The characterisation of synoptic circulation patterns in Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay, on the west coast of South Africa, is the only deep water port between Cape Town and Walvis Bay. It is separated into two smaller bays, Small Bay and Big Bay, by an iron-ore jetty built in 1975. With its sheltered environment it is an ideal site for the development of a mariculture industry, but a conflict of interest arises between the mussel farmers and the use of the iron-ore jetty and other sources of pollution. This thesis is a contribution to an effort to understand how the requirements of the mariculture industry in respect of food provision and clean water can be met. Seven field trips were made to Saldanha Bay with the aim of studying the circulation characteristics in the various regions of the bay. It was found that drogues were an effective method of measuring currents in Saldanha Bay, with the best method of drogue tracking being with the use of a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS).
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