SA Agulhas II returns from Gough Island

The Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) SA Agulhas II will be returning from her logistical and scientific voyage from Gough Island, on Wednesday 11 October 2017.

Aboard the ship will be the Gough expedition team 62, as well as a host of researchers who were conducting research in the ocean and on the island. The Gough Island region is a key weather observation point. The quality of South African weather forecasts relies heavily on the availability of data inputs gathered there and current data collection from Gough Island exceeds 55 years and is critical for an extremely data sparse region for climate studies and climate change projections.

During this relief voyage, various scientific research projects were undertaken; this includes oceanographic sampling to determine amongst others the health of the ocean, an in-depth study of the Southern Ocean fur seals, Conserving Albatrosses and Petrels, as well as Atmospheric and ocean surface research.

Source: Government of South Africa