Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2024: Biodiversity

Abstract

In living colour – South African aquatic scientists make a splash in biodiversity campaign Famous for its biodiversity, South Africa displays corresponding diversity in ecosystems, as well as extraordinary dynamism within the aquatic realms. Water bodies can change dramatically overnight or during the course of a few days – for example when a coastal embayment turns green, brown or red when microscopic algal blooms, or ‘red tides’ , are present. Pressure on the healthy ecosystem functioning of our coastal and inland waters is undoubtedly rising, with difficult challenges arising for governing and management agencies as South Africa experiences the impacts of extreme weather events, as well as increased drinking water demands by a growing population. The routine acquisition of satellite data, and the ability to retrieve water quality parameters from these data, provide the grounding for a far better understanding of our unique geophysical and ecological systems and their dynamics.

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