{"title":"KwaZulu-Natal Bight Sentinel Site - South Africa","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/","suffix":"0ae80e03-6e3d-4e39-b42a-a9a1f588f33c"},"type":"site","created":"2022-11-11T14:04:27+01:00","changed":"2025-01-10T09:23:33+01:00","attributes":{"affiliation":{"networks":[{"network":{"name":"GERI","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"c3abdc60-49f1-49db-81fe-863b7dbb21d3"}},"siteCode":null,"verified":true},{"network":{"name":"SAEON","id":{"prefix":"https:\/\/deims.org\/networks\/","suffix":"bce17afa-e548-4410-99d2-4eade740c9a9"}},"siteCode":"LTER-SAF-ZA-1","verified":true}],"projects":null},"contact":{"siteManager":[{"type":"person","name":"Thomas Bornman","email":"tommy@saeon.ac.za","orcid":null}],"operatingOrganisation":[{"type":"organisation","name":"South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)","url":"http:\/\/www.saeon.ac.za\/","ror":"https:\/\/ror.org\/041j42q70"}],"metadataProvider":[{"type":"person","name":"Shaun Deyzel","email":"shaun@saeon.ac.za","orcid":null}],"fundingAgency":null,"siteUrl":[{"title":"SAEON Elwandle Coastal Node","value":"https:\/\/elwandle.saeon.ac.za\/"},{"title":"SMCRI - Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure","value":"https:\/\/smcri.saeon.ac.za\/"}]},"general":{"abstract":"The KwaZulu-Natal Bight Sentinel Site (KZNBSS) is a coastal observatory situated on the subtropical east coast of South Africa. The KZNBSS forms part of distributed network of sentinel sites for LTER coordinated by the Shallow Marine and Coastal Research Infrastructure (SMCRI) initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa. The site is in its deployment phase with the first instruments launched in February 2022. The network comprises 6 Underwater Temperature Recorder Arrays (UTR) deployed offshore and 3 shallow UTRs deployed in permanently submerged rocky shore gullies for the facilitation of shallow water temperature observations. The site encompasses a coastal reach of 150 km that includes the uThukela MPA to the northeast. Deployment of additional instruments (2023-2025) near the City of Durban will include an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and a METOCEAN Coastal Observation Buoy. A Pelagic Ecosystem LTER Programme will also be established in partnership with regional institutions and existing research projects.   ","citation":null,"relatedIdentifiers":null,"status":{"label":"Operational","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/elter_cl\/10772"},"yearEstablished":2022,"yearClosed":null,"relatedSites":null,"siteName":"KwaZulu-Natal Bight Sentinel Site","shortName":"KZNBSS","siteType":null,"protectionLevel":null,"landUse":null,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-11\/Natal%20Bight%20Surf%20Anglers.JPG","alt":"Surf anglers"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-11\/St%20Lucia%20TaylorRHc.jpg","alt":"St Lucia mouth (photo by Ricky Taylor)"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-11\/ADCP%20maintenance.png","alt":"Diver attending to maintenance of an ADCP mooring off Red Sands"},{"url":"https:\/\/deims.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-11\/UTR-Bluff_Deployement.jpg","alt":"Temperature mooring deployment off the Bluff south of Durban"}]},"environmentalCharacteristics":{"airTemperature":{"yearlyAverage":null,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"\u00b0C","referencePeriod":null},"precipitation":{"yearlyAverage":null,"monthlyAverage":null,"unit":"mm","referencePeriod":null},"biogeographicalRegion":null,"biome":null,"ecosystemType":[{"label":"Coastal","uri":null},{"label":"Forest","uri":null},{"label":"Mangroves","uri":null},{"label":"Marine","uri":null},{"label":"Tropical coral","uri":null},{"label":"Tropical upwelling","uri":null},{"label":"Urban","uri":null}],"eunisHabitat":null,"landforms":[{"label":"Coast","uri":null}],"geoBonBiome":["Coastal"],"geology":null,"hydrology":null,"soils":null,"vegetation":null},"geographic":{"boundaries":"POLYGON ((30.964494 -29.985846, 30.967841 -29.982352, 30.977283 -29.971051, 30.988784 -29.959451, 30.988526 -29.958559, 30.99093 -29.955733, 30.995221 -29.951717, 31.001058 -29.945396, 31.008182 -29.939148, 31.010413 -29.93595, 31.01316 -29.933793, 31.013761 -29.931784, 31.015563 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31.482782 -29.245327, 31.484842 -29.242032, 31.487417 -29.236939, 31.488791 -29.231996, 31.50012 -29.223757, 31.50527 -29.223157, 31.50836 -29.218813, 31.510763 -29.219712, 31.522264 -29.210722, 31.540804 -29.193041, 31.560202 -29.179103, 31.572733 -29.166812, 31.587667 -29.148823, 31.593161 -29.142526, 31.616507 -29.116285, 31.798553 -29.388719, 31.15036 -29.920981, 30.964494 -29.985846))","coordinates":"POINT (31.182976 -29.912184)","country":["South Africa"],"elevation":{"avg":null,"min":null,"max":null,"unit":"msl"},"size":{"value":292493,"unit":"ha"},"relatedLocations":null},"focusDesignScale":{"experiments":{"design":null,"scale":null},"observations":{"design":"only observation","scale":"beyond catchment"},"observedProperties":[{"label":"current direction","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/30026"},{"label":"current speed","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/30027"},{"label":"water parameter","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/20945"},{"label":"water temperature","uri":"http:\/\/vocabs.lter-europe.net\/EnvThes\/22313"}]},"infrastructure":{"accessibleAllYear":true,"accessType":"boat","allPartsAccessible":true,"maintenanceInterval":180,"permanentPowerSupply":true,"operation":{"permanent":true,"notes":"The site currently only host moorings that demand site visits for maintenance every 6 months. Once the new projects are established (e.g. the Pelagic Ecosystem LTER Project for monitoring of inter plankton dynamics), then the site will be visited monthly.","siteVisitInterval":180},"notes":null,"collection":[{"label":"Marine Platform","uri":null},{"label":"Other data services","uri":null},{"label":"Structured file","uri":null}],"data":{"policy":{"url":[{"title":"SAEON Data Policy","value":"https:\/\/repository.saeon.ac.za\/index.php\/s\/nscR6iaHcy4LYds"}],"rights":null,"notes":null}}},"relatedResources":null,"projectRelated":{"lter":{"lterSiteClassification":null}}}}