Honours Research Project

Two topics are listed below. However, if you have any ideas that relate to water quality, feel free to contact Dr Griffin.

Topic 1: Trend analysis and identification of potential causes of salinity changes in South African river systems.

Topic 2: Trend analysis and assessment of eutrophication in South African river systems.

Ms Irvine is on sabbatical in 2026 but is prepared to take on one or two projects. Listed below are some ideas from the 2025 guide that you may want to investigate further in discussions with her.

Topic 1: Street naming or toponymic commemoration in Makhanda (Grahamstown)

Naming and renaming of streets and other spaces in South Africa is a hot topic and names are often contested. What are the meanings behind the street names in Makhanda? What steps are followed in the naming process? Are there nicknames for spaces and why?

Alderman, D.H, & Inwood, J. (2013). Street naming and the politics of belonging: spatial injustices in the toponymic commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr, Social & Cultural Geography DOI:10.1080/14649365.2012.754488

Irvine, P.M., Memela, S., Dlongolo, Z.N., & Kepe, T. (2021). Navigating Community and Place Through Colloquial Street Names in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown). Urban Forum, 32(3): 333-348

Topic 2: Rethinking urban heritage in Makhanda (Grahamstown)

Makhanda has over 70 provincial heritage resources, but the majority commemorate British history. How can we commemorate the experiences, histories and cultures of the black African residents in Makhanda?

Alderman, D.H. & Inwood, J.F.J. (2013). Landscapes of Memory and Socially Just Futures. In: N.C. Johnson, R.H. Schein & J. Winders (eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Cultural Geography. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.  

Topic 3: Community Perceptions of Makhanda (Grahamstown)

It’s no secret that Makhanda has its problems, but what are the community perceptions of the city? What are the issues relating to place identity?

Topic 4: Walkability Assessment Using GIS in Makhanda

This is a combination of a desktop study and a field survey that will map walkability in the city. Factors that could be explored are the presence/absence of pavements and trees, the ease of walking/slope of streets, and the density of amenities. 

 Topic 5: The effects of the NSFAS accommodation accreditation policy on funded students and the property rental market in Makhanda (Grahamstown).

NSFAS-funded students must now seek university-accredited accommodation that meets certain standards. How has this affected the rental market, landlords and students alike?

Topic 6: Understanding land use planning and practice dynamics in public spaces

This project will understand the dynamics and tensions within the planning and use of public spaces.  e.g. Fingo Square, Makhanda or garden refuse dump sites in Makhanda East

Topic 7: Navigating space in Makhanda using taxi landmarks

This project would use participatory mapping and GIS to understand the landmarks used by taxi drivers and passengers to navigate space within the city. 

Irvine, P.M., Memela, S., Dlongolo, Z.N., & Kepe, T. (2021). Navigating Community and Place Through Colloquial Street Names in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown). Urban Forum, 32(3): 333-348

Topic 8: Digitising and spatially analysing the Radford Reports in contemporary Makhanda

This project would involve building a geo-referenced database of buildings with historic significance in the city. The project would have both a fieldwork and a desktop component. 

Topic 9: Investigating the Colloquial Names of Township Neighbourhoods

Research has shown that toponyms in gated communities are integral to place- and meaning-making, and are linked to notions of prestige and ideas of paradise/utopia. Are township neighbourhoods named, and what are the meanings attached to these spaces?

Irvine, P.M., Memela, S., Dlongolo, Z.N., & Kepe, T. (2021). Navigating Community and Place Through Colloquial Street Names in Fingo Village, Makhanda (Grahamstown). Urban Forum, 32(3): 333-348

Spocter, M. (2018) A toponymic investigation of South African gated communities, South African Geographical Journal, 100:3, 326-348, DOI: 10.1080/03736245.2018.1498382 

Topic 10: Studies of small-town Eastern Cape

Drummond,  F.  Snowball,  J.  (2019).  Cultural  Clusters as a  Local  Economic  Development  Strategy in  Rural  Small-Town  Areas:  Sarah Baartman District in South Africa. Bulletin of  Geography.  Socio-economic Series, 43(43), 107-119. DOI: http://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2019-0007

Hoefnagels, N., Irvine, P.M. & Memela, S. (2023) Makhanda: Exploring the mise-en-scène of a city under threat. Urban Forum 34, 271–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-022-09467-7 

I am willing to supervise projects that use GIS to address questions across the disciplines of human and physical geography. I expect students to develop competence in traditional geographical methods and be able to use current technologies for data sourcing, manipulation and analysis. You will be expected to carry out desktop analysis and fieldwork data collection using a mixed-methods approach.

