The 62nd South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) team left Cape Town in middle December 2022 and will return to Cape Town in February 2024. This team will maintain the SANAE IV base for the year, collect meteorological data (under the South African Weather Service) and work on various space science and engineering projects (under the South African National Space Agency).
The SANAE62 team has released their first newsletter for the year. Each of the 9 team members introduce themselves in this first edition.
The team decided to call their newsletter The Nunatak, find out why in the newsletter.
The SANAE62 newsletters published throughout this coming year will give “a glimpse into the life of an overwintering expeditioner at the South African National Antarctic Expedition research base” – DJ van Wyk (South African National Space Agency Engineer, S62 deputy team leader and editor of the S62 newsletter).
DJ has also started his own blog – read more about his time as an expeditioner here.
Today, 05 March, marks the one-year anniversary of the discovery of the Endurance, the sunken ship of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. Two images taken on the Endurance22 expedition were included in the National Geographic Pictures of the Year (2022).
In February and March 2022, a major international scientific expedition explored one of the coldest, harshest and most remote places on earth, to find Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, the Endurance. The Endurance22 expedition was the first to locate and investigate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, which sank in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica in 1915.
What a privilege it is for the South African research and supply vessel, with ice braking capacity, the S.A. Agulhas II, to have been selected as the main infrastructural support for the Endurance22 expedition. The S.A. Agulhas II and its crew is part of this very special day in history and to top it off, National Geographic has included an image of the S.A. Agulhas II in its 2022 Pictures of the Year selection (see image below). The image was taken by Esther Horvath, the official photographer aboard during the Endurance22 expedition. The image shows the S.A. Agulhas II maneuvering among ice floes in the Weddell Sea in stormy weather. National Geographic states that “out of millions of images, just 49 were selected as the best photos of the year”.
Photo of the S.A. Agulhas II maneuvering among ice floes in the Weddell Sea in stormy weather. Credit: Esther Horvath (supplied).
Esther Horvath’s story behind the photo:
The ship was busy for 24/7 as time was tight for the search. I took the photo on the night of February 26, 2022 on the S.A. Agulhas II in the Weddell Sea while the ship was navigating between thick ice floes. Navigation was possible using satellite imagery over the ice floes. During the night after completing one search, the ship was moved to the next search area. I was standing in the snowstorm above the bridge outside on the deck called the “monkey island.” It was very difficult for me to open my eyes because the snow was poking my eyes like needles. I could only stand there for a few minutes because the wind and the very cold temperatures bit into my bones.
Another image selected for the National Geographic 2022 Pictures of the Year is the image of the stern of the Endurance wreck, taken by Nico Vincent and his autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) team.
Stern of the Endurance wreck taken by Nico Vincent and his AUV team. Source: https://endurance22.org/endurance22-news/endurance22-gallery.
Meet Esther Horvath, the official photographer aboard the S.A. Agulhas II during the Endurance22 expedition
Esther Horvath. Credit: Stefanie Arndt
Esther Horvath is a contributor photographer for National Geographic and a photographer for the German Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Since 2015, her work has focused on documenting climate research and scientific expeditions in the polar regions with behind-the-scenes science stories. By documenting the work of scientific groups and the lives of scientists who provide important climate data, Esther hopes to help people better understand what is actually happening in the polar regions and, in collaboration with scientists, raise public awareness of this fragile environment. In 2020, Esther won 1st prize at the World Press Photo Awards in the Environmental single category. In 2022, she received the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York for her work raising awareness about conservation, environmental justice, and climate change. She is the author of “Into the Arctic Ice”, which chronicles the largest scientific expedition to the Arctic Ocean of our time, called MOSAiC.
Watch: Endurance podcast by National Geographic about Endurance22
Text by: Esther Horvath, contributor photographer for National Geographic and a photographer for the German Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
Edited by: Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure (Data, Products & Society Node), 05 March 2023.
