep ocean. Both lectures contributed to one of the camp’s goals, which is to teach students how to integrate data in models which will assess the past, present and future biogeochemical status of the Benguela upwelling system.
Excursion
We took an excursion to the Erongo desalination plant, oyster hatchery and The Salt Company on 3 May 2018. The desalination plant, the largest of its kind in Southern Africa, was the first stop of the day. The plant is designed and constructed to produce 20 million cubic metres of water per year with a potential to expand. Water for the desalination plant is pumped from the Atlantic Ocean along the Namibian coastline and it undergoes pre-treatment, ultrafiltration and the process of reverse osmosis to produce the final product, which is supplied to uranium mines and the Swakopmund region.
Our next stop was the oyster hatchery where the students were taken through the process of growing oysters under controlled light, temperature, salinity and oxygen from larvae to market size. The Atlantic Ocean water is ideally suited to this type of farming as it is rich in nutrients although very vulnerable to sulphur eruptions and low-oxygen conditions, making it require constant monitoring on the farm.
We then took a detour to Bird Island, which is located close to the oyster hatchery and serves as a breeding ground for Cape cormorants, which yield guano that is collected and sold. The guano from Bird Island is rich in nitrogen and considered to be of high quality compared with other facilities in the region.
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The excursion concluded with a visit to The Salt Company in Swakopmund where salt is produced through natural evaporation of seawater in shallow pools. Halobacteria, which are microscopic organisms known as ‘extremophiles’, thrive in the pools which gives them a pinkish colour. Salt precipitates form in the pools after evaporation and are collected for further processing. This excursion exposed the students to the more practical and economic aspects of ocean biogeochemistry.
The RGNO discovery camp is a one-of-a-kind experience in Africa which provides a platform for the assemblage and exchange of accumulated scientific knowledge on the Benguela upwelling system. It was a very worthwhile experience to have participated in the camp and contributed to the training of young scientists. My contribution was made possible through the initiative of the course coordinating director, Dr Chibo Chikwililwa.
A major highlight for me during this trip was discovering my poster from the 2011 Maria S. Merian cruise on display at the SANUMARC. This served as a gentle reminder of the progress I have made from being a student to my current status as a postdoctoral researcher. Reflecting on that significant transition alone served as a reaffirming walk down memory lane.