Topic 1: Climate change impacts on the distribution of Cyclopia species

Using species locality data from the Global Biodiversity Facility and thematic data layers (bioclimatic variables) from the WorldClim database of global weather and climate data as input to a species distribution model (SDM), it is possible to predict the current and potential future distribution of species. The MaxEnt species distribution modelling software is now a feature of ArcGIS Pro, and using this interface, it is possible to develop ‘probability of distribution’ maps and to predict range shifts – using the various climate change scenarios. The bioclimatic variable layers are available for all the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios released by the IPCC in 2020. The project would involve running a range of scenarios and predicting the potential impacts of climate change on C. intermedia or C. subternata populations. It could focus on cultivated populations or consider the wild, naturally occurring populations. 

From a theoretical perspective, the project would draw on material from Geographic Information Science, natural resource management, conservation planning, climate change and fynbos ecology and management.

The research question would be something like: How will projected climate change affect the distribution of C. intermedia?

To do this project, you will need to be committed to using GIS. There will be a fieldwork component in which you will check if the model fits with where these species are known to occur.

Topic 2: A Geospatial inventory of the honeybush industry

Honeybush products are mostly sold on the export market (75% of the annual volume). It is difficult to find honeybush on local supermarket shelves, although it is available to purchase from local and international online suppliers. As part of an initiative to develop the local honeybush market, an inventory of honeybush suppliers and sales points in the form of an interactive, online map would be a useful way for consumers to access information and promote consumption of honeybush.

The project would entail using social media and geotagging to locate honeybush products across South Africa and promote information on the industry (particularly sales) in an accessible, interactive and popular format as an online map inventory. The inventory could evolve to show a range of industry assets and information.

The research question would be something like: How can geo-spatial technologies be used effectively to promote a local industry?

From a theoretical perspective, the project would draw broadly on the fields of Geographic Information Science and Economic Geography.

To do this project, you will need to be committed to developing your online GIS skills. You will need to become familiar with managing and processing volumes of geotagged materials. There will be a field component involving a road trip to capture information.  

Topic 3: Biogeography of Craig Doone Farm

The farm is home to five biomes and ranges in elevation from 400 to 700m. The landscape is hilly, creating a series of topographic units with a variety of geology, soils and plant communities. Through the use of field surveys and monitoring equipment, the project aims to develop an understanding and establish a baseline dataset of soils, vegetation, rainfall, temperature, and variations in these aspects across different slopes, aspects, elevations, and landscape features.

The research question would be something like: How do biogeographic factors vary across space at a local scale?

From a theoretical perspective – the project would draw broadly on the fields of Biogeography Geographic Information Science.

Below are a number of listed projects. Some form part of the SA Landscapes course. There are too many for me to supervise in their entirety, but the list should give you some ideas for discussion. Also, I am happy to take on an appropriate Geomorphological or Remote Sensing topic within my fields of expertise. Please note that if you are interested in a Remote Sensing project, consider the specific field first before approaching me. For example, an analysis of urban landscapes falls under Urban Geography, and the distribution of specific vegetation types is a topic in Biogeography.

Topic 1: Using Remote Sensing to evaluate vegetation and soil moisture responses to weather at Burnt Kraal, Makhanda.

Utilise daily temperature and rainfall data, multispectral imagery, soil moisture measurements, and plant chlorophyll analysis to focus on the Burnt Kraal Commonage, located west of Makhanda. Following good rains in September and October 2023, it was possible to detect changes to the vegetation and moisture in the commonage at Burnt Kraal. This project will use the above as a point of departure and involve monitoring the area at a high temporal frequency. "Planet" imagery allows almost daily monitoring of vegetation using near-infrared signals and NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index) values. In addition to monitoring the above variables, preliminary investigations show that the NIR signal for the plant Chrysocoma ciliata cannot be used to indicate plant health. The extraction of chlorophyll from plant leaves will be used to establish why this is the case.

