The 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami recorded on the coast of West Africa

Analysis of sea-level data obtained from the Atlantic Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) sea-level station at Takoradi, Ghana, West Africa, clearly reveals a tsunami signal associated with the M_w = 9.3 Sumatra earthquake of 26 December 2004 in the Indian Ocean. The tsunami arrived at this location on 27 December 2004 at approximately 01:38 UTC (which is close to the expected tsunami arrival time at that site), after travelling for more than 24 hours. The first wave was negative (trough), in contrast with the South African stations where the first wave was mainly positive (crest). The dominant observed period at Takoradi was about 42 minutes. The maximum trough-to-crest wave height (41cm) was observed on 28 December at 00:15 UTC. There were two distinct tsunami 'bursts', separated in time by about 14 hours, the larger being the second burst. A small residual lowering of the sea level (～15cm) during the tsunami and for several days afterwards, and a delayed (～4.5 days) lowering of seawater temperature (up to ～4.5°C), was observed, possibly indicating the presence of internal waves through the Gulf of Guinea associated with propagating tsunami waves. The prominent tsunami signal found in the Takoradi record suggests that tsunami waves could also be found at other sites off the West African coast.     

A note on the diet of Cape cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis at Mercury Island,South West Africa,in November 1978

During November 1978, Cape cormorants Phalacrocorax capensis at Mercury Island, off South West Africa (Namibia), consumed practically exclusively pelagic gobies Sufflogobius bibarbalus. The mean number of fish per regurgitation was 52 with a mean caudal length of 48 mm and an estimated mean mass of 1.7 g. The estimated mean original mass of stomach contents was 75 g. These Cape cormorants took significantly smaller pelagic gobies than did bank cormorants P. neglectus sampled concurrently at the same locality.     

World Maps With Natural Boundaries

The graticule of meridians and parallels is a largely artificial type of map boundary that can detract from the display of irregular features such as oceans. Such natural boundaries as shorelines may be used instead as the boundary of world maps. The principle of natural boundaries has been applied to several examples of equal-area or conformal world ocean maps with single or multiple lobes. By careful selection of the poles and centers, these maps can show both oceans and continents in their entirety on a single map.     

Subsistence fisheries in South Africa: a Preface

A juvenile Subantarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis was recorded on the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues and two were seen on Mauritius. These records are at least 2 500 km from the closest breeding colony (Amsterdam Island) and are the most easterly by some 1 800 km of all previous records of vagrants of this species.