Page 38 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

SCIENCE

Novel research conceived

at traffic light

Novel research doesn’t always need to be big science with expensive programmes and high-
profile partners, says marine biologist Professor Nadine Strydom, Department of Zoology.

Prof Strydom was in her motor vehicle at a traffic light in Nelson move between the subtropics and temperate waters,” says Prof
Mandela Bay when she heard the news on radio station Algoa FM Strydom.
about the devastating plastic nurdle spill in the ocean in Durban
harbour in October 2017, and how nurdles in their millions were Straight away she called oceanographer Dr Eckart Schumann, at the
washing onto beaches along the coast. In the programme, citizens Department of Geosciences, in the Institute for Coastal and Marine
were being asked to collect and report on these 3.5mm round Research, to ask if he would collaborate and model the transport
plastic pellets (used in the manufacture of plastic products) wherever of the nurdles down the coast. Working completely in their favour
they found them. The dispersion ultimately extended over 2000km is that the spill happened in October – the same period in which
of the South African coastline in a period of eight weeks. the fish are spawning in these waters, which presented a unique
research moment. Dr Schumann was immediately on board.
“In that moment I realised we could use this nurdle spill event to
run a free dispersal experiment on ocean connectivity between “The research cost nothing, just ideas and expertise,” says
KwaZulu-Natal and the southern Cape coast and apply this to the Strydom. It culminated in two papers on this being published in
manner and speed in which fish eggs and larvae of various species peer-reviewed journals, one in 2019 in the South African Journal

Plankton mix

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