Various sources of literature are available to support the project; however, none are specific to the study site.

Topic 3: Spatial Variability of Rainfall in Makhanda

A network of rain gauges (manual) will be set up over Makhanda. The rainfall data will be analysed to establish spatial distribution and variability. Analyses involve spatial interpolation of point measurements. Synoptic meteorological data from broader-scale measurements and topography will hopefully explain the observed rainfall distribution. 

Muthoni, F. K., Odongo, V. O., Ochieng, J., Mugalavai, E. M., Mourice, S. K., Hoesche-Zeledon, I.,  Bekunda, M. (2019). Long-term spatial-temporal trends and variability of rainfall over Eastern and Southern Africa. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 137(3-4), pp. 1869-1882. doi:10.1007/s00704-018-2712-1 Retrieved from <Go to ISI>://WOS:000477054700018.

Mupangwa, W., Makanza, R., Chipindu, L., Moeletsi, M., Mkuhlani, S., Liben, F., Nyagumbo, I. & Mutenje, M. (2021). Temporal rainfall trend analysis in different agro-ecological regions of southern Africa. Water SA, 47. doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2021.v47.i4.3844

Topic 4: Building Locations, Densities and Links to Infrastructure and Topography

There are a number of options available to students utilising Google's V3 Open Buildings and Microsoft's most recent Building Footprints. Projects can be regional or national. Some examples are:

• Using kernel densities to analyse building densities.

• Establishing the relationship between building location and topographic elements. The study will utilise digital terrain models and spatial infrastructure data to determine the optimal locations for buildings.

The research can investigate either of the above or a combination using advanced spatial analysis methods.

Florczyk, A. J., Melchiorri, M., Zeidler, J., Corbane, C., Schiavina, M., Freire, S., Sabo, F., Politis, P., Esch, T., & Pesaresi, M. (2020). The Generalised Settlement Area: mapping the Earth surface in the vicinity of built-up areas. International Journal of Digital Earth, 13(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2018.1550121.

Xi, C.-B., Qian, T.-L., Chi, Y., Chen, J., & Wang, J.-C. (2018). Relationship between settlements and topographical factors: An example from Sichuan Province, China. Journal of Mountain Science, 15(9), 2043–2054. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-4863-z.

Xu, J., Zheng, L., Ma, R., & Tian, H. (2023). Correlation between Distribution of Rural Settlements and Topography in Plateau-Mountain Area: A Study of Yunnan Province, China. Sustainability, 15(4), 3458. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043458.

Topic 5: Geomorphometrics

The southern African landscape will be analysed using modern digital methods. There are two possible approaches:

• Revisiting past studies using digital data.

• Analysing the landscape using digital elevation data in one or more of ArcGIS Pro, QGIS and SAGA and then ground-truthing the results.

Atkinson, J., de Clercq, W., & Rozanov, A. (2020). Multi-resolution soil-landscape characterisation in KwaZulu-Natal: Using geomorphons to classify local soilscapes for improved digital geomorphological modelling. Geoderma Regional, 22, e00291. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2020.e00291

De Reu, J., Bourgeois, J., Bats, M., Zwertvaegher, A., Gelorini, V., De Smedt, P., Chu, W., Antrop, M., De Maeyer, P., Finke, P., Van Meirvenne, M., Verniers, J., & Crombé, P. (2013). Application of the topographic position index to heterogeneous landscapes. Geomorphology, 186, 39–49. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.12.015

ESRI (n.d.) Geomorphon Landforms (Spatial Analyst)—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation. https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/tool-reference/spatial-analyst/geomorphon-landforms.htm Accessed: 1 August 2025.

Guisan, A., Weiss, S.B., Weiss, A.D. (1999): GLM versus CCA spatial modelling of plant species distribution. Plant Ecology, 143, 107-122.

