OCIMS

If you have an interest in water quality, or the use of high resolution ocean colour satellite products in South Africa's coastal domain, please take a moment to fill in the survey to help us streamline the EO4WQ project product development efforts. twitter.com/eo4wq/status/1…

#MDASAT2022 A first for South Africa's space industry, three locally produced nanosatellites will be launched into space today. The first Maritime Domain Awareness Satellite constellation (MDASat-1) will be launched as part of US aerospace company SpaceX's Transporter-3 mission.

#MDASAT2022 to be sent into space by Elon Musk's SpaceX Transporter-3 mission. The MDASat-1 launch is a significant milestone for South Africa, marking the first launch of a satellite constellation developed entirely on the African continent. @CPUT #itspossible

🛰️@elonmusk's @SpaceX to launch @CPUT @dsigovza 3rd satellite mission into space today. Nanosatellites will monitor South Africa's Exclusive Economic Zone #EEZ 702.co.za/articles/43637…

Visit @OCIMS_SA Fisheries and Aquaculture Decision Support Tool at ocims.gov.za/hab/app/# to monitor potential Harmful Algal Blooms. See news24.com/news24/southaf….

The oceanographic and meteorological conditions that contributed to this marine heatwave, “cold snap”, washouts and mortalities of fish, invertebrates and seaweeds on the East and South Coasts of South Africa were monitored and tracked by @OCIMS_SA Decision Support Tools.

South African East coast marine heatwave: environment.gov.za/mediarelease/h….

A harmful algal bloom, better known as a #redtide, has been building up at Elands Bay on the West Coast, about 220km north of Cape Town, and has resulted in several marine species washing up on the beach. iol.co.za/news/south-afr…

Visit the National Oceans and Coastal Information Management System (@OCIMS_SA) Fisheries and Aquaculture Decision Support Tool at ocims.gov.za/hab/app to monitor the red tide growing in the Greater St Helena Bay area. @environmentza @CSIR @dsigovza

Such mortalities were observed on the beaches of Elands Bay earlier today and with the prediction of light westerly winds over the next few days, the risk of further mortalities is high. #ElandsBayRedTides

These blooms are dominated by a group of phytoplankton known as dinoflagellates and their inshore accumulation, particularly during periods of calm often leads to their decay and the subsequent development of low oxygen conditions which cause marine mortalities.

Red Tides are particularly common in the productive West coast upwelling regions, such as the Benguela, California, Humboldt, Canary and Somali upwelling systems. In the Benguela upwelling region off the West Coast of Southern Africa. #ElandsBayRedTides

Other Red Tides cause harm through the depletion of oxygen (anoxia), which affects all marine creatures and can lead to mass mortalities of the entire marine communities or mass walkouts of rock lobsters that try to escape the anoxic conditions. #ElandsBayRedTides

Poisoning may either take place through the consumption of seafood that is contaminated by toxic algae, or by toxic aerosols or water bound compounds that cause respiratory and skin irritation. #ElandsBayRedTides

Red Tides are a natural phenomenon in coastal waters caused by a dense accumulation of microscopic algae. Some of the algal species are harmful because they contain toxins, which are poisonous to humans. #ElandsBayRedTides

As is often the case in summer and late summer, there has been a build-up of large Red Tides in the greater St. Helena Bay region over the past few weeks. These blooms of phytoplankton presently extend 50-60 kilometres in the vicinity of Elands Bay, Lambert’s Bay and Doring Bay.

In terms of the Contingency Plan, the Department is the lead department, supported by West Coast District Municipality, Cederberg Municipality, South African Police Services, SANDF and Western Cape Provincial Administration. #ElandsBayRedTides

The Department has immediately, in terms of its West Coast Rock Lobster Contingency Plan issued a Situation Yellow alert and placed all government role-players on standby. #ElandsBayRedTides

The washed up marine species include, rock lobsters, octopus, white mussels and some fish species. Weather conditions are not favorable at the moment as a North westerly (NW) wind is currently blowing and keeping the algal bloom concentrated in the bay. #ElandsBayRedTides

A harmful Algal Bloom (Red Tides) has been building up at Elands Bay, on the West coast of the South and has resulted in several marine species washing up on the beach. #ElandsBayRedTides