The International Centre for Education, Marine and Atmospheric science over Africa (ICEMASA) is launched. This initiative has resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with 3 other institutions, the University of Cape Town (MARE Institute), the Department of Environmental Affairs (Oceans and Coasts) and the DAFF (Fisheries) and the University de Bretagne Occidentale, UBO (Brest, France).
ICEMASA is also closely related to ACCESS, the African Centre for Climate and Earth System Science, a Centre of Excellence of the Department of Science and Technology initiated in 2009, as they both develop research and education programs focusing on the impacts of global change on the African climate and marine systems.
A signing ceremony will be take place on:
Date: Tuesday, 11 January 2010
Time: 15:00,
Venue: East Pier Building, East Pier Road, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront,
The signing ceremony will be followed by a press conference in the same venue.
ICEMASA implements a multi-disciplinary approach across three major topics: climate variability, ocean circulation and effects of global change on marine ecosystems and fisheries in the Southern Ocean, African margins and tropical Indian Ocean.
ICEMASA will develop physical and ecosystem models to understand and assess the impacts of climate change scenarios. Capacity building is an essential component of ICEMASA: this will be achieved through the development of an International Master in Atmospheric, Oceanographic Sciences and Climatology between UCT and UBO, the participation of ICEMASA scientists in lectures and seminars in South Africa and finally, by training African students and junior scientists to quantitative methods through research activities. At the present time, 8 French visiting scientists are already posted at the UCT for a four year period, which is the duration of the first phase of ICEMASA. They are
supervising 1 Master and 3 PhD students who are financially supported by ICEMASA.
Being developed in South Africa, ICEMASA has a strong potential for a regional impact in research and education in marine sciences. South Africa and France are major stakeholders in several European (MEECE, Indiseas) and regional projects funded by the World Bank (SWIOFP), the UNDP (ASCLME) and other donors (CLIVAR Good Hope, SAMOC). Therefore, ICEMASA can gather a larger scientific community, not only limited to the Southern Africa but also reaching the shores of the West Indian Ocean island states.
For more information, check this website: www.icemasa.org
Enquiries:
Francis Marsac
Cell: 078 786 1861
Tel: 021 650 3279
E-mail: francis.marsac@ird.fr
Ernest Mulibana
Tel: 012 310 1770 / 3990
E-mail: emulibana@environment.gov.za