Jasiewicz, J. & Stepinski, T.F. (2013). Geomorphons - a pattern recognition approach to classification and mapping of landforms. Geomorphology, 182, 147–56. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.11.005.

Jenness, J. (2006). Topographic Position Index. (TPI). https://www.jennessent.com/downloads/tpi_poster_av3.zip.

Weiss, A.D. (2000): Topographic Position and Landforms Analysis. Poster http://www.jennessent.com/downloads/tpi-poster-tnc_18x22.pdf.

Wilson, J.P. & Gallant, J.C. (2000): Primary Topographic Attributes. In: Wilson, J.P. & Gallant, J.C. [Eds.]: Terrain Analysis: Principles and Applications, John Wiley & Sons, pp. 51-85.

Topic 6: Geomorphology and the Persistence of Late-Lying Snow.

Recent snowfalls in the mountains of southern Africa, combined with ideal atmospheric conditions, provide excellent opportunities to study the geomorphological factors that influence the persistence of snowfall. Some preferences that may be analysed are altitude, aspect and prevailing synoptic-scale meteorology.

Brown, A. (2012). Accounting for snow types. Nature Climate Change, 2, 394. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1571.

Grab, S. W., Mulder, N. A., & Mills, S. C. (2009). Spatial associations between the longest‐lasting winter snow cover and cold region landforms in the high Drakensberg, southern Africa. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 91(2), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0459.2009.00356.x.

Mulder, N., & Grab, S. W. (2002). Remote sensing for snow cover analysis along the Drakensberg escarpment. South African Journal of Science, 98(5-6), 213–217.

Mulder, N., & Grab, S. W. (2009). Contemporary spatio-temporal patterns of snow cover over the Drakensberg. South African Journal of Science, 105(5-6), 228–233.

Wunderle, S., Gross, T., & Hüsler, F. (2016). Snow extent variability in Lesotho derived from MODIS data (2000-2014) [Article]. Remote Sensing, 8(6), Article 448. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8060448.

Topic 7: Land Cover Changes in the Dukuduku Region 

Satellite imagery will be used to analyse changes in the Dukuduku Forest and adjacent areas since people moved to the area in the early 1990's. In the lead-up to the 1994 democratic government elections, the land was occupied by people who we forcibly removed from one part of what is now the iSimangaliso Wetland Park to the Nibela Peninsula and other areas. This occupation has had a significant impact on the environment there, which is visible in satellite imagery. The project will analyse these changes and include site visits.

Omer, G., Mutanga, O., Abdel-Rahman, E.M. & Adam, E. (2015). Performance of Support Vector Machines and Artificial Neural Network for Mapping Endangered Tree Species Using WorldView-2 Data in Dukuduku Forest, South Africa.  IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 10, 4825-4840, DOI: 10.1109/JSTARS.2015.2461136

Topic 1: Mapping livestock patterns, Makhanda, Eastern Cape.

Subsistence livestock farmers have designated commonage areas for livestock keeping and grazing, yet cattle roam around the streets and private land in Makhanda. The study aims to investigate the condition of preferred spaces for livestock keeping and grazing, and to visualise cattle movement, focusing on paths and hotspot areas.

Topic 2: Brewing tensions post mineral discoveries, uMuziwabantu Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.

Hundreds of residents flocked to the community of KwaMachi, claiming to have discovered gold. The community started selling rocks. The Council for Geoscience assessed the rocks, and the results showed that it is not gold, noting that "pyrite and chalcopyrite had similar appearances to gold and could easily be mistaken for this precious metal". The area is fenced off with security guards, and the local people are rejecting the findings. There is also tension about which traditional leader is responsible for the area. The study aims to investigate community tensions following the discovery of minerals.

Topic 3: Enkanini expansion from 2016 to 2024, Makhanda, Eastern Cape.

Urban livestock farming is a fundamental aspect of many households in Grahamstown (Makhanda). The Makana municipality provides designated commonages for animal grazing and keeping. Settlement encroachment in commonage areas has devastating implications for the livelihoods of urban dwellers in Grahamstown (Makhanda). This study aims to analyse the growth of Enkanini in the commonage space, including its patterns and extent, and also to understand whether Enkanini residents are aware of the impacts on subsistence livestock keeping.

