Errol Avern Wiles

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity · ACEP

Given a growing global population and shift to embrace the blue economy, a need for marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged in South Africa to sustainably resolve the rising conflicts over the use of marine and seabed resources and services. A well-developed marine spatial plan yields numerous ecological, social and economic benefits. These are a...

The value of seabed mapping with MBES and the resolved reef complexes within the uThukela MPA that were not documented entirely by earlier poorly resolved data acquisition techniques

the presentation was about discussing the preliminary results of the uThukela Banks MPA mapping efforts that showed variation in the morphology

The presentation was to show the improvement achieved in mapping the seabed with Multibeam echosounders and how this provides much detailed resolution when compared to earlier data acquisition techniques (singlebeam echosounders)

The presentation was about the incorporation of the multibeam echosounder data into Marine Spatial Planning initiatives

The presentation was looking into how multibeam echosounders (MBES) data can be used as baseline in marine (research) related studies and its application in marine habitat mapping for the uThukela Banks Marine Protected Area in South Africa

Coastal erosion may cause significant damage to property and infrastructure with far reaching socio-economic consequences. Assessing the site-specific shoreline dynamics is fundamental to understand the morphodynamic behaviour of a particular coastal area, as well as the associated coastal hazards. However, changes in shoreline position, even when...

It is well-known that the coastal zone attracts human populations like no other. There is ever increasing demand on the coastal zone by tourists, residents and developers alike; it is named as the fastest growing sector of the blue economy. Hence, coastal zone processes require better understanding to be effectively managed in the context of sustai...

High-resolution mapping, sampling and analysis of upper Quaternary southern African continental margin sediments recovered from beyond the Last Glacial Maximum shoreline (>130 m water depth) have expanded our understanding of how marine and terrestrial records are linked over glacial-interglacial climatic cycles. This paper synthesises data current...

EXPLORING THE SCIENCE, PRACTICE AND VALUE OF NATURECONSERVATION IN AFRICA

Airflow dynamics across dune surfaces are the primary agent of sediment transport and resulting dune migration movements. Using 3D computational fluid dynamic modelling, this study examined the behaviour of near surface airflow travelling over transverse (reversing) dunes on a beach system. Wind direction was modelled in two opposing directions (bo...

In this contribution, high resolution multibeam swath bathymetry and PARASOUND sediment echosounder data are used to describe a region within the distal part of the central Mozambique Channel. The study area marks a transition from abyssal plain to abyssal hill type morphology within the sediment-rich Mozambique Fan and associated with a zone of ex...

Fluid flow features can be used to delineate the migration pathways of fluid from gas sources to the present-day seafloor. A quantitative and qualitative study of these features can reveal linkages between modern mass wasting processes, submarine geomorphology and fluid dynamics in the sub-strata. This study examines 2219 pockmarks from the seafloo...

The continental slope of Madagascar is underrepresented in the literature in comparison to other continental slopes worldwide. In particular, the submarine geomorphology of this zone has not been discussed in detail. During research cruise SO230 approximately 1900 km² of high resolution multibeam bathymetric data were collected along the northwest...

Rapid cementation (<5 years) of beachrock is reported from the wave-dominated, microtidal coastline of Durban, South Africa. The beachrock is developing at mean sea level on a steep (10°–30°), reflective beach prone to periodic erosion by high-energy wave action; the most recent erosional event resulted in retrogradation of the beach by up to 10 m...

We present a comprehensive regional bathymetric data compilation for the southwest Indian Ocean (swIOBC) covering the area from 4°S to 40°S and 20°E to 45°E with a spatial resolution of 250 m. For this, we used multibeam and singlebeam data as well as data from global bathymetric data compilations. We generated the swIOBC using an iterative approac...

Sediment delivery to the abyssal regions of the oceans is an integral process in the source to sink cycle of material derived from adjacent continents and islands. The Zambezi River, the largest in southern Africa, delivers vast amounts of material to the inner continental shelf of central Mozambique. The aim of this contribution is to better const...

The Mozambique Channel plays a key role in the exchange of surface water masses between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and forms a topographic barrier for meridional deep and bottom water circulation due to its northward shoaling water depths. New high-resolution bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data show that due to these topographic constraints...

Beachrock is present in deep, stable sections of a mixed sand and gravel beach at Whitepark Bay (55o14′N) on the paraglacial coast of Northern Ireland. The beachrock was revealed following progressive and extreme beach erosion during two particularly stormy winters (2013/14 and 2014/15). It occurs as large (up to 1 m diameter, 0.2 m thick), rounded...

The sedimentary record in large marine embayments holds important information on Holocene environmental and sea-level changes. This paper investigates the evolution of a large subtropical marine embayment, Maputo Bay, in southern Mozambique. Using a combination of sediment cores, stable isotope data, seismic reflection profiling and ¹⁴C dating, we...

Submarine channels are not stand-alone systems. They are long-lived systems modified by imperceptibly slow processes and rapid gravity flows, in some part controlled by hinterland dynamics. The submarine Zambezi Channel, within the Mozambique Channel, receives sediment from the Zambezi River catchment which has a dynamic tectonic and morphological...

Un-vegetated dune fields provide excellent opportunities to examine airflow dynamics over various types and scales of dune landforms. The three dimensional surface over which lower boundary layers travel, help adjust surface airflow and consequently the aeolian response of the dunes themselves. The use of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modelling...

The seismic stratigraphy, architecture and evolution of a large subtropical embayment, Maputo Bay, Southern Mozambique is described. Nine seismic units are documented; and show repeated phases of incised valley formation and transgressive infilling. Trangressive infilling alternates between the classic wave-dominated transgressive succession of flu...

Mozambique has been classified as a " hot-spot " for potential impacts derived from sea-level rise, yet there is little knowledge on past sea-level fluctuation in this part of the world. Further understanding of sea-level fluctuations in the region would be of great benefit. To this end a high resolution record of paleo-environmental changes in Map...

Although global thermohaline circulation pathways are fairly well known, the same cannot be said for local circulation pathways. Within the southwest Indian Ocean specifically there is little consensus regarding the finer points of thermohaline circulation. We present recently collected multibeam bathymetry and PARASOUND data from the northern Nata...

Interactions between bottom water currents and seafloor sediments are well known. Bottom current generated bedforms are varied both morphologicaly and sedimentologicaly. Sediment transport and deposition, associated with bottom water circulation, plays a significant role is sculpting seafloor morphology in all ocean basins. Indeed, bedforms have be...

In spite of the worldwide abundance of beachrocks and their acknowledged utility as an indicator of former sea level position, some studies have expressed doubt as to their position of cementation on paleo shorelines. These criticisms are not, however, coupled with nuanced sedimentological studies of beachrocks. Instead, few beachrock studies ackno...

Cliff-top storm deposits (CTSDs) occur south of Morgan Bay, South Africa at elevations varying from ±55- to 63m. These occur as a ±10m-wide horizontal fringe of shell breccia mixed into a very thin (>15cm) sandy soil on the cliff top platform. Visually it is evident that the shell breccia is of various ages. Comparisons with proven wave breccia fro...

The transfer of sediment from the upper continental slope to rise is poorly documented along the southeast African passive margin. New swath bathymetric and sub-bottom data collected in the Natal Valley, southwest Indian Ocean, provide insight into the evolution of the Tugela canyon and fan system. Several distinct downslope changes in canyon morph...

Abstract The Mozambique Channel plays a key role in the exchange of surface water masses between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans and forms a topographic barrier for meridional deep and bottom water circulation due to its northward shoaling water depths. New high-resolution bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data show that due to these topographic c...