A number of oceanographic cruises have been undertaken in Mozambique in the period between 1975 and 1980 (Lutjeharms and Da Silva 1988). Conductivity, Temperature and Density (CTD) data for some stations has been collected by the National Fisheries Research Institute (INAHINA) and the School of Marine Sciences of the Eduardo Mondlane University. Some studies (2006) resulted from these data. 



The most important papers published in the field of water masses are the work of Lutjaharms and Da Silva (1988), Sætre and Silva (1979, 1982), Hoguane (2007) and Gammelsrød and Hoguane (1987). Many other international oceanographers have contributed in this topic, such as Quartly and Srokosz (2004) who analyzed sea surface temperature anomalies using the imagery of the SeaWiFS satellite. Work aiming at assessing the impact of the increase in sea temperatures associated with the 1997-1998 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been carried out in Mozambique in collaboration with the  Ministry for Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA), Institute of Fisheries Investigations (IIP), Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO) and Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) (Schleyer et al. 1999).


One of the major issues is increase in sea temperature brought by the global climate change. Increased temperatures cause coral bleaching and subsequent modification of marine ecosystems. Thermal expansion of the ocean will lead to sea level rise and consequent flooding of the lowlying coastal areas. The death of corals will impact biodiversity and tourism, and the associated reduction in ocean productivity will result in reduction in fisheries production, which will have substantial socio-economic impacts.


There is a need for repatriation of data collected by past cruises. The data which is currently found in  foreign institutions needs to be archived in the Mozambique Oceanographic Data Center (CENADO) in order to enable easy access by local scientists and institutions. The major drawback however, is that only few of the cruises carried out in Mozambique Channel are officially known. However, the foreign institutions that are known to have Mozambique data should be approached and requested to repatriate the same to the National Oceanographic Data Center. 

In addition, there is a need to set up a system of monitoring oceanographic cruises and data collection in fixed buoys established within the EEZ of Mozambique.  salinity patterns and water Masses.

The Regions of Freshwater Influence (ROFI) in Mozambique include Maputo Bay and  Sofala Bank (Silva et al. 2010). Within the Mozambique Channel, a salinity maximum exists at a depth of between 150 and 300m. The Central Water lies in the depths ranging from 300 to 600 m. This water originates from the sinking of mixed waters north of the subtropical convergence. The Intermediate Waters are of two types in Mozambique Channel, namely, the low salinity water of Antarctic origin (Sub-Antarctic Intermediate Water) and the high salinity water originating from the Northern Indian Ocean. 

The high salinity water is formed in the Arabian Sea with contribution of water from the Red sea and the Gulf of Oman, while the other is formed at between latitudes 50 and 55º S. The Deep and Bottom Waters are encountered at depths between 2700 and 3200 m in the southern part of the Channel. This is caused by an intrusion of the North Atlantic deep water which is probably forced back to the south by the shallow topography of the channel (Saetre and Da Sliva 1982). 

Salinity and temperature determine water masses, circulation patterns and ecosystem structure and functioning. Key ecosystems most influenced by salinity are those located in the vicinity of mouths of major rivers which are also the nursery grounds that support large population of fish and crustaceans. In the open sea, the subtropical gyres are regions of formation of subsurface water masses. Salinity influences both the open sea ecosystem structure and productivity and dissolution of carbon dioxide into the water column which brings the global climate change dimension. 


There is limited understanding of ocean water mass structure and dynamics in Mozambique. The influence of global climate change in the Mozambique Channel is also not known. Understanding the structure, productivity and overall dynamics of the coastal ecosystem under the influence of freshwater input requires a relatively high time and space resolution of salinity data. Most of the data collected in cruises carried out in the Mozambique Channel are intermittent, not allowing for a sufficient time series to resolve for global climate change trends.

Most of the data cannot be found in the National Data Centres. The few data collected in coastal waters do not have sufficient resolution to resolve for some highly dynamic features. Therefore, it is suggested that a set of network stations for systematic observation of oceanographic parameters be established along the coast and hydrodynamic models be developed to cater for resolution limitations of the data and for prediction of future scenarios.