Three topics are listed below. However, if you have any ideas related to water ecology, feel free to contact Prof. Odume.

Topic 1: Analysing the distributive equity dimension of the water security challenges in selected communities within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

Topic 2: Macroplastics as emerging river stressors - community perception and practices. 

Topic 3: Drivers of microplastics as a vector of selected pathogens in freshwater systems.

Topic 1: Rainfall variability in the Western Cape Highlands

The Western Cape province experiences different rainfall regimes compared to the rest of the country. Despite the different rainfall zones the province is still prone to droughts and water shortages. High elevation sites such as the Langeberg mountains, Hex River mountains, and Swartberg mountains are important water resource regions. The impacts of climate change on these regions should be studied with a focus on rainfall and water resources. 

Archer E, du Toit J, Engelbrecht C, Hoffman MT, Landman W, Malherbe J & Stern M (2022): The 2015-19 multi year drought in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: it's evolution and impacts on agriculture. Journal of Arid Environments, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104630

Strydom S, Jewitt GPW, Savage MJ & Clulow AD (2020): Long-term trends and variability in the microclimates of the uMngeni Catchment, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and potential impacts on water resources. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-020-03127-1 

Topic 2: The pyrogeography of the Western Cape 

The project aims to quantify spatial and temporal variability of fires in the Western Cape using remote sensing data (fire hotspots/burn scars). Meteorological data will be used for a number of locations within the province to calculate the Lowveld fire danger index. The project will focus on short time scales such as 2017 - present to understand how the most recent ENSO events influenced fire activity in the province.  

Strydom S & Savage MJ (2016): A spatio-temporal analysis of fires in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2016/20150489.

Strydom S & Savage MJ (2018): Observed trends and variability in the microclimate of the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal and its influence on fire danger. International Journal of Climatology, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5207. 

Topic 3: Understanding variability in agroclimatic indices using Reanalysis data 

The project aims to investigate long-term changes in agroclimatic indices using either the ERA5 or ERA5-Land Reanalysis datasets. I am open to any justifiable study site but would prefer focusing on locations in KZN, the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape.   

Strydom S & Savage MJ (2019): Long-term trends and variability in the dryland microclimate of the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-018-2642-y.

Muñoz-Sabater J, Dutra E, Agustí-Panareda A, Albergel C, Arduini G, Balsamo G, . . . Jean-Noël Thépaut (2021): ERA5-land: A state-of-the-art global reanalysis dataset for land applications. Earth System Science Data, doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4349-2021 

Topic: Building a better understanding of the impact of sediment in rivers on various water quality variables.

This is a desktop study focused on exploring the relationships between certain water quality variables and sediment transport and storage within river systems. Variables that will be examined include nitrate, nitrite, ammonium-N, sulphate, calcium, fluoride, magnesium, sodium and chloride. Some of these variables will have minimal interaction with the sediment in a river, while others will have a stronger connection, with some exhibiting simpler relationships and others more complex ones. This study will unpack these relationships to build a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of sediments on water quality within river systems. This study will inform the upgrading of a water quality model to incorporate sediment transport and storage (the model upgrade is not part of the honours project).

Research Question:

What motivates stakeholders to participate in the Makana Water Forum, and how can forum operations be restructured to deliver value that sustains stakeholder engagement in participatory water governance?

Context:

Catchment Management Forums enable stakeholders to engage with government on water resource management and service delivery. The Makana Water Forum operated from 2015 to 2019, with participation from multiple stakeholders, and was coordinated by the Institute for Water Research, hosted by the Makana Local Municipality. The forum has since collapsed, despite attempts by the Department of Water and Sanitation to revive it. This research will investigate stakeholder motivations for participation, operational challenges (convening, facilitation, communication), and the benefits stakeholders seek from engagement. Working with DWS officials and municipal representatives, the study will produce a strategy for re-establishing an effective CMF that addresses stakeholder needs and interests in Makana Local Municipality.

• Friday 3 March: Decide on Topics.

• Friday 24 April: Proposal Submission and Presentation.

• Wednesday 30 September: Presentations.

• Wednesday 30 September: Final Project Submission.