Marion Island Relief Voyage on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 015, April 2015

The Marion Island Relief Voyage was conducted on the SA Agulhas II Voyage 015 from 9 April to 15 May, 2015. The 2015 Marion Relief Voyage on board South Africa’s polar research and supply vessel MV SA Agulhas II offered yet another opportunity to conduct multi-disciplinary ship-based oceanographic research focusing on links and interactions between air and sea, ocean physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and biology, including microbial, planktic and benthic communities. The overall aim was to continue contributing to the establishment of an oceanographic observation and monitoring system directed by South African research institutions in support of South Africa’s needs – and where possible, the global requirements of the Global Oceans Observing System (GOOS), the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), etc. With the declaration in April 2013 of the Prince Edward Islands (PEIs) as South Africa’s first offshore Marine Protected Area (MPA), the outcomes of this cruise will further contribute toward an integrated view and a better understanding of the functioning of the combined island/marine PEI ecosystem.

马丽昂岛救援航次于2015年4月9日至5月15日在南非极地研究与供应船MV SA Agulhas II航次015上进行。2015年的马丽昂救援航次为南非的极地研究供应船提供了又一次开展跨学科船载海洋学研究的机遇，此次研究聚焦于大气与海洋之间的联系及相互作用，涉及海洋物理学、化学、生物地球化学和生物学，包括微生物、浮游生物和底栖生物群落。整体目标是为南非研究机构主导建立的海洋观测与监控系统做出持续贡献，以满足南非的需求——在可能的情况下，满足全球海洋观测系统（GOOS）、南大洋观测系统（SOOS）、南极海洋生物资源养护公约（CCAMLR）、信天翁和海燕养护协定（ACAP）等全球性要求。随着2013年4月爱德华王子群岛（PEIs）被宣布为南非首个海上海洋保护区（MPA），本次航次的成果将进一步促进对联合岛屿/海洋爱德华王子群岛生态系统的整体视角和深入理解。