Algoa Bay Sentinel Site Continuous Monitoring Platform (CMP)

Network of more than 40 permanently moored in situ observatories measuring a series of physical properties of the coastal ocean between Port Alfred and Oyster Bay on the south-east coast of South Africa. Read more..

The CMP represents the physical oceanography component of the Algoa Bay Sentinel Site for LTER maintained by SAEON. The primary objective behind the development of the CMP was to create a coastal observatory platform that would span a large enough area suitable for scientific enquiry (considering influence of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale processes), yet be small enough to remain viable in the long-term relative to the staff compliment at hand.  Data generated were to be of sufficient quality for SAEON to monitor, detect and understand environmental change as and when it happens, as well as be of sufficient quality to augment shorter-term research programmes typically run by students or researchers from other institutions and universities. Since deploying the first Gully Temperature Probe near Kenton-on-sea on 23 October 2008, nearly 40 000 combined observation days have been recorded. Data produced have already benefited numerous student research projects (RU, NMMU, UCT and UFH) and long-term studies coordinated by other institutions (Bayworld, NMMU, SAIAB and UCT). The CMP is also envisaged to contribute towards the management of the Bird Island Marine Protected Area (MPA) and may become instrumental for the planned expansion into the Addo Elephant National Park MPA.

Four types of observatories are currently in use to monitor temperature structures (coastal and nearshore), current profiles and variation in other water column properties. They are: Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP), Underwater Temperature Recorders (UTR), Gully Temperature Probes (GTP) and Moored SeaBird CTD deployments.

The primary variables measured are water temperature and currents, but SAEON also has access to tidal data (SA Navy Hydrographic Office, SANHydro), weather data (South African Weather Service - SAWS), wave data (Council for Scientific Research, CSIR) and satellite images (Marine Remote Sensing Unit at UCT). In partnership with the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB), SAEON expanded on their temperature observation network by adding HOBO temperature sensors to Acoustic Telemetry Array Platform (ATAP) mooring transects, launched in collaboration with the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). Together SAEON and the aforementioned partners have developed in Algoa Bay and surrounding coastal waters a coastal network of  long-term observatories that is unrivalled in Africa, potentially the southern hemisphere.

Observation period: 2008/10/31 - ongoing

SAEON team: Dr Tommy Bornman (Manager), Dr Shaun Deyzel (Project coordinator), Dr Wayne Goschen (Physical Oceanographer, data manager)