Scientists team up for Antarctic research
A Durban scientist joined an expedition to shed light on climate change, writes Kamcilla Pillay
THE polar regions are more critically affected by climate change than any other region on Earth, and for the Antarctic continent and its surrounding oceans, the effects of climate change are likely to be dramatic – and include large-scale catastrophic ice melt, loss of habitat and biodiversity, and rising sea levels.
For Durban marine microbial genetics scientist Sam Waterworth, her recent trip to the Antarctic was an opportunity to lend her skills to an international effort to understand these changes.
The trip, organised by the Swiss Polar Institute, consisted of three legs: South Africa to Australia, Australia to South America and then back to South Africa.
According to the Swiss Polar Institute, South Africa was the only African country to have submitted a successful application to the project, which dealt with a multi-disciplinary, multi-resolution approach to understanding nutrient cycling and microbial diversity in changing sub-Antarctic ecosystems.
“The expedition began on December 20, and the ship is due to dock back in Cape Town on March 18. The general schedule includes stops at key islands, such as Marion Island, Macquarie Island and South Georgia,” Waterworth said.
She went on the first leg of journey.
“Essentially, the trip is around Antarctica rather than to it, but the teams on the trip’s second leg did get to stop off at the Mertz glacier which is part of the actual continent.”
Waterworth said the purpose of the trip was for global scientists from various disciplines to gather and pool their knowledge to better understand the Southern Ocean system.
The expedition consisted of 22 individual projects with 55 researchers from 30 countries.
Waterworth said the Southern Ocean was a key factor in the regulation of global climate as it was the meeting and mixing point of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
The waters connect the different ocean basins by linking the shallow and deep limbs of the global ocean current system, and play a critical role in storing and distributing heat the and carbon dioxide (CO2).
“Project 12 (the South African project) aims to investigate the microbial world within the Southern Ocean and more importantly, the Southern Ocean island systems, in conjunction with the chemical and physical parameters in which they live, in order to assess their role in carbon and nitrogen cycling within the Southern Ocean,” she said.
Waterworth’s role in the project was the collection of bacterial samples.
“Extraction of their DNA and subsequent analyses allows us to see what bacteria are there, and what we think they’re doing.
“My area of expertise is marine microbial genetics. The focus of my PhD project is the microbial communities associated with certain South African sponges and identifying key biosynthetic pathways within their genomes that encode chemical compounds with pharmaceutical potential,” Waterworth said.
“The goal of the project is to use microbial diversity (where ‘microbial’ refers to phytoplankton, bacteria, and zooplankton) and metabolic activity in conjunction with measured chemical and physical parameters, to develop an integrated model of the island systems in order to better understand their role in Southern Ocean productivity,” Waterworth said.
But the highlight of the trip for Waterworth was witnessing the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights.
“It was unreal watching these glittering sheets of light ripple across the sky. I have tried many times to describe the awe and simple raw beauty of it, but I fail every time. It was a highlight of my life, let alone the trip,” she said.
Aside from braving the freezing temperatures, Waterworth said the team faced technical issues and weather often thwarted their efforts to take samples.
She said there was so much more to science than what could be seen in the classroom.
“There’s a big, incredible world out there and, as a scientist, you not only get to see it but you get to find out new things about it.
“Marks are important for anyone wishing to pursue a career in science, but I personally think that a keen, genuine curiosity in the world around you is just as important.” THE Department of Environmental Affairs yesterday welcomed back the SA Agulhas II and the over-wintering team, Sanae 55, from Antarctica.
The role played by the over-wintering team in Antarctica was of the utmost importance as it allowed for a year-round presence on the ice continent.
Some of the functions performed by the Sanae 55 team members and the department’s research team included support for scientific data collection for local analysis and research, as well as international collaborations, the department said.
“This season marked phase II of the refurbishment project at the Sanae IV base. New, more