Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Northern Zululand"

A new species of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae-Stapeliinae) is described from Ngome in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This new species shares a subset of vegetative and floral characters with the long-lost C. rudatisii, but is clearly separated by its sophisticated floral morphology. Ceropegia heidukiae occurs in Northern Zululand Mistbelt Grassland, an endangered vegetation type. A comprehensive species description is provided together with information on habitat and distribution; photographs of plants in habitat are also provided. A preliminary assessment of conservation status according to IUCN criteria suggests that C. heidukiae is Critically Endangered (CR).

Investigation of specimens of “Terebratella” ovula Anderson, 1938 from the upper Lower Albian Upper Chickabally Member of the Budden Canyon Formation, Great Valley Group, California has allowed the examination of the species' internal structures by serial sectioning. “Terebratella” ovula Anderson is now referred to the genus Dzirulina Noutsoubidze, 1945. The stratigraphic range of the genus is extended from the Hauterivian–Aptian to the Albian. The geographic range of Dzirulina is increased from central and western Europe, the Caucasus and Georgia of eastern Europe, and northern Zululand, Africa to now include northern California, North America. This represents an additional record of an Early Cretaceous brachiopod genus with a low-latitude, transatlantic distribution, most probably related to dispersal across the opening Central Atlantic Ocean.

Many people living in the Sodwana area of South Africa do not have access to potable water. Groundwater is the best source of fresh water for the rural community. Potable water in the Zululand coastal plain, Sodwana, South Africa can be enhanced by: (i) providing detailed information on the aquifer system using geophysics; (ii) providing information on groundwater quality and its efficient use; (iii) providing low-cost/low technology local drillers with light-weight, manoeuvrable rigs with trained teams for drilling of 6-inch diameter boreholes. The electrical resistivity geophysical method was used to study the aquifer system and define viable groundwater zones. The electrical resistivity survey increased the borehole success rate by providing information on the aquifer system suitable for water extraction. A hydrocensus was also conducted for identifying boreholes, quality of drilling and for collecting samples for water quality analysis. The result indicated that the groundwater in the area is of suitable quality. Poor quality drilling and inadequate drilling depth indicated a requirement for improved drilling rigs and suitable training. Providing the rural community with suitable drilling equipment, training and adequate information will help to solve the problem of water scarcity and also create jobs.

South Africa has a long history of recurrent droughts that have adversely affected its economic performance. The recent 2015 drought has been declared the most serious in 26 years and impaired key agricultural sectors including the forestry sector. Research on the forests’ responses to drought is therefore essential for management planning and monitoring. The effects of the latest drought on the forests in South Africa have not been studied and are uncertain. The study reported here addresses this gap by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and precipitation data retrieved and processed using the JavaScript code editor in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the corresponding normalized difference infrared index (NDII), Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and El Niño time series data for KwaMbonambi, northern Zululand, between 2002 and 2016. The NDVI and NDII time series were decomposed using the Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) method to establish the trend and seasonal variation. Multiple linear regression and Mann–Kendall tests were applied to determine the association of the NDVI and NDII with the climate variables. Plantation trees displayed high NDVI values (0.74–0.78) from 2002 to 2013; then, they decreased sharply to 0.64 in 2015. The Mann–Kendall trend test confirmed a negative significant (p = 0.000353) trend between 2014 and 2015. This pattern was associated with a precipitation deficit and low NDII values during a strong El Niño phase. The PDSI (−2.6) values indicated severe drought conditions. The greening decreased in 2015, with some forest remnants showing resistance, implying that the tree species had varying sensitivity to drought. We found that the plantation trees suffered drought stress during 2015, although it seems that the trees began to recover, as the NDVI signals rose in 2016. Overall, these results demonstrated the effective use of the NDVI- and NDII-derived MODIS data coupled with climatic variables to provide insights into the influence of drought on plantation trees in the study area.

