The launch of ASCA and the first moorings deployed!!

The first ASCA cruise took place in April 2015 onboard the South African Research Vessel Algoa which saw the deployment of two shelf moorings and four tall moorings across the continental shelf. The deployment of these moorings was complimented by a Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) survey along the full ASCA transect, with underway chemistry and ship-borne Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and SVP drifter Deployments. During this first ASCA cruise, two IRobot Sea-Gliders will be deployed as part of the Shelf Agulhas Glider Experiment (SAGE). SAGE is joint CSIR-SAEON collaborative experiment which set out to improve our understanding of the impact of the Agulhas Current on the coastal regions. At the closure of this first deployment cruise, SAEON, through the Department of Science Technology, in collaboration with Ocean and Coasts, Department of Environmental Affairs, launched the project at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) with guests from the government departments (DST and DEA), the vessel, NMMU, SAEON, NIOZ, students and researchers from the Marine Science Community in the Eastern Cape.

Data from the first 12 months of mooring deployments is now available. Please contact tammy@saeon.ac.za