Development of a pilot Coastal GHG Observing System in South Africa (SAEON Seminar, Oct 2025)

Описание: Presenter: Prof. Thomas Bornman (NRF-SAEON Elwandle Node & SMCRI)
Title: Development of a pilot Coastal GHG Observing System in South Africa

Abstract:
The Land–Ocean Aquatic Continuum (LOAC), extending from rivers to coastal marine ecosystems, plays a pivotal role in regulating Earth’s climate by acting as both a sink and source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). While the open ocean’s CO₂ sink is relatively well constrained, GHG air–sea fluxes in coastal systems remain poorly quantified and highly variable. Drivers such as watershed discharge, upwelling, productivity, eutrophication, and warming contribute to this variability. Although fluxes from individual systems may appear minor, their cumulative impact is significant for global atmospheric CO₂ dynamics and local ocean acidification. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of these biogeochemical environments highlights the inadequacy of short-term campaigns and emphasizes the need for sustained, long-term, and autonomous observations.

Within this context, the Horizon Europe–funded KADI project (Knowledge and Climate Services from an African Observation and Data Research Infrastructure) has launched a pilot initiative in South Africa to monitor carbon and GHG fluxes across the LOAC. The project aims to develop a Coastal GHG Observing System to quantify carbon budgets, assess variability and long-term trends in fluxes, and monitor ocean acidification. The ultimate goal is to provide recommendations for a pan-African observation network that is standardized, well-calibrated, capable of near–real-time data delivery, and responsive to both international climate policy and regional ecosystem management. This presentation will share early results, outline the current status of the observing system, and explore the prospects for scaling this model across Africa.