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Dr. Tamaryn Morris – SAEON Physical Oceanographer – Interconnecting Oceans & Climate
This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, we explore the fascinating world of oceanography with Dr. Tammy Morris, a physical oceanographer with extensive in-field experience in the Southwest Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. She serves as the Ocean and Polar Coordinator at the SAEON Egagasini Node and is a member of several international oceanographic committees, including the Argo Steering Team and the Ship of Opportunity Implementation Panel.
Understanding Physical Oceanography
Dr. Morris introduces listeners to the field of physical oceanography, explaining how it differs from biological and geological oceanography. She highlights its critical role in understanding ocean currents, temperature fluctuations, and salinity variations, which, in turn, influence global climate patterns, marine ecosystems, and even human societies.
The Dynamics of Ocean Currents
She explains how ocean currents move across the globe, sometimes driven by monsoons, wind patterns, or internal ocean dynamics. Large currents such as those along South Africa’s east and west coasts play a key role in marine biodiversity, particularly fisheries, as well as shipping traffic. She notes the dynamics of the warm Agulhas Current on the east coast, in comparison to the cold northward flowing Benguela Current on the west coast that contributes to nutrient rich water, which in drives the fisheries. The Benguela Current also plays an important role in shaping the fynbos biome and its unique ecosystem. However, she emphasizes that smaller-scale oceanic movements, such as eddies, have significant, often underappreciated, impacts on marine ecosystems.
Dr Morris is also part of a global initiative that deploys Argo floats into the ocean. These floats profile the ocean basin measuring various factors like temperature and salinity. They are a unique way to collect a global heartbeat of the ocean and improve our understand the ocean.
Why the Ocean Matters to Humanity
Dr. Morris underscores how the ocean is deeply interconnected with human life. It influences weather patterns, sustains fisheries, and affects local economies. She addresses the common misconception that oceanographic studies are distant from everyday concerns, explaining how the Southern Ocean and other large-scale marine phenomena shape everything from rainfall patterns to food security.
A Personal Journey into Oceanography
Dr. Morris shares her personal story of growing up on South Africa’s West Coast, where she developed an early love for the ocean. Childhood experiences exploring rock pools and watching her father and grandfather dive for rock lobster sparked a lifelong curiosity that eventually led her to study oceanography despite initial encouragement to pursue engineering. Dr. Morris’s career path demonstrates resilience and determination. She did not attain a matric exemption to enter university immediately after secondary school and started in her discipline as a field technician, eventually attaining her PhD. She emphasises that there are many possibilities to acheive your dreams.
Looking Ahead
In closing, Dr. Morris discusses ongoing and future research efforts in physical oceanography, including the importance of continuous monitoring of oceanic changes due to climate change. She encourages young women interested in STEM fields to follow their passion and highlights the rewarding aspects of working in oceanography. Exciting learning programs, such as SEAmester, introduces marine science as an applied and cross-disciplinary field to students, encompassing an annual training cruise of approximately ten days for post graduate students from a range of disciplines.
This episode celebrates the role of women in science and highlights the vital work being done to understand and protect the world’s oceans. Dr. Morris’s insights remind us that while the ocean may seem vast and distant, it plays an integral role in our daily lives.
Tune in for more…
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This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, we explore the fascinating world of oceanography with Dr. Tammy Morris, a physical oceanographer with extensive in-field experience in the Southwest Indian and South Atlantic Oceans. She serves as the Ocean and Polar Coordinator at the SAEON Egagasini Node and is a member of several international oceanographic committees, including the Argo Steering Team and the Ship of Opportunity Implementation Panel.
Understanding Physical Oceanography
Dr. Morris introduces listeners to the field of physical oceanography, explaining how it differs from biological and geological oceanography. She highlights its critical role in understanding ocean currents, temperature fluctuations, and salinity variations, which, in turn, influence global climate patterns, marine ecosystems, and even human societies.
The Dynamics of Ocean Currents
She explains how ocean currents move across the globe, sometimes driven by monsoons, wind patterns, or internal ocean dynamics. Large currents such as those along South Africa’s east and west coasts play a key role in marine biodiversity, particularly fisheries, as well as shipping traffic. She notes the dynamics of the warm Agulhas Current on the east coast, in comparison to the cold northward flowing Benguela Current on the west coast that contributes to nutrient rich water, which in drives the fisheries. The Benguela Current also plays an important role in shaping the fynbos biome and its unique ecosystem. However, she emphasizes that smaller-scale oceanic movements, such as eddies, have significant, often underappreciated, impacts on marine ecosystems.
Dr Morris is also part of a global initiative that deploys Argo floats into the ocean. These floats profile the ocean basin measuring various factors like temperature and salinity. They are a unique way to collect a global heartbeat of the ocean and improve our understand the ocean.
Why the Ocean Matters to Humanity
Dr. Morris underscores how the ocean is deeply interconnected with human life. It influences weather patterns, sustains fisheries, and affects local economies. She addresses the common misconception that oceanographic studies are distant from everyday concerns, explaining how the Southern Ocean and other large-scale marine phenomena shape everything from rainfall patterns to food security.
A Personal Journey into Oceanography
Dr. Morris shares her personal story of growing up on South Africa’s West Coast, where she developed an early love for the ocean. Childhood experiences exploring rock pools and watching her father and grandfather dive for rock lobster sparked a lifelong curiosity that eventually led her to study oceanography despite initial encouragement to pursue engineering. Dr. Morris’s career path demonstrates resilience and determination. She did not attain a matric exemption to enter university immediately after secondary school and started in her discipline as a field technician, eventually attaining her PhD. She emphasises that there are many possibilities to acheive your dreams.
Looking Ahead
In closing, Dr. Morris discusses ongoing and future research efforts in physical oceanography, including the importance of continuous monitoring of oceanic changes due to climate change. She encourages young women interested in STEM fields to follow their passion and highlights the rewarding aspects of working in oceanography. Exciting learning programs, such as SEAmester, introduces marine science as an applied and cross-disciplinary field to students, encompassing an annual training cruise of approximately ten days for post graduate students from a range of disciplines.
This episode celebrates the role of women in science and highlights the vital work being done to understand and protect the world’s oceans. Dr. Morris’s insights remind us that while the ocean may seem vast and distant, it plays an integral role in our daily lives.
Tune in for more…