In our conversation with Emma Rocke, from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, we discover another region of the Atlantic, folowing the Benguela upwelling system.
Emma was chief scientist on board Tara as it sailed from Cape Town in South Africa up to Walvis Bay in Namibia. They studied microbiomes in the different zones of the upwelling, as well as the Orange river mouth.
As Emma explains, an upwelling happens when winds push surface waters away and allows for deeper, nutrient-rich water to rise to the surface. This has many effects on the water column and the marine life within it, and these were what Emma and the team on board set out to study during this 5 week long leg up the Western African coast.
Listen on to learn more about the region, how it can help us understand the Atlantic ocean and the changes linked to rises in temperature or ocean acidification, but also to hear more about what life is like on board Tara!
Find out more about this leg in the video: https://youtu.be/W4oKKkl_IrY
You can find, and subscribe to our podcast on all major platforms. Find our show on your preferred platform.