Research vessel opens doors for scientists

For the first time, marine scientists have had the opportunity to explore the waters off the Dolphin Coast with advanced technology that will allow them to better understand – and protect – the bounty of the ocean.

Researchers from the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) in Durban joined the crew of the “Dr Fridtjof Nansen”, an advanced Norwegian marine research vessel, and spent some time traversing the waters of the KZN coast.

The survey leader and assistant director of the ORI, Dr Sean Fennessey told the Courier that this was the first time they had the opportunity to utilise such advanced research equipment on South Africa’s East Coast.

“We got our first ever comprehensive look at large parts of the sea floor, mapped reef structures and measured sediment to depth in different areas,” he said.

The team also trawled in areas unexplored before, collecting samples of the sea life that exists in all levels of the ocean, mapped ocean currents and collected data on water temperature and salinity, among other concerns.

“Through our samples, we are hoping to gather more conclusive data on the difficult questions such as the presence of micro plastics in our seas, the influences of human activity such as pollution and contaminants, the presence of heavy metals in certain organisms and more.”

The Nansen is the third research vessel of its name, provided by the Norwegian government to developing countries around the world for advanced marine research. While ORI has worked with Project Nansen before, this trip promises to deliver deeper insights into the marine environment, its secrets and the threats it faces.

Dr Fennessey was careful to mention that science was a slow and steady process and would not be pushed into making any guesses about possible discoveries or outcomes of the research.

“The multi-disciplinary nature of this survey is very important for our research, we are looking at so many facets of the ocean that it would be preemptive to draw any conclusions as yet.”

The sheer mass of samples and data gathered about our coast for the first time ever will take time to sift through and make sense of, but Dr Fennessey is excited about the possibilities.

“We will now be able to compare ecosystems off the KZN coast to others around Africa and the world.”

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