肆客足球

???????????????Prof Susanne Fietz

Associate Professor, 

Head of Department

Department of Earth Sciences,
Stellenbosch 肆客足球, South Africa
tel +27-21-808-3117
email: sfietz at sun.ac.za

https://susannefietz.wordpress.com/

https://southernoceanfe.wordpress.com/

2022/2023 Postd??oc advert: 2022-12 StellU-postdoc-mercury.pdf

ORCID: 0000-0003-0896-8385
ResearcherID: A-8695-2012
Scopus: 6508296863
Loop: 567300

Research profile:

My research aims to study modern aquatic systems and sedimentary archives as well as sedimentation processes to help interpretation. This approach provides essential information on past and present environmental conditions for those predicting future local and global changes.

We currently have a major ongoing project on the Southern Ocean: Studying biogeochemical cycles to help evaluate potential tools for climate mitigation. Almost all life on Earth depends somehow on photosynthesis fueled by energy from the sun. Growth, which translates into carbon fixation and thus atmospheric CO2 reduction, however, further depends on the availability of macro- and trace nutrients. One of the most famous quotes of early awareness of climate changes and potential mitigation strategies is from John Martin (Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, US, 1988) "Give me half a ship load of iron...I could give you an ice age". In 2013, there is still no scientific consensus, what the consequences of this type of geo-engineering are. We aim to investigate how phytoplankton, acclimatized to current conditions of light and trace metal availability, will most likely respond to predicted future global warming and thus ocean structure changes. 

Projects offered in 2023 and 2024 and beyond?

• • Methylmercury in the Southern Ocean. This project is only available to students wishing to pursue at least into M.Sc. A strong interest in interdisciplinary and international work is requested for these projects as it is a collaborative work with Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, Marseille, France.
  • Southern African dust aerosols: sources, trajectories and impact. This involves analyising their general geochemistry and trace metal composition, and their dissolution kinetics, which leads to study their potential fertilisation and/or inhibitory effects after deposition. A student with an interest in atmospheric sciences is required for this project. 
  • Algae community composition and adaptation, driving factors and the impact on biogeochemical cycles (including carbon and its impact on the global climate), and/or on marine sediment formation (siliceous ooze, vs. calcareous ooze, for instance). A strong interest in interdisciplinary work, including biological sciences, is requested for this project. 
  • This project includes a component on the toxic and/or inhibitory impacts of selected trace metals on primary producers. 
  • Another field of studies relates to paleo-geochemistry and climate reconstructions and establishing or improving tools for paleo-reconstructions. We use organic molecules to reconstruct the climate of the past, understand natural variability to disentangle the current anthropogenic impact. This, in turn, helps to improve the projections of the future. 
  • In collaboration with Iziko Museum (Dr Eugene Bergh), a project on Miocene to Recent biostratigraphy and marine palaeoenvironments of South Africa is offered. A part of this is also to investigate if we can record the Plio-Pleistocene marine extinction on our margin. 
  • We also seek support for our study on river pollution and the impact of rainfall events on Western Cape's river water quality. A study conducted in 2016-2018 has revealed interesting trends in the Eerste River and Lourens River and we will extend this study to other rivers of the Western Cape..
  • "Testing enhanced weathering as terrestrial Carbon Dioxide Removal strategy in southern Africa"; The simplified idea is to add rock dust (ground rock) to southern African soils? in laboratory, column experiments to test the carbon removal potential. ?
    
  
  

Ongoing or completed PhD, MSc and Honours theses at Stellenbosch 肆客足球:

2024 Anesu Karadzandima: "Impact of industrial dust on human health"

2024 Celiwe Xulu: "Mercury dynamics at Cape Point, South Africa; examining peak mercury concentrations"  

2024 Linamandla Yengana: "More on effects of Cu, Cd and Zn of phytoplankton communities"

2024-2026, Liam Quinlan: "?Interrogating a decade of Southern Ocean phytoplankton community structure data"

2024-2025, Kutlwano Malatjie: "Integrating Sciences for Benthic Habitat Mapping in False Bay, South Africa: Enhancing Ecosystem Understanding.?"

2023-2025 Emtia Wium: "Impact of metals on phytoplankton in oceans around southern African?"

2023-2024 Kereemang Gaoaaga: "Geochemical characteristics of PM2.5 in residential areas, South Africa" 

2023, Victor Mugabe: "Effect of Cu, Cd and Zn on a South African West Coast Phytoplankton Community"?

2023, Isabella Braithwaite: "Potential biotoxicity of dust in Saldanha Bay, South Africa"?

2022 Kereemang Gaoaaga: "Real-time PM2.5 (air quality) measur?ements in Stellenbosch, South Africa" 

2022, Ezelna Germeshuisen: "Atmospheric mercury concentation and speciation at Cape Point, South Africa", with Dr Lynwill Martin (SAWS)

2022, Zara Samsodien: "Trace metals in stack emissions of the research vessel SA Agulhas II" 

2022, Gege Ozengiwe: "Impact of zinc on the phytoplankton Nannochloropsis spp."

2022-2023, Liam Quinlan: "?Southern Ocean phytoplankton community structure and potential impact of climate change"

2022-2023, Jared Walsh: "Assessing and refining Plio-Pleistocene foraminifera fossil assemblages from the Orange Shelf of South Africa", with Dr Eugene Bergh (Iziko)