Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment 2012: Seasonal scale climate and carbon cycle links

In early May 2012, South Africa will take delivery of a new polar research ship, the SA Agulhas II, representing a significant investment of R1.6 billion in polar infrastructure to further strengthen South Africa's presence in the polar region, particularly in support of its stewardship of the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Treaty obligations. This investment follows closely on recent DST-CSIR infrastructure investments in the Centre for High Performance Computing, used to run global ocean-climate models, an ocean robotics observational capability and five other new research facilities. Together, these investments offer opportunities to enhance South Africa's advanced numerical and technological capacity as well as its impact on Southern Hemisphere polar climate and ecosystem science by using its geographical advantage. We are planning the first scientific programme that will capitalise on these major infrastructure investments: the Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SOSCEx).