Publications

Research findings and scientific outputs from our comprehensive study of oxygen and biogeochemical dynamics along the west African margin

As our project advances through its initial phases of data collection and analysis, we are preparing various research publications that will contribute to our understanding of ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystem dynamics along the west African margin.

Our research findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and made openly available to the global scientific community and relevant African stakeholders.

Scenario set-up and the new CMIP6-based climate-related forcings provided within the third round of the Inter-Sectoral Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP3b, group I and II), Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 4095–4135,

Frieler, K., Lange, S., Schewe, J., Mengel, M., Treu, S., Otto, C., Volkholz, J., Reyer, C. P. O., Heinicke, S., Jones, C., Blanchard, J. L., Harrison, C. S., Petrik, C. M., Eddy, T. D., Ortega-Cisneros, K., Novaglio, C., Heneghan, R., Tittensor, D. P., Maury, O., Büchner, M., Vogt, T., Quesada-Chacón, D., Emanuel, K., Lee, C.-Y., Camargo, S. J., Hamester, L., Jägermeyr, J., Rabin, S., Klar, J., Vega del Valle, I. D., Novak, L., Sauer, I. J., Lasslop, G., Chadburn, S., Burke, E., Gallego-Sala, A., Smith, N., Chang, J., Hantson, S., Burton, C., Gädeke, A., Li, F., Gosling, S. N., Müller Schmied, H., Hattermann, F., Hickler, T., Marcé, R., Pierson, D., Thiery, W., Mercado-Bettín, D., Ladwig, R., Ayala, A. I., Forrest, M., Bechtold, M., Reinecke, R., de Graaf, I., Kaplan, J. O., Koch, A., Lengaigne, M., Kumar, R., and Strokal, M. Scenario set-up and the new CMIP6-based climate-related forcings provided within the third round of the Inter-Sectoral Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP3b, group I and II), Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 4095–4135,

Read the full publication here: https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-4095-2026, and https://gmd.copernicus.org/articles/19/4095/2026/ 

Prokaryotic bias in surface ocean particles

Ryu, Y., Maloney, A., Luu, V., Guo, L., Oleynik, S., Fawcett, S., Higgins, M., Van Oostende, N., Ward, B., Cook, C., Cohen, N., Ewton, E., Menden-Deuer, S., Granger, J., Marchetti, A., Aardema, H., Slagter, H., Schiebel, R., Martínez-García, A., Haug, G., & Sigman, D. (2026). Prokaryotic bias in surface ocean particles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Read the full publication here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500624123

Potential impacts of climate interventions on marine ecosystems

Roberts, K. E., Harrison, C., Rohr, T., Raven, M. R., Diamond, M. S., Visioni, D., Heneghan, R., Bianchi, D., Ortega-Cisneros, K., … Steenbeek, J. G. Potential impacts of climate interventions on marine ecosystems. In review, Reviews of Geophysics; preprint: 10.22541/essoar.173482381.11257447/v1.

Rising global temperatures pose significant risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity and fisheries. Recent comprehensive as-sessments suggest that large-scale mitigation efforts to limit warming below crucial thresholds are falling short, and all feasiblefuture climate projections, including those that represent ideal emissions reductions, exceed the Paris Agreement’s aspirational<1.5{degree sign}C warming target, at least temporarily.

Read the full publication here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024RG000876

Seasonal patterns and multidecadal trends in phytoplankton functional groups in the Benguela upwelling system off Namibia

Moloto, T.M., Thomalla, S.J., Smith, M., Piketh, S., Bell. T. Seasonal patterns and multidecadal trends in phytoplankton functional groups in the Benguela upwelling system off Namibia. In press, Science of the Total Environment.

Understanding the response of phytoplankton to climate change is crucial for predicting shifts in marine ecosystems. Despite the Benguela being the world’s most productive eastern boundary upwelling system, the distribution and susceptibility of its phytoplankton functional groups (PFGs) to climate change remain poorly understood.

Read the full publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40865431/

The Role of Sediments in Modulating Nitrous Oxide Production in the Southern Benguela Upwelling System: Insights From Stable Isotopic Tracers

Wallschuss, S., Granger, J., Bourbonnais, A., Flynn, R.F., Burger, J.M., Pillay, K., Fawcett, S.E. The role of sediments in modulating nitrous oxide production in the Southern Benguela Upwelling System: insights from isotopic tracers. Global Biogeochem Cycles 10.1029/2024GB008463 (2025).

The ocean accounts for ∼20%–30% of global nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, with coastal upwelling systems estimated to contribute disproportionately to the sea-air flux of this potent greenhouse gas. To investigate the mechanisms of and controls on N2O production in coastal upwelling systems, we measured the concentration and nitrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of N2O (δ15N-N2O and δ18O-N2O) along a cross-shelf transect in the Southern Benguela Upwelling System (SBUS). At the shelf bottom, N2O concentrations increased from the outer shelf toward the shore (11–32 nM) inversely to dissolved oxygen (182 ± 17 to <1 μM) and in concert with the remineralization tracers, apparent oxygen utilization (108 ± 21 to 221 ± 33 μM) and nitrogen (N)-deficit (up to 20.4 μM).

Read the full publication here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GB008463

Publication Commitments

 

The West African Margin Project is committed to open science and transparent dissemination of research findings following international best practices.

Open Access Publishing

Whenever possible, all papers will be published as open access to ensure that our research is freely accessible to scientists and stakeholders in Africa and globally.

Peer Review Excellence

Research will be confirmed and verified by peers through publication in peer-reviewed journals. We are committed to presenting evidence-based research accurately and honestly, without making misleading statements.

Transparent Data Sharing

Data used in publications will be made openly available, not just upon request. Reduced forms of data, as presented in publications, represent our minimum requirement for scientific transparency and reproducibility.

Open Source Code

The West African Margin Project GitHub organisation will host all code produced.

This project is supported by

Schmidt Sciences LLC

This project is part of

The Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI)

WEST AFRICAN MARGIN PROJECT

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