Lake Sibaya (27°15'-21'25'S; 32°32'-32°44'E) is situated in the northern region of the Zululand coastal plain, and is remarkable in that it embodies a near-pristine· freshwater coastal lake preserving clear residual signs of its former estuarine origin. Despite the· fact that the lake constitutes perhaps the most intensively studied of all freshwater bodies in South Africa, little is known .of its geochemical character. The objective of this study was therefore to conduct an investigation of the waters and sediments of the lake system, which might then provide a chemical baseline against which the future environmental quality of the system could be gauged, and in terms of which the current functioning of the ecosystem can be better understood. In line with this rationale, water and sediment samples were collected from each of fourteen sampling sites located along three transects running, variously, S-N, SW-NE and W-E across peripheral arms of the lake. Waters in direct contact with the sediments were thoroughly agitated with the sediments and thereafter decanted for analysis. Since the lake is purported to be fed almost exclusively by groundwater flow, water samples were collected from three groundwater . . wells located north-west of the lake. The Department of Water Affairs (DW AF) databases for groundwater chemistry, and for lake level and chemistry over the period 1980 to 1998, were used to supplement this data, and to provide an indication of any medium-term parameter changes. A water sample was also· collected from the non-perennial Mseleni River, although the river is known to contribute minimally to the lake volume. The majority of laboratory analyses were conducted within the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town, adhering to standard analytical methods wherever possible.

A mini dissertation submitted in partial fulfillments for the degree of master of Environmental Education in the department of Comparative and Science Education at the University of Zululand, 2006.
Most tribes in South Africa still make use oftraditional medicines and use prescriptions ofherbs and other natural materials (Matsiliza and Barker 2001). Medicinal plants from Northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), particularly areas such as UIundi, Empangeni, Eshowe Mtubatuba and Nongoma are no exception and are a constituent of a traditional culture. The informal trade in indigenous plants for medicinal use (umuthi) is growing constantly (Mander, 1998). There are many reasons for this, including an expanding population coupled with modernisation of society that is hastened by the development of roads, improved communication methods and the migration of people from villages to cities. The prohibitive cost of modern medicines, together with the high rate of unemployment is forcing many people to revert to traditional medicines and even to gather and sell medicinal plants as a living. This results in over-exploitation of some plant species, sometimes to the brink ofextinction (Matsiliza and Barker 2001). This study aims at investigating the implications of plant harvests that are sold at bus ranks in northern KwaZuluNatal, and at identifYing target species for threatened plant programmes with the help of data gathered via direct interviews with medicinal plant sellers. It also aims at identifying and remedying knowledge gaps that may exist among plant gatherers about propagation techniques applicable to the medicinal plants they harvest.

This geostrophic current-controlled Zululand/Natal shelf displays a unique assemblage of interesting physical, sedimentological and biological phenomena. The shelf in this area is extremely narrow compared to the global average of 75km, and is characterised by submarine canyons, coral reefs, and steep gradients on the continental slope. A shelf break occurs 2.1km to 4.1km offshore and the shelf can be divided into a northern region and a southern region based on the presence or absence of a defined shelf break. The southern shelf has a poorly-defined shelf break whilst the northern shelf has a well-defined break at -65m. The poor definition of the shelf break on the southern shelf can possibly be attributed to the presence of giant, climbing sand dunes offshore of Jesser Point at depths of -37m to -60m. The northern shelf has a series of coast-parallel oriented patch coral reefs which have colonised carbonate-cemented, coastal-facies sequences. The northern shelf can be divided into three distinct zones: inner-, mid-, and outer-shelf zones. The inner-shelf is defined as the area landward of the general coral reef trend, with depths varying from 0m to -I5m and having an average gradient of 1.1. The mid-shelf is defined by the general coral reef trend, varying from -9m over the shallow