Bon voyage to SA Agulhas II
Expedition team heads for Gough Island
THE Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) bid bon voyage to the SA Agulhas II and its 35 member Gough 65 Expedition team at the V&A Waterfront yesterday, as they departed for this year’s relief voyage to Gough Island.
As part of this year’s expedition, the department’s Deputy Director-General of Environmental Programmes, Dr Guy Preston will lead a team that constructed a test hut which will be stationed on the island. The hut is principally comprised of wood-plastic composite material, poplar and gum wood, which was produced from the invasive biomass that was cleared by the department’s Working for Water programme.
The hut will be deployed on the island to test the potential to use these materials for future island infrastructure, and particularly their capacity to withstand harsh weather conditions on Gough Island.
The success of the initiative will result in the opportunity to re-build the weather station on the island using the material, and resulting in job creation for South Africans, as this process will then be extended to Marion Island and Antarctica.
The hut’s design attempts to provide a level of comfort that is more sympathetic to the team’s needs under the island’s harsh conditions.
The expedition team is also joined by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) who will undertake a multimillion-pound habitat restoration project to eradicate invasive mice from Gough Island in 2020. These mice are devastating the globally important native bird population and driving several species towards extinction. This voyage will see a major delivery of RSPB equipment to the island for depot until March 2020.
DEFF deputy director general of oceans and coasts Judy Beaumont said this was the 65th team going to Gough Island. The researchers will be there for 14 months.
“Most importantly it’s the South African Weather Service team who will be there to do the collection of weather data. Gough Island is a very important weather collection point. It contributes to an understanding and prediction of weather in South Africa, Southern Africa and beyond. Climate change is really upon us and is impacting the country.
“We have droughts and floods, and we need to understand what is happening in the southern ocean and how that is impacting our weather. Gough Island has been a weather station since 1936 so it is one of the longest running data series,” Beaumont said.
Preston said there was a possibility at some point that the weather station would need to be rebuilt.
“They want to see if the material can stand up to it, so it’s going to be a tough 16 days in the rain and wind (with) the big structure. I hope we come back fit and healthy.”
Logistics manager Chuma Phamoli told the researchers they should enjoy the journey.
“The weather at the island can be very harsh and a lot of progress has to be made and the time is very short, so make the best of every moment.”