Research Students and Projects
Students of the Whales and Climate Program 2018-2023
CPUT (6) MSc students:
Ms Bianca Tree – Population structure and migration links of Southern African east coast humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) using photographic identification techniques. Thesis submitted and under examination, CPUT.
Mr Jeffrey Slater – The distribution of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Southern Ocean waters in relation to environmental parameters, 1978 to 2019, CPUT.
Ms Nokwazi Msweli – Seasonal distributions of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, off the west coast of South Africa, 2012 – 2020, CPUT.
Ms Antonia Immerz – Migration and reproduction of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales on the east coast of South Africa, UP.
Mr Christopher Wilkinson – Estimation of the population changes in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrating past Cape Vidal, South Africa, 1988 – 2019.
Mr Bernard Nyamarebvu – Seasonality and distribution of cetacean species in the coast of South Africa evaluated from citizen science data, and the relationship with whale-watching activities.
Griffith Uni (7)
PhD student:
Ms Sarah McCulloch – The role of supplementary feeding for humpback whales on the east coast of Australia, GU.
MSc student:
Ms Jana Dujaric – Spatial and temporal habitat use of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in relation to vessel traffic in the Gold Coast Bay, Australia, GU.
Ms Giorgia Marzorati – Using photo ID to assess humpback whale habitat connectivity on the east coast of Australia, GU.
Mr Patrick Woletz – Abundance of humpback whales on the Gold Coast, GU.
Hons student:
Ms Jill Corey – Resident time and habitat usage in resting areas of humpback whales along the east coast of Australia determined by Photo ID, GU.
Ms Conni Fariello – Influence of climate drivers on humpback whale distribution in the Great Barrier Reef, GU.
Ms Georgia Boyde – Migratory patterns of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the east coast of Australia: A temporal analysis using citizen science data.
Stellenbosch (17):
PhD students:
Thapelo Ramalepe – Physical speciation of Iron and Manganese in the vicinity of Gough and Marion Islands, Southern Ocean.
Jean Loock – Bioactive trace metals Co and Cd in Atlantic sector of Southern Ocean.
Margaret Ogundare – CO2 Fluxes and ocean acidification in the Southern Ocean.
Ryan Cloete – Bioactive trace metals Cd and Zn cycling in Indian sector of Southern Ocean.
Natasha von Horsten – Insights into early winter Southern Indian Ocean dissolved iron distributions and remineralisation using excess barium.
MSc students:
Miranda Sitofile – Seasonality of physical speciation of dissolved iron and manganese in the open ocean waters of the South Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.
Andile Mkandla – Mo distribution in the African sector of the Southern Ocean.
Lide Jansen van Vuuren – Dynamics of dissolved iron in the marginal ice zone in the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean.
Tara de Jong – Fluorescence detection of trace aluminium using a sequential injection analyser.
Andile Mkandla – The distribution of dissolved molybdenum along the 30˚ E meridian (GEOTRACES Process Study (GIpr07)): First assessment of the factors affecting its behaviour in the African sector of the Southern Ocean.
Nadine Ellis – Seasonality of Cd and Zn along the South Atlantic zero meridian.
Honours students:
Alice Edwards – Particulate trace metals in the lower orange river: Suspended load and flux.
Nicholas Schapers – Trace metal distribution in coastal waters of the east coast of South Africa
Andile Mkandla – Trace metals in soils around Saldhana Bay as a source of coastal sediment contamination
Sage Grushenka – Trace metal contamination of coastal sediments in Saldhana Bay
Robert Boreham – Spatial distribution of trace metal ion concentrations along the South African coastal transect with emphasis placed upon lead.
Lide Jansen van Vuuren – Distribution of iron in the water column of the marginal ice zone.
UCT (11)
PhD students:
Riesna Audh – Ice observations and sampling during cruises
Ehlke Audh – Sea ice observations during cruises
Ayanda Mpalweni – Antarctic sea ice seasonality and its relationship with humpback whales’ and other marine mammals’ distribution.
Giles Fearon – Regional model development
Mark Hague – Southern Ocean model development
Jarryd Son – research assistantship for the development of SHARC buoys for sea ice tracking in the marginal ice zone
Magata Mangatane – support for the development of the Southern Ocean sea ice model
MSc students:
Cayla de Souza – An indicator for supergroups prediction in the Southern Benguela
Mbali Mthethwa – Sea-ice habitat conditions for cetaceans during the IWC-SOWER campaign
Thando Mazomba – Assessment of early 20th-century climate model simulations of Antarctic sea ice using historical commercial humpback whale catch data.
Naadir Vorajee – research assistantship for the development of SHARC buoys for sea ice tracking in the marginal ice zone