central axis of the reefs to -35m along the deep reef-front environments. The outer-shelf is seaward of the coral reefs and occurs at a depth range of -35m to - 65m. Gradients vary from 1° in the south to 2.5° in the northern part of the study area, and are steep compared to world average shelf gradient of 0.116°. Four submarine canyons occur in the study area and are classified as mature- or youthful-phase canyons depending on the degree to which they breach the shelf. The origin of these canyons is not related to the position of modern river mouths but can probably be linked to palaeo-outlets of the Pongola and Mkuze River systems. It is suggested that the canyons are mass-wasting features which were exploited by palaeo-drainage during regressions. The youthful-phase canyons appear to be mass-wasting features associated with an unstable, rapidly-deposited, progradational late Pliocene sequence and a steep upper continental slope. The mature-phase canyons were probably initiated by mass-wasting but have advanced shoreward, breaching the shelf, due to their link with the palaeo-outlets of the Pongola and Mkuze Rivers during late Pleistocene regressions. Evidence of modem canyon growth has been noted on numerous SCUBA diving surveys carried out on the canyon heads. These take the form of minor wall slumps and small-scale debris flows. The canyons are also supplied with large quantities of sand in the form of large-scale shelf subaqueous dunes generated and transported by the Agulhas Current. As these bedforms meet the canyons the sediment cascades down the canyon thalweg and causes erosion and downcutting of the canyon walls and floor thereby increasing the canyon dimensions. Late Pleistocene beachrock and aeolianite outcrops with or without an Indo-Pacific coral reef veneer are the dominant consolidated lithology on the shelf. These submerged, coast-parallel, carbonate cemented, coastal facies extend semi-continuously from -5m to -95m, and delineate late Pleistocene palaeocoastline events. The rock fabric of these high primary porosity lithologies shows grains floating in a carbonate cement with occasional point-contacts. Grains are mostly quartz (80-90%), minor K-feldspar and plagioclase (5-10%), and various lithic fragments. The rocks contain conspicuous organic grains including foraminifera, bivalve, echinoid, bryozoan, red algal, and occasional sponge spicule fragments; these commonly display replacement fabrics or iron-stained rims. The dominant sedimentary structures found in these sandstone outcrops include high-angle planar cross-bedding and primary depositional dip bedding. Palaeocurrent directions sngest a palaeoenvironment dominated by a combination of longitudinal and transverse dunes with wind directions similar to those observed forming the modem dune systems. Erosional features evident on the submerged beachrocks and aeolianites include gullies trending in two different directions and sea-level planation surfaces with or without the presence of potholes. The unconsolidated sediment on the shelf is either shelf sand, composed mainly of terrigenous quartz grains; or bioclastic sediment which is partially derived from biogenic sources. The quartzose sand from the inner-shelf is generally fine-grained, moderately- to well-sorted, and coarsely- to near symmetrically-skewed. Carbonate content is low, and varies between 4-13%. Quartzose sand from the outer-shelf is fine-grained, moderately- to well-sorted, and coarsely- to very coarsely-skewed. The inner-shelf quartzose sand is better sorted than the outer-shelf sand due to increased reworking of this sediment by the high-energy swell regime. Sediment from the shallower areas of the outer-shelf (< -50m) is better sorted than sediment from depths of greater than -50m. Generally wave-reworking of quartzose shelf sand from the Sodwana Bay shelf results in greater sediment maturity than that observed from geostrophic current effects or a combination of geostrophic and wave-reworking. This sediment was derived by reworking of aeolian and beach sediments, deposited on the shelf during the period leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum (15 000 - 18 000 years B.P.) when sea-level was -130m, during the Holocene (Flandrian) transgression. Bioclastic sediment on the Sodwana Bay shelf is defined as having a CaC03 content of greater than 20% and is a mixture of biogeoically-derived debris and quartzose sand. The distribution of bioclastic sediment in the study area is widespread, with reef-derived and outer-shelf-derived populations being evident. This sediment consists of skeletal detritus originating from the mechanical and biological destruction of carbonate-secreting organisms such as molluscs, foraminifera, alcyonaria, scleractinia, cirripedia, echinodermata, bryozoa, porifera. The