The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), in collaboration with the Afromontane Research Unit (ARU) at the University of the Free State, has installed the highest weather station in Southern Africa, located in the Mont-aux-Sources area of the Maluti-Drakensberg.
Positioned atop the iconic amphitheatre at 3 100 metres above sea level, the automatic weather station will provide real-time climate data critical to understanding a region of exceptional biodiversity value.
The site encompasses key alpine and high-altitude ecosystems of the Drakensberg, which makes continuous environmental monitoring essential for research and conservation.
This strategically located station forms part of a growing network of advanced research infrastructure being deployed across the Northern Drakensberg.
The initiative is jointly implemented through SAEON’s Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON), the SAEON Grasslands Node, and the ARU.
The station records temperature, humidity, wind, incoming solar radiation, rainfall, and barometric pressure.
“These continuous measurements are essential for tracking climate change, extreme weather, and catchment health in real time,” said biogeochemist and manager of EFTEON Northern Drakensberg, Dr Kathleen Smart.
“The information will be openly available to researchers, land managers, hikers, tourism operators, and anybody interested in the dynamics of this truly remarkable landscape.”
Director of the ARU, Professor Ralph Clark, said this station represents years of collaboration between SAEON and the ARU.
“It opens a window into the environmental processes that shape mountain ecosystems, which are vital for water security and biodiversity.”
The new station is one of five positioned along an altitudinal gradient stretching from the University of the Free State’s Qwaqwa Campus, through Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge, to the alpine zone atop the Maloti-Drakensberg escarpment.
It enhances the existing programmes and research initiatives currently in progress within the Mount-Aux-Sources Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research Platform (MaS-LTSER), which is the only cross-border, mountain-focused LTSER platform in Africa.
Streamflow and wetland water content are monitored continuously within this open-air laboratory, which also boasts the highest research accommodation facility in Africa.
Professor Johan van Tol, who leads the MaS-LTSER initiative, stated that Abri de Buys, the Chief Instrument Technician for EFTEON, and Jeremy Moonsamy, EFTEON’s Instrument Technician for the Northern Drakensberg, oversaw the installation of the weather station.
“This region is critical for several reasons. It supports the livelihoods of many people in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Lesotho, many of whom depend heavily on the availability and quality of ecosystem services derived from these mountainous landscapes. At a national scale, this includes areas of agricultural importance,” said Van Tol.
Moonsamy stated that this area is a strategic water source and the origin of several major rivers in South Africa, including the Orange, Tugela, and Vaal systems.
“It is, therefore, vital to monitor and understand the conditions and processes driving change in this region, including issues such as climate change, land use and land management impacts, and atmospheric pollution.”
De Buys noted that most of the weather networks in South Africa are situated in lower-lying areas where human activity is prevalent.
He highlighted that there is a lack of information from the high mountainous regions, which is the area that SAEON is gradually beginning to explore.
SAEON was established in 2002 as a unit within the National Research Foundation (NRF) dedicated to research on environmental change.
Live measurements will be available on the SAEON live weather platform, where downloadable datasets will also be hosted: https://observationsmonitor.saeon.ac.za/home. – SAnews.gov.za