Mayibongwe Buthelezi, a PhD student from University of Pretoria, is currently participating in the 30th Atlantic Meridional Transect cruise (AMT-30).
The AMT (Atlantic Meridional Transect) cruises are a series of research voyages conducted annually across the Atlantic Ocean, from the UK to the Caribbean, to study the ocean’s biogeochemistry, ecology, and physical properties. The cruises are multidisciplinary and include scientists from around the world. As part of the cruise, samples are collected at multiple depths and locations along the transect (read more about AMT here and here).
SANAP Project Involved: Enhanced insights regarding the ecology, evolution and function of marine microbiomes
Project Principal Investigator: Prof Thulani P. Makhalanyane
The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Marine Microbiomics has a SANAP funded project focused on understanding microbiomes in the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic. The project titled “Enhanced insights regarding the ecology, evolution and function of marine microbiomes.” As part of this project, we have initiated a series of collaborative activities to access and join international cruises through the EU funded AtlantECO program.
Mayibongwe Butlelezi, a NRF/SANAP funded PhD student from the University of Pretoria, was selected to join this 6-week cruise aboard the Discovery. AMT30 has departed from the Falkland Islands on 21 February 2023. As far as we know, Mayi is the sole South African representee on the cruise. His project is focused on understanding the role played by marine microorganisms in the sulphur cycle. Specifically, Mayi will collect samples using protocols developed as part of the AtlantECO project to study microbiomes along the water column and to specifically quantify DMSP (Dimethylsulfoniopropionate).
Follow the work of Prof Makhalanyane and his team on Twitter:
We are delighted to say #AMT30 has departed to embark upon a 6 week expedition sampling the South and North Atlantic Oceans. This will provide a continuation of AMT measurements since 1995 to enable decadal scale ecosystem changes to be detected. #DY157https://t.co/2ZNv2UyCbepic.twitter.com/fShDHb2rLu
World Wetlands Day, is celebrated every year on 02 February. On this day, in 1971, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) was signed in Ramsar, Iran.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated to to “raise awarenessandunderstanding of what wetlands are and howwe cancontributetowards restoring themthroughmakingconscious choices,becomingpersuasive voices andtakingbold actions” (read more here).
What is a wetland?
A wetland is defined as the land which is transitional between terrestrial andaquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the land is periodically covered with shallow water,and which land in normal circumstances supports or wouldsupport vegetation typically adapted to life in saturated soil (1).
Why is wetland restoration so important? Listed below are a few benefits of wetland restoration:
Yes! Our individual and collective actions have animpact (1).
What can you as individual do to help protect and preserve wetlands?
Participate in programs that help protect and restore wetlands.
Report illegal actions such as unauthorized wetland fill or dredging activities to government authorities
Pick up litter and dispose in appropriate trash containers. Keep surface areas that wash into storm drains clean from pet waste, toxic chemicals, fertilizers and motor oil, which can eventually reach and impair our wetlands.
Use native species when planting trees, shrubs and flowers to preserve the ecological balance of local wetlands.
Avoid wetland when you are expanding your house.
Use phosphate-free laundry and dishwasher detergents. Phosphates encourage algae growth, which can suffocate aquatic life.
Use non-toxic products for household cleaning and lawn and garden care. Never spray lawn and garden chemicals outside on a windy day or on a day that it might rain and wash the chemicals into waterways.
Enjoy the scenic and recreational opportunities wetlands offer, while preserving their integrity for future generations by minimizing the use of heavy equipment and staying in designated visitor areas where available (3).
Did you know that the South African Prince Edward Islands (Prince Edward Island and Marion Island) is declared as Wetland of International Importance?
The Prince Edward Islands was declared Wetland of International Importance: Ramsar Site No.1688, on 22 May 2007. The conservation and management of this site falls within the responsibility of the Directorate: Southern Oceans and Antarctic Support of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
The Prince Edward Islands was declared 
