Kariega Estuary LTER

Flanking the eastern perimeter of the popular holiday town of Kenton-On-Sea, the Kariega Estuary is a hotspot for water sports, fishing and game viewing. The upper estuary meanders through the world renowned Kariega and Sibuya game reserves where the big 5 can be viewed in a malaria free safari setting. Despite it's aesthetic charm, several ecological issues exist. Of these, the low level of freshwater flow due to abstraction for urban and agricultural use is arguably the most concerning. SAEON monitors in the long-term temperature, salinity, water quality and plankton dynamics in this estuary. Read more...

Flanking the eastern perimeter of the popular holiday town of Kenton-On-Sea, the Kariega Estuary is a hotspot for water sports, fishing and game viewing.  The upper estuary meanders through the world renowned Kariega and Sibuya game reserves where the big 5 can be viewed in a malaria free safari setting.  Despite it's aesthetic charm, several ecological issues exist.  Of these, the low level of freshwater flow due to abstraction for urban and agricultural use is arguably the most concerning.

SAEON monitors in the long-term:

• Salinity and temperature variation on a continuous basis at three fixed stations in the lower, middle and upper estuary (CT-sensors on fixed moorings)
• Physico-chemical profiles at 84 fixed stations from the mouth to the upper estuary on a quarterly basis
• Nutrients, phytoplankton- and zooplankton biomass at 5 fixed stations from the mouth to the upper estuary on a quarterly basis
• Episodic events: Elwandle Node remains on standby to sample episodic events such as floods, storm surges, pollution, plankton blooms and so on.

Sampling period: CT-sensor data (2012/11/19 - ongoing), pelagic ecosystem (2013/10/04 - ongoing)

SAEON team: Dr Shaun Deyzel, Dr Tommy Bornman, Mfundo Bizani, Sean Bailey