SANCOR Home Page - Seminars 2026

These seminars are held to stimulate interaction and promote the exchange of information on regional, national and international developments in marine and coastal research. If you would like to recommend a speaker or present a talk, please contact the secretarariat by e-mail: cc.visser@risa.nrf.ac.za. These are open lectures and everybody is welcome to attend.

Seminars

Date	Speaker	Topic	Venue	Host	Time
1/16/2026	Anass El Aouni Mercator Ocean, France	GLONET: Mercator's end-to-end neural Global Ocean forecasting system	Online	CLIVAR	14h00 UTC
1/16/2026	Valerie de Liedekerke European Commission	From Demo to Impact: Matchmaking with Cascade Funding for Public Authorities on Blue Economy	Online	Air Centre	13h00 UTC
1/20/2026	Dr. Andrew Meijers British Antarctic Survey	Looking forward: Community science priorities and strategies in the Southern Ocean for the InSync and IPY era	Online	CLIVAR	20h00 UTC
1/22/2026	Dr. Jérôme Vialard IRD, France	Overview and history of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) theory	Online	WCRP, CLIVAR	7h00 UTC
2/2/2026	Prof. Iwa Stachlewska University of Warsaw, Poland	Potential for development of a new space-borne lidar mission to monitor ocean color Add to Outlook Calendar \| Add to Gmail Calendar	UCT Oceanography Seminar Rm & Online	UCT-SANCOR	13h00 SAST
2/4/2026	Matthew England University of New South Wales	Cold and hot surface ocean temperature extremes in the North Atlantic: What on Earth is going on?	Online	WCRP, CLIVAR	21h00 UTC
2/10/2026	Dr. Judy Mann (Founder of MPA Day) and Katja Laingui (European Coordinator for MPA Day)	Uniting a Global Community for Ocean Protection	Online	OCTO	17h00 SAST
2/25/2026	Asst Prof. Juan Pablo Quimbayo Department of Biology, University of Miami	Scaling Marine Biodiversity: Insights from a Trait-Based Framework	Online	TIBS	15h00 SAST
3/2/2026	Prof. Pierre Pistorius Marine Apex Predator Research Unit Institute for Coastal and Marine Research Nelson Mandela University	Underwater Perspectives: Using animal-borne cameras to study penguin foraging behaviour and ecosystem processes	In person: NMU Ocean Sciences Campus, B Block, Conference Hall Online: register here	CMR	13h00 SAST
3/3/2026	Evan Shapiro and Tom Parry Sofar Ocean	How MPAs Are Protecting Vast Territories with Real-Time Sensor Networks	Online	Sofar	15h00 GMT
3/4/2026	IORA speaker panel	IORA Day: Knowledge Bridges to Catalyse Connectivity Across the Indian Ocean	Online	IORA	12h00 SAST
3/5/2026	Nicole du Plessis NRF-SAEON Egagasini Node	A Decade of Policy Advancement and Science Diplomacy: The South African Chapter of the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (SA IORAG)	Online.	SAEON	14h00 SAST
3/9/2026	Luther Adams Rhodes University	Strategies for counting fauna and flora using computer vision over space, time and different sensors for ecology	NMU & Online	NMU & partners	13h00 SAST
3/11/2026	Dr. Marta Umbert Institute of Marine Sciences, Spanish National Research Council	Arctic Freshwater Pathways in a Changing Climate: Satellite Observations and AI-Based Reconstructions	UCT-MARIS Centre (in-person)	UCT-MARIS	13h00 SAST
3/16/2026	Dr. Neil Malan University of New South Wales, Australia	Lifting the lid on Marine Heatwaves: a typology for the vertical structure of ocean temperature extremes.	UCT Oceanography Seminar Room or Online	UCT-SANCOR	13h00 SAST
3/16/2026	Representatives from: European Commission, Delegation of the European Union to South Africa, Department of Science, Technology & Innovation, EURAXESS Africa, South Africa–based researchers and innovators involved in EU‑funded projects	Horizon Europe “Africa Initiative IV” Webinar	Online	ESASTAP	14h00 SAST
3/19/2026	Dr. Rebecca Beadling Temple University	Cold, Fresh, and Consequential: Global Climate Impacts of Antarctic Meltwater	Online	CLIVAR	14h00 UTC
3/25/2026	Dr. Léa Olivier Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany	Southern Ocean freshening, CO2-rich deep waters, and emerging surface fluxes in a changing climate	Online	SOOS	15h00 UTC
3/26/2026	Dr. Markus Geldenhuys South African Weather Service	Exploring the Upper Atmosphere to Close Climate Knowledge Gaps	Online	CMR	10h00 SAST
4/1/2026	Dr. Michael McPhaden NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory	Successes, Setbacks and Serendipity in Development of the ENSO Observing System	Online	CLIVAR	14h00 UTC
4/10/2026	Dr. Pete Convey British Antarctic Survey	Lessons from Four Decades as an Antarctic Ecologist?!	UCT LT9 Menzies Building (in-person)	UCT-MARIS	13h00 SAST
4/10/2026	Joshua Wilson University of Southampton and the British Antarctic Survey, UK	Projected redistribution of penguins under climate change	NMU & Online	CMR	13h00 SAST
4/16/2026	Dr. Jens Terhaar University of Bern	Record sea surface temperature jump in 2023–2024: Implications for transient climate response to emissions and a possible upcoming warming hiatus	Online	CLIVAR	13h00 UTC
4/22/2026	Dr. Linda Harris Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University	What's that under my beach towel?	NMU Ocean Sciences Campus or online	CMR	13h00 SAST
4/24/2026	Dr. Feng Jiang Seoul National University AND Dr. Marie-Lou Bachelery CMCC Foundation	Why is there no apparent dynamical thermostat in the tropical Atlantic Ocean AND Predicting Atlantic and Benguela Niño events with deep learning	Online	CLIVAR	13h00 UTC
4/30/2026	The International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB)	The IAPB Policy Forum - Fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing towards the advancement of nature credit markets	Online	IAPB	9h30 & 17h00 SAST
5/5/2026	Sustainable Seas Trust	Beyond The Headlines: What Marine Pollution in Africa Really Looks Like and What’s Changing	Online	SST	11h00 SAST
5/8/2026	Dr Lara van Niekerk CSIR	Estuaries on the edge: 99% of South Africa’s estuarine extent is threatened	Online	SANBI	13h00 SAST
5/15/2026	Dr Linda Harris Nelson Mandela University	Coastal ecosystems: pressure at theland–sea interface across South Africa	Online	SANBI	13h00 SAST
5/20/2026	Dr Vhulenda Edna Mukheli (UNISA) Dr Prakash Gopal (Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security) Mr Solomon Kimaita (Zetech University, Nairobi, Kenya) Ms Tshegofatso Ramachela (University of Pretoria) Cdr Chanaka Udayanga (Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, Sri Lanka)	Maritime Security Webinar	Online	IORA	12h00 SAST
5/22/2026	Dr Lara Atkinson NRF-SAEON Egagasini Node	South Africa’s offshore benthic biodiversity: Progress, challenges and opportunities	NMU & Online	CMR	12h00 SAST
5/27/2026	Susan Escott Communications Specialist Katrina Macneill UK Met Office Prof Gabi Hegerl University of Edinburgh	Communicating tipping points - how to go from alarm to action	Online	Future Earth	14h00 SAST
5/27/2026	Michelle L'Heureux NOAA, Washington DC, USA	Navigating Uncertainty in Operational El Niño and La Niña Predictions	Online	CLIVAR	14h00 SAST
5/28/2026	Luke Thompson Northern Gulf Institute/AOML Nicole Miller University Corporation for Atmospheric Research/NOAA Ocean Exploration	From Seawater to Sequences: Exploring NOAA’s New Deep-Sea Environmental DNA Dataset	Online	NOAA Omics	18h00 SAST
5/28/2026	Dr Joseph Kofi Ansong University of Ghana AND Dr Sivareddy Sanikommu King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia	Operational Ocean Forecasting Model for the Gulf of Guinea AND Ocean Modeling Systems at KAUST	Online	OceanPrediction African Seas	16h00 SAST
5/29/2026	Ms Natasha Besseling SANBI	South Africa has exceptional marine biodiversity – what is its status?	Online	SANBI	13h00 SAST
6/3/2026	Dr Kirsty McQuaid Nelson Mandela University	Deep-sea Science for a Wider World	NMU and Online	CMR	13h00 SAST
6/5/2026	Eirini Marinou Geosystems Hellas Killian Voss OHB Digital Dr George Ioannidis IN2 Digital Innovations	OCEANIDS Platform: A Decision-making Tool for Marine Spatial Planning	Online	AIR Centre	15h00 SAST
6/9/2026	Zaahid Khan University of the Witwatersrand Helena Martínez-Cabrera University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain Patricia Reglero Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Balearic Islands, Spain	Science communication, theory and practice	Online	SIIECS	2pm SAST
6/12/2026	Ms Prideel Majiedt SANBI	Using the 2025 National Biodiversity Assessment for planning, policy revision and decision-making in South Africa	Online	SANBI	13h00 SAST
6/17/2026	Berta Pérez and Marco León University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain	Using white shark movement to understand oceanographic environments and behavioural responses AND White Sharks as Ocean Gliders: Assessing their role in improving monitoring and ecosystem management of the Greater Agulhas Current System.	UCT Oceanography Seminar Room & online	UCT-SANCOR	13h00 SAST
6/17/2026	Mr. Nkateko Maholobela African Potential	From South Africa to Antarctica: A young scientist's journey to the edge of the world. Register here: https://zfrmz.com/KYs9J8iN0SRx9zoVaUmc	Online	WaterCan	18h00 SAST
6/19/2026	Geremy Cliff University of KwaZulu-Natal	Sharks: more threatened than threatening	UKZN Westville Campus, Biological Sciences Building; Seminar Room 3&4 (in-person only)	KZN Coastal and Marine Science	12h30 SAST
6/30/2026	Prof Nils Brüggemann Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research	Ocean Dynamics in Kilometre-Scale ICON Simulations	Online	CLIVAR	15h00 SAST
6/30/2026	Andrea Angel Albatross Task Force	Albatross Task Force South Africa: 20 years dedicated to saving seabirds.	Online	BirdLife South Africa	19h00 SAST
6/30/2026	Dr. Judy Mann-Lang Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation	Communicating for Marine Conservation – Lessons from South Africa	Online	Ocean Stewards	12h30 SAST
7/1/2026	Dr. Kaitlin Naughten British Antarctic Survey	How will ice shelf melting respond to a warming climate	Online	CLIVAR	15h00 SAST
7/10/2026	Jaume Piera Institute of Marine Sciences, Spanish National Research Council	The role of participatory methodologies in large-scale biodiversity monitoring: present status and future opportunities	Online	AIR Centre	15h00 SAST
7/13/2026	Dr. Nikolay Koldunov Alfred Wegener Institute	Converting Fortran ocean model to other languages	Online	CLIVAR	15h00 SAST
7/16/2026	The Sea Change Project Panel	Safeguarding, Preserving and Restoring Global Kelp Forests: Policy, Community Engagement, Conservation and Action	Online	Ocean20	11h00 SAST
7/20/2026	Mr Mark Dixon Strandloper Project	Ghost fishing and avian entanglements as a result of snagged and discarded terminal tackle from recreational fishers	Online	DSTI & SAASTA	12h00 SAST
7/24/2026	Mr Santosh Bachoo & Dr Welly Kwabe EKZN Wildlife	From Near Collapse to Conservation Success: Tackling the Threats to Nesting Sea Turtles	UKZN Westville Campus	UKZN School of Agriculture & Science	12h30 SAST
7/27/2026	The SOMISANA Team	FAIR-aligned ocean models and tools for the South African marine science community	UCT Oceanography Seminar Room & Online	UCT-SANCOR	13h00 SAST
8/5/2026	Dr. Nicola Maher Australian National University	Using large ensembles to gain insights into the El Niño Southern Oscillation	Online	CLIVAR	12h00 SAST

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Seminars

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