reef-derived bioclastic population is confined to depths less than -40m in close proximity to reef areas, whereas the shelf-derived bioclastic population occurs at depths greater than -40m and is derived from carbonate-producing organisms on deep water reefs and soft-substrate environments on the shelf. Large-scale subaqueous dunes form in the unconsolidated sediment on the outer-shelf due to the Agulhas flow acting as a sediment conveyor. These dunes are a common feature on the Sodwana Bay shelf occurring as two distinct fields at depths of -35m to -70m, the major sediment transport direction being towards the south. The two dune fields, the inner- and outer subaqueous dune fields, are physically divided by Late Pleistocene beachrock and aeolianites ledges. A bedform hierarchy has been recognised. The larger, outer dune field appears to have originated as a system of climbing bedforms with three generations of bedforms being superimposed to form a giant bedform, while the inner dune field has a less complex construction. The largest bedforms are those of the outer dune field off Jesser Point, being up to 12 m high, 4 km long and 1.2 km wide. A major slip face, with a slope of 8° is present. Bedload parting zones exist where the bedform migration direction changes from south to north. Three bedload parting zones occur in the study area at depths of -60m, -47m and -45m; two in the inner dune field and one in the outer dune field. These zones are invariably located at the southern limits of large clockwise eddy systems. Such eddies appear to be the result of topographically induced vorticity changes in the geostrophic flow and/or the response to atmospheric forcing caused by coastal low-pressure system moving up the coastline. It has been demonstrated that the inner subaqueous dune sediment conveyor is not active all the time but only during periods . of increased current strength when the Agulhas Current meanders inshore. The smaller bedforms in the outer dune field undergo continuous transport due to the current velocity on the shelf edge outer dune field being higher than the velocity experienced on the inner dune field. The very large 2·D dune which forms the outer dune field is probably not active at present: this is inferred due to the shallow angle of the mega-crest lee slope (8°). The very large Sodwana Bay subaqueous dune fields may be compared with the very large, reconstructed, subaqueous dunes which occur in Lower Permian sediments of the Vryheid Formation, northern Natal. These Permian dunes are represented, in section, as a fine- to medium-grained distal facies sandstone with giant crossbeds. These large-scale bedforms are unidirectional, but rare directionally-reversed, climbing bedforms do occur, this directional reversal may be related to bedload parting zones. On the evidence presented in this thesis, it is proposed that these Permian subaqueous dunes may be ancient analogues of the modem subaqueous dune field on the Sodwana Bay shelf. Positive-relief hummocks and negative-relief swale structures are fairly common in the fine-grained, quartzose shelf sand at depths of -30m to -60m. These appear to be transitional bedforms related to the reworking by storms of medium 2-D subaqueous dunes. These hummocky structures may be the modem equivalent of hummocky cross-stratification noted in the geological record, and if so, they are probably the first to have ever been observed underwater. The occurrences of ladderback ripples on the Sodwana Bay shelf at depths of -4m to -17m, suggest that subtidal ladderback ripples may be more common than previously thought. Ladderback ripples are common features of tidal flats and beaches where they form by late-stage emergence run-off during the ebb tide. They are generally considered diagnostic of clastic intertidal environments. The mode of formation on the Sodwana Bay shelf is different from the classic late-stage emergence run-off model of intertidal occurrences, being a subtidal setting. Subaqueous observations indicate that ladderback ripples are not environment-specific, and that additional evidence of emergence is therefore necessary to support an intertidal setting in the rock record: ladderback ripples alone are insufficient to prove an intertidal environment. The coral patch reefs of the northern Natal coast are unique, being the most southerly reefs in Africa, and totally unspoilt. The Zululand reefs are formed by a thin veneer of Indo-Pacific type corals which have colonised submerged, late Pleistocene beachrocks and aeolianites. Two-Mile Reef at Sodwana Bay has been used to develop a physiograpbic and biological zoning model for Zululand coral reefs, which has been applied to other reefs in the region. Eight distinct zones can be recognised and differentiated on the basis of physiographic and biological characteristics. The reef fauna is dominated by an abundance of alcyonarian (soft) corals, which constitute 60-70% of the total coral fauna. The Two-Mile Reef zoning model has been successfully applied to larger reefs such as Red Sands Reef, and smaller patch reefs (Four-Mile and Seven-Mile Reefs) in the same general area. In this thesis extensive use has been made of Hutton's uniformitarian principles. Hutton's doctrine is particularly relevant to the study of depositional processes and relict shorelines. Coastal processes and weather patterns during the late Pleistocene were broadly similar to modem conditions enabling direct comparisons to be made. A computer-aided facies analysis model has been developed based on textural statistics and compositional features of carbonate-cemented coastal sandstones. Many attempts have been made to distinguish different ancient sedimentary depositional environments, most workers in this field having little success. The new method of facies reconstruction is based on: (1) underwater observations of sedimentary structures and general reef morphology; (2) a petrographic study of the reef-base enabling flve facies: aeolianite, backbeach, forebeach, swash, and welded bar facies to be recognised, which control the geomorphology of Two-Mile Reef; (3) cluster and discriminant analysis comparing graphic settling statistics of acid-leached reef-base samples with those of modem unconsolidated dune/beach environments. The results of this analysis demonstrated that the beachrocks and aeolianites on the shelf formed during a regression and that late Pleistocene coastal facies are similar to modem northern Zululand coastal environments, which have been differentiated into aeolian, backbeach, forebeach, swash, & welded bar. A late Pleistocene and Holocene history of the shelf shows that during the late Pleistocene, post Eemian regressions resulted in deposition and cementation of coast-parallel beachrocks and aeolianites, which define a series of four distinct palaeocoastline episodes with possible ages between 117 000 and 22 000 years B.P. The beachrock/aeolianites formed on the shelf during stillstands and slow regressions, and the gaps between these strandline episodes represent periods of accelerated sealevel regression or a minor transgressive phase which hindered deposition and cementation. The formation of these lithologies generated a considerable sediment sink in the nearshore zone. This reduced sediment supply and grain transport in the littoral zone during the Holocene, and probably enhanced landward movement of the shoreline during the Flandrian transgression. Prior to the Last Glacial Maximum, the beachrock/aeolianite sedimentary sequence was emergent and blanketed by shifting aeolian sands. The Pongola River, which flowed into Lake Sibaya, reworked the unconsolidated sediments on the shelf, and exploited the route of least resistance: along White Sands and Wright Canyon axes. The erosion resulting from fluvial denudation in Wright Canyon has caused this canyon to erode some of the beachrock/aeolianite outcrops which form palaeocoastline episode 2 and entrench the canyon to a deeper level; this eroded the shelf to a distance of 2km offshore. During the Flandrian transgression the unconsolidated sediment cover was eroded, exposing and submerging the beachrock/aeolianite sequence. Flandrian stillstands caused erosional features such as wave-planed terraces, potholes, and gullies to be incised into beachrock and aeolianite outcrops; these are seen at present depths of -47m, -32m, .26m, -22m, -17m to -15m, and -12m. High energy sediment transfers, in an onshore direction, resulted in the deposition of sand bars across the outlet of Lake Slbaya's estuary and the development of a 130m + coastal dune barrier on a pre-existlng, remnant Plelstocene dune stub. Sea-level stabilised at its present level 7 000-6 000 years B.P. and coral reef growth on the beachrock/aeolianite outcrops probably started at 5 000 years B.P. A minimum age for the formation of the northern Zululand coral reefs has been established at 3780 ± 60 years B.P. A mid Holocene transgression relating to the Climatic Optimum deposited a + 2m raised beach rock sequence. This transgression eroded the coastal dune barrier and caused a landward shoreline translation of approximately 40m. A minor transgression such as this can be used as a model for coastal erosion which will result from the predicted 1.5m rise in sea-level over the next century. This rise in sea-level could result in a 30m landward coastline translation of the present coastline, ignoring the influence that storms and cyclones will have on the coastline configuration.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.