Dr. Nuette Gordon
- Head of Department
- Senior Lecturer
- Research Member
- Nuette.Gordon@unisey.ac.sc
- hod.env@unisey.ac.sc
- +248 483 1220
Department of Environment
Contact Us
BERI Focal Point: Biological Water Quality and Aquaculture
Focus areas: Coastal ecology, phytoplankton dynamics, diatom taxonomy, aquaculture, estuarine ecology, harmful algal blooms
Nuette joined the University of Seychelles in January 2019. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environment and a research member of BERI. She holds a PhD in Palaeolimnology and Estuarine Ecology from Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. Nuette has spent the last three years in the commercial sector where she was the Research Manager for South Africa’s largest abalone aquaculture farm. Her research interests include coastal and estuarine ecology, water quality, climate change, harmful algal blooms, phytoplankton dynamics, diatom taxonomy and aquaculture. Her past research experience includes postdoctoral research in shallow water ecosystems within arid regions of South Africa that were earmarked for shale gas fracking. Nuette has also participated in a number of Reserve Determination Studies for freshwater requirements of estuaries along the South African coastline using GIS and modelling.
Current Projects
- UNDP/GEF Ridge to Reef (2021 – 2026) Aquatic Monitoring, Training & Database development
- FSPI/IRD (2022 – 2023) Feasibility of Seaweed Aquaculture in the Seychelles : Sargassum spp. Potential as part of IMTA & sodium alginate extraction
- FIU (2020 – 2023) Importance of the Seychelles for endangered blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and other large whales
- SeyCCAT (2023 – 2024) UniSey Research Laboratory Development Plan
- Monaco Explorations (2022) Exploration Cruise of the Indian Ocean (Leg 2 – Saya de Malha) – Phytoplankton biomass and species composition of the Saya de Malha with a focus on potential harmful algal species.
Research Cruises
- R/V Fridjof Nansen (2005): BENEFIT programme cruise (South Africa, Namibia, Angola)
- R/V Agulhas II (2022): Monaco Exploration of the Indian Ocean (Seychelles, Mauritius)
Qualifiications
PhD (Palaeolimnology & Estuarine Ecology)
Publications
- N Gordon, JB Adams & GC Bate 2008: Epiphytes of the St Lucia Estuary and their response to water level and salinity changes during a severe drought. Aquatic Botany 88(1): 66 – 76.
- N Gordon, JB Adams & F Garcia-Rodriguez 2011: Water quality status and phytoplankton composition in Soetendalsvlei, Voelvlei and Waskraalsvlei, three shallow wetlands within the Agulhas Plain, South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science 35(1): 19 – 33.
- N Gordon, F Garcia-Rodriguez & JB Adams 2012: Paleolimnology of a coastal lake on the Southern Cape coast of South Africa: Sediment geochemistry and diatom distribution. Journal of African Earth Sciences 75: 14 -24.
- N Gordon, R Perissinotto & N Miranda 2016: Microalgal dynamics in a shallow estuarine lake: transition from drought to wet conditions. Limnologica- Ecology and Management of Inland Waters 60: 20-30.
- N Rossouw, R Perissinotto & N Gordon 2018: Microalgal biomass and composition of surface waterbodies in a semi-arid region earmarked for shale gas exploration (Eastern Cape Karoo, South Africa). Limnologica – Ecology and Management of Inland Waters
- N Gordon 2019: Aquaculture in the Seychelles: A review of challenges within the sector. Seychelles Research Journal 1(2): 83 100.
- N Gordon & D Monthy (in preparation): Sargassum cultivation as part of Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture in Seychelles. WIO Journal of Marine Sciences
- N Gordon (in preparation): Sodium alginate extraction from Sargassum sp. in Seychelles: Natural vs Cultivate vs Wrack yield and quality. Aquaculture
- L Kalish & N Gordon (in preparation): Feeding preference of the Seychelles collector sea urchin, Tripneustes gratilla, using stable isotope analyses. WIO Journal of Marine Sciences.
Book and Report Contributions
- Garcia-Rodrigues F, del Puerto L, Bracco R, Panario D, Castineira C, Mourelle D, Inda H, Gordon N & JB Adams 2011: Paleolimnología de las lagunas costeras del Sudeste de Uruguay y comparacíon paleogeográfica entre América y África del Sur. In: Garcia-Rodrigues F (ed.) El Holocene n la zona costera de Uruguay: Comisión Secotiral de Investigacion Scientifica – UDeLAR. Departmento de Publicaciones, UCUR, Montevideo. pp. 173 -196.
- Perissinotto R, Stretch DD & RH Taylor 2013: Ecology and Conservation of Estuarine Ecosystems: Lake St Lucia as a Global Model. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 486 – Contributing Author
- Adams JB & N Gordon 2015: Appendix C: Macrophyte specialist report in: Department of Water and Sanitation (ed) Reserve determination studies for selected surface waters, groundwater, estuaries and wetlands in the Breede-Gouritz Water Management Area, Project Technical Report 8 (volume 1): