• International research team launched expedition aboard German vessel METEOR along West African coast. • Expedition led by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. • Focus on Benguela upwelling system, partially wind-independent, affecting marine productivity. • Study marine heat waves called Benguela Niños, impacting local climate and causing floods. • Research aims to understand mechanisms behind upwelling and heat wave recurrence. • Findings expected to improve climate predictions and regional disaster preparedness.
Article Summaries:
- Yesterday, an international team of researchers from various disciplines set off aboard the German research vessel METEOR for an expedition along the west coast of Africa, led by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The expedition focuses on two poorly understood phenomena: the Benguela upwelling system off the coasts of Angola and Namibia, which partly operates independently of the wind, and the recurring marine heat waves known as Benguela Niños, which have a significant impact on the local climate and cause flooding in Angola and Namibia.
Sources: