indexpage

The ghost of fire regimes past (and future)

Models developed by SAEON scientists and collaborators have demonstrated that, with further improvements, they could be used to inform fire and vegetation management in the face of the many global drivers of change.

Are fog-driven ecosystems being driven out?

The connection between fog and fauna has fascinated scientists for over a century, giving rise to numerous studies in the Namib Desert that are reviewed in a recent publication (link to article).

A ministerial peek turns out to be a SAEON peak

Fresh from a meeting of the Group on Earth Observations in Australia, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Mr Buti Manamela, expressed an interest in seeing SAEON in action.

Taking stock of the impact of the 2014–19 drought on the biodiversity of Phalaborwa

The recent drought provided a rare opportunity to record how ecological disturbance interacts with drought as part of a seven-year survey by staff and students of the SAEON Ndlovu Node.

The science we need for the ocean we want

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development hosted a planning meeting in Kenya to identify concrete deliverables to meet the Decade's six societal objectives.

SCALE Spring Cruise 2019 – a novel interdisciplinary experiment

SAEON intern Nasreen Burgher reports on the largest SA research cruise to date, consisting of 93 scientists and the first nationally integrated Southern Ocean programme, made up of multiple government and tertiary institutions.

South Africa hands over chairship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Academic Group to India

South Africa led IORAG for two successful years. In her handover statement, SAEON’s Juliet Hermes highlighted the wide range of activities and achievements that took place during South Africa’s chair period.

Information management expert Wim Hugo leaves behind a valuable legacy

MD Johan Pauw pays tribute to SAEON’s outgoing Chief Data and Information Officer, who is acknowledged for his sterling contribution to the international world of information systems development and governance.

The SAEON Egagasini Node’s commitment to ocean best practices continues

Two of the node's scientists were funded by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to participate in the third annual “Evolving and Sustaining Ocean Best Practices Workshop” in Belgium.

“Nothing matters if you can’t breathe…”

SAEON’s Thulwaneng Mashifane joined other early-career scientists, students and experts from different parts of the world for the first international summer school on deoxygenation held at Xiamen University in China.

Collecting Agulhas retroflection data on board the RV Thomas Thompson

The purpose of the cruise on board the American military-owned vessel was to collect data for 18 undergraduate students in their fourth year of study.

Key factors in ensuring good qualitative field research

Based on her experience in the field, SAEON’s science and society intern, Tania Duba, shares three essentials that researchers cannot afford to miss when conducting qualitative field research.

Introducing the new team members at SAEON’s Arid Lands Node

The node team was bolstered by the appointment of a new field technician and an office administrator, both with ample experience of the arid lands.

Marine and Coastal Educators Network Conference a source of valuable lessons for learners

The learning experiences gained at the 2020 MCEN Conference will find their way into SAEON’s new ‘Biomes of South Africa Educators Training Manual’.

SAEON in the media

SAEON’s people and projects received coverage in national print, broadcast, online and social media.

In the next edition…

Swarms of up to 80 million locusts have decimated crops in East Africa, threatening food security for 13 million people. “Yet locust research has been conducted like studying bomb explosion impacts but neglecting to study explosives,” says SAEON’s Dr Joh Henschel. Read Joh’s article in the next newsletter.

Quote