Highlights from the visit

South Africa was well represented at the symposium, an interesting mix of science, observing and governance, and a great opportunity to highlight the significant work being done in South Africa as well as SAPRI. There was ample opportunity to engage with other Antarctic research institute directors and discuss problems facing SAPRI. It was interesting to hear that many institutes face similar problems.

Anne attended the annual meeting of the SOOS DMSC (Data Management Sub Committee), of which she is a member. This membership will be extremely valuable to the establishment of SAPRI and the SAPRI Data Centre. An important component of the SAPRI mission is coordination and collaboration with the international Antarctic community. Conversations and engagement with the committee were extremely valuable to enable SAPRI to contribute to the SOOS community and to talk about aligning our systems where possible.

While visiting the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) in Kingston, Tasmania, Anne held valuable meetings with the team at the Australian Antarctic Data Centre and Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM), as well as other AAD scientists, to enhance the impact of the SAPRI Data Centre through collaborations, product development and alignment of systems. Anne also visited the AAD Communications Department and collected useful materials to take back to South Africa for ideas for SAPRI communications.

Tommy used the opportunity to establish and strengthen collaborations with other phytoplankton scientists working in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, in particular Dr Ruth Eriksen from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Dr Luke Brokensha from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania. Discussions were also held with CSIRO technicians regarding their new ADCP Lander for shelf deployments. SMCRI will collaborate with CSIRO to build our own lander moorings.

Juliet and Tommy were able to take the time in Hobart to meet with Michelle Heupel, director of Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System, and continue to foster the growing relationship between SAEON Marine and Coastal and IMOS, in particular around data sharing, impact measurements and global research infrastructures. Juliet also met with Paul van Ruth, head of IMOS science, to discuss best practices. Finally, Juliet met with Anna Lara Lopez who runs the Beaker Street Science Festival to understand how they are engaging the community with science.

SOOS Symposium 2023 closing statement 

The Southern Ocean is a critical component of the global climate system. It largely controls the uptake of human generated heat and carbon into the ocean. Yet, we are currently observing critical changes in the Southern Ocean that are seen in the record low levels of sea-ice extent, record high temperatures and dramatic shifts in penguin populations, among other striking changes.

The chronic lack of observations for the Southern Ocean challenges our ability to detect and assess the consequences of change. It is more pressing than ever to have a sustained and coordinated Southern Ocean observing system to provide an understanding of current conditions, inform predictions of future states, and support policies and regulations for the benefit of society.