Our excitement to explore the island grows as the breeding season begins to show its colours. It was definitely a month of growth – for us as a team and in all aspects of island life. I am very grateful for this opportunity and would like to share a little about our journey from Cape Town to our arrival and stay here on the island.
I would like to give the M79 team the best wishes for the time we will spend here on the island. Is there anything specific you would like to achieve this year on the island. If there is one lesson so far that you have learned from the island – what is it.
Despite the seemingly mundane topic, the weather on Marion is anything but, and a thorough understanding of island weather will greatly enhance your respect, or perhaps sympathy, for those of us stuck here. You can point out (quite correctly) that despite our tendency to declare that we are "halfway between South Africa and Antarctica", the whole of the United Kingdom and even some parts of Spain lie closer to the North Pole than we do to the South Pole is. Every once in a while the island rewards our efforts, treating us to the most spectacular day, which we appreciate all the more because of all the difficulties.
The weather on Marion Island is rough, but we're up for the challenge (most of the time).
Change is inevitable
They are like little white-coated inspectors who inquire whether you are following proper work protocols, and they must inspect the quality of your work by poking at either your equipment or your boots. In addition, I also had an opportunity to help the birders with the ringing of these Wandering Albatross chicks, and it was such a privilege to get a chance to work with the largest flying birds in the world. As the month progressed, I also completed several trips to an area located between the 2nd and 3rd Sisters' Hills on the northwest side of the island.
Coastal areas are influenced by salt spray from the ocean, and the vegetation is mainly composed of low-growing but abundant species, including Crassula moschata, a succulent, and Leptinella plumosa, a coastal daisy. In contrast, in the area where I worked, the soil was extremely bare, dominated by bryophytes and a cushion plant called Azorella selago. It's fascinating how the vegetation can be so vastly different with such a slight elevation gain.
A bog is probably similar to quicksand - maybe less severe - you can get out of it after exercise. Nevertheless, I have never experienced such a feeling: when you accidentally step into a deep bog, your whole leg (or both) is swallowed up to hip depth. Some islanders have surely also experienced bogs deeper than the hip-deep gobbler, but that's a story for another day.
It humbles you on every journey – whether it's the weather, the marshes or even just the slopes of Blechnum, giving you the leg workout of a lifetime.
A Decade and More Years to Come -
The Wanderer - Three Musketeers
Sometimes the impact appears to be minor - such as an alien plant species that does not necessarily become invasive, but instead just gradually enters the island environment without affecting the majority of other coexisting fauna and flora. The house mouse, Mus musculus, believed to have been introduced to Marion Island about 200 years ago by ancient seals, has now become a complex problem that has detrimental effects on the entire island's ecosystem. In addition, the mice feed on several invertebrate species, including weevils and two of the flightless moth species that occur on the island.
Mice also destroy vegetation with their burrows and tracks – Azorella selago cushions, one of the dominant plant species on the island, often never fully recover after severe mouse damage. DFFE is responsible for the management and conservation of the Prince Edward Islands (as a Special Nature Reserve and a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance). These two partners are jointly implementing the planning and will facilitate the implementation of the eradication project in the near future.
This is where I come in: my role is to collect priority baseline data (pre-eradication) for preparations and facilitate long-term monitoring of the ecological outcomes of the mouse eradication project. Hlatswayo received several birthday gifts from team members to show the team members' love and unity. They actively participate in surface meteorological and atmospheric research projects assigned by the Marine Division of the South African Weather Service through the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Mr Sikhwari Thendo has been appointed Senior Meteorological Technician for the Marion Island M79 Expedition Team (2022/23) under SAWD. In 2019, Sikhwari Thendo was also part of the Gough Island expedition as Senior Meteorologist and also served as Deputy Team Leader. It will be another lecture on the history of the Lemba people when you get a chance to visit Limpopo.
This aroused a curiosity in me because of the large amount of water in dams and rivers and heavy rainfall. Tanganedzani expressed that being on Marion Island is a unique experience and she is excited to be part of the wintering team. Faltein Siphesihle was born in the Eastern Cape, home of former 1st black South African President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
He is also currently assigned as an Assistant Meteorological Technician at SAWS under DFFE at the Marion Island Meteorological Station. Faltein is indeed a scientist who graduated from the University of the Free State, with a BSc degree in Geography and Agrometeorology and an Honors degree in Soil Science.
SAWS Monthly Weather Stats – July 2022
