The following positions are available on the sub-Antarctic, Marion Island for the overwintering period (April 2025 to May 2026)
Environmental Officer Assistant Environmental Officer
Communications Engineer Diesel Mechanic Electrical Engineer Medical Orderly
Senior Meteorological Technician Assistant Meteorological Technician
2 X Field Assistants – Sea Birds
Click here: View all positions
BirdLife South Africa, via the Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Non-Profit Company (NPC), is offering an opportunity to a suitably qualified candidate to spend a year on Marion Island to continue monitoring studies designed to support the ongoing planning for the mouse-eradication operation. The position will include collecting field data on mice, continuing the monitoring of weather parameters, undertaking further field trials relating to the bait and, in collaboration with the University of Pretoria, contributing to the collection of baseline data on invertebrates and plants.
To read more about the Mouse Free Marion project – Click here
Read more about Marion Island and Overwintering Teams on the SANAP website
Key Responsibilities on Marion Island and Basic Academic Requirements, Experience, and Skills are is listed in the advertisement.
At least a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in conservation biology, ecology, or a related field.
Experience of field work in rugged terrain is required.
South African applicants will receive priority. Please note that appointments will be contingent on availability of ship berths and funding.
For queries contact Dr. Sue Tonin, the Mouse-Free Marion Assistant Project Manager, at sue.tonin@birdlife.org.za
Vacancy for field researcher on Marion Island (March 2024 – May 2025) –Mouse impacts on invertebrates and plants
The Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Pretoria is offering one suitably qualified candidate an opportunity to spend a year on Marion Island to measure various aspects of the impact of the house mouse on the diversity and function of the terrestrial ecosystems of Marion Island. This work will entail collecting baseline data, mostly on invertebrates and plants.
Read more about Marion Island and Overwintering Teams on the SANAP website
REQUIREMENTS (full list available in advertisement
Minimum BSc (Hons) degree in an ecological field.
Experience of field work in rugged terrain is required.
Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, meticulous observation, note-taking
and record-keeping abilities.
Experience of invertebrate and/or plant surveys.
Computer literacy with experience in data management, statistical analysis (at least
one undergraduate statistics course) and report writing are required.
South African applicants will receive priority. Please note that appointments will be contingent on availability of ship berths and funding.
For queries contact Prof Greve (michelle.greve@up.ac.za) via email.
Applications open for:
The National Research Foundation (NRF) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities.
The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is a research platform funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF) since 2002. SAEON is mandated to observe and research ecosystems on land, in coastal regions and the oceans to understand how those systems function and might change over time and space when influenced by socio-economic driving forces including climate change. We deliver our data online and offer tools, services and advice for informed environmental policy-making.
SAEON Egagasini Node, based in Cape Town, Western Cape, requires the services of suitably qualified individuals to be responsible for collecting field data on birds and mammals, to be used for conservation and academic purposes as part of the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI). The birder will be contributing to the project ‘On-island impacts of climate change on the Southern Ocean’s iconic seabirds’ run by the FitzPatrick Institute (University of Cape Town).
The Marion Island research station is managed and administered by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
Apply before: 07 December 2023
Click here!
Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure, 27 November 2023
Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that live in the ocean, and just like plants on land they need to have enough food to grow and be happy. However, some places in the ocean don’t have enough food for them whereas some places do. The Southern Ocean Carbon & Climate Observatory (SOCCO) team based at CSIR, Trace Metals team based at Stellenbosch University (TracEx) and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment: Oceans and Coasts team are trying to figure out where those places are (in the Southern Ocean).
During the Gough Island takeover expedition:
The Trace Metal Biogeochemistry research teams sampled upstream and downstream of Gough Island to look at how the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) interacts with the island to resuspend sediments from the seafloor. This resuspended sediments acts as a source of trace metals to the surface mixed layer in support of phytoplankton blooms. The team used a 12 bottle mini-CTD rosette system (see image below, right) to sample for dissolved trace metals, particulate trace metals and organic trace metal chemistry.
| TEAM | Trace Metal Biogeochemistry | |
|---|---|---|
| Projects Name | Seasonal Iron speciation in the Southern Ocean, from open ocean environments to naturally fertilized sub-Antarctic Islands (Marion and Gough Island) | |
| Principal Investigator | Dr Thomas Ryan-Keogh | Senior Researcher at the Southern Ocean Carbon-Climate Observatory (SOCCO), CSIR South Africa |
| Co-Principal Investigator (On board DFFE team leader) | Dr TN Mtshali | Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) |
| Co-Principal Investigator | Prof AN Roychoudhury | Stellenbosch University (TracEx) |
| SOCCO/TracEx on board team leader | Olie Valk | TracEx |
| On board team member (PhD Student) | Thapelo Ramalepe | SOCCO-TracEx |
| On board team member (MSc Student) | Miranda Sitofile | SOCCO-TracEx |
| On board DFFE team member | Mutshutshu Tsanwani | DFFE |
| On board DFFE team member | Kanyisile Vena | DFFE |
| On board DFFE team member | Hassan Ismael | DFFE |
| On board DFFE team member | Mbulelo Makhetha | DFFE |
| On board team members | Including all ship-based scientists sampling for trace metals | |
The project in more detail:
The Southern Ocean (SO) is one of the largest high-nutrient low-chlorophyll regions in the World’s Ocean, where primary productivity is limited by iron bioavailability, thereby impacting the strength and efficiency of biological carbon pump. There are, however, exceptions with large phytoplankton blooms persistently observed downstream of the sub-Antarctic Islands. While extensive research has focussed on iron-biogeochemistry around Kerguelen and Crozet islands, no such studies have been conducted at Marion and Gough islands.
Furthermore, whilst our previous studies have made substantial advances toward addressing the gaps in seasonal data coverage through the Southern oCean seAsonaL Experiment (SCALE) 2019 winter and spring expeditions, there is still a paucity of dissolved iron data in the SO, especially from autumn to late spring. This is severely hampering our understanding of the full seasonal biogeochemical iron cycle and its impact on primary production. This project aims to continue its focus on seasonality by expanding seasonal coverage of iron measurements to include autumn (Marion) and late-spring (Gough) expeditions for more comprehensive coverage of the SO seasonal cycle, with a particular focus on quantifying biogeochemical cycling of iron-pool around these understudied islands.
This project is funded by: The National Research Foundation, South African National Antarctic Programme funding (NRF-SANAP).
Current NRF-SANAP funded projects
Visit SOCCO here! Visit TracEx here!
Featured Image: L-R (Back): Kanyisile Vena (DFFE), Ole Valk (TracEx), Hassan Ismael (DFFE), Mbulelo Makhetha (DFFE); (front) Miranda Sitofile (SOCCO-TracEx), Thato Mtshali (DFFE), Thapelo Ramalepe (SOCCO- TracEx), Mutshutshu Tsanwani (DFFE).
Project information supplied by Dr Thomas Ryan-Keogh. Images supplied by Thapelo Ramalepe.
Anche Louw, South African Polar Research Infrastructure, 30 October 2023.
The following vacancies are advertised by The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for positions based on Antarctica and Marion Island.
The successful applicant will spend a full year (December 2023 to February 2025) at SANAE base. There is no option to return to South Africa before February 2025.
The successful applicant will spend a full year (April 2024 to May 2025) at Marion Island. There is no option to return to South Africa before May 2025.
| Job Title | Station | Period | Closing Date | Job Advert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant Meteorological Technician 2 posts | Marion Island | April 2025 to May 2026 | 24 February 2025 | Click here |
| Mouse-Free Marion (MFM) Project Field Assistants | Marion Island | April 2025 to May 2026 | 28 November 2024 | Click here |
Anche Louw, Co-Principal Investigator of Antarctic Legacy of South Africa and Digital Marketing and Communications Manager of the South African Polar Research Infrastructure, 06 October 2023.
East Pier Shed, East Pier Lane,
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town,
South Africa
