SOUTH AFRICAN STATEMENT ON:
Implementation and planning activities related to GOOS

Prepared by:

Professor G. Brundrit (Chair: GOOS Africa)
Dr D. Pollock ( S. A. Delegate, IOC)

Preamble

This document serves to describe, in brief terms, the range of oceanographic and atmospheric operational activities currently in existence in South Africa which can be viewed within the context of the GOOS module. In addition, it highlights coordination efforts, nationally, regionally and internationally, and gives examples of capacity-building initiatives in marine science in South Africa.

4.2	GOOS MODULES

In South Africa, the following activities are GOOS-related:

Activity	Responsible Agency
1.  Marine services:      Sea level network      Maritime weather forecasts	S.A. Navy Hydrographic Office S.A. Weather Bureau (SAWB)
2.  Living Marine Resources:      Biodiversity, Stock biomass,Population dynamics	Marine and Coastal Management
3.  Coastal Management:      Integrated Marine and Coastal Management	Marine and Coastal Management
4.  Health of the Ocean:      HABS research, monitoring and surveillance      Oil spill contingency plans      Effluent disposal	Marine and Coastal Management Dept. Environment: Poll. Control Local authorities
5.  Weather/climate:      Seasonal rainfall forecasts	SAWB

In addition, South Africa has as its NODC the CSIR-managed SADCO oceanographic database while also contributing to the East African ODINEA network via the links between IOC and the Chief Directorate:Marine and Coastal Management (formerly Sea Fisheries).

4.3	GOOS INITIAL OBSERVING SYSTEM

S. African contributions to IOS include:

GLOSS	(SAN Hydrographic Office, SAWB and UCT)
Data Buoy Cooperation Panel	(SAWB and Marine and Coastal Management)
VOS (Voluntary oceanographic/met observations from vessels)	(SAWB)

Note: S. Africa also contributes to African regional initiatives via GOOS AFRICA; the African GLOSS network; ODINEA and SADCO; the BENEFIT and BCLME programmes (S. Africa/Namibia/Angola cooperative regional research ). Although there is currently no National Committee for GOOS in S.Africa, co-ordination of marine science-related issues takes place via SANCOR (S.A. network for Coastal and Oceanic Research).

6.	CAPACITY BUILDING

Within S. Africa, capacity-building is largely carried out by universities and technikons which provide specialist advanced courses in marine science and technology. Much in-house training is also provided by operational agencies such as Marine and Coastal Management, the Oceanographic Research Institute in Durban, etc. These operational agencies maintain close links with the universities specialising in marine science. Annual enrolment of senior and postgraduate students is currently over 100, and due to increase sharply under the sponsorship of the US/SA Binational Commission.

As a relatively technically-advanced country in the continent, S. Africa offers capacity -building facilities for the benefit of the region, vested primarily at tertiary training institutions such as UCT, UWC and at other universities and NGO's.

8.	GOOS AGREEMENT

South Africa is keen to continue to participate in GOOS-related activities at both national and international levels. However, as a developing country, like all other African nations, we face the reality that national funding priorities lie in areas other than marine science in general , and other than in operational oceanography in particular. We will endeavour to continue our efforts in the face of increasing uncertainty about national research funding priorities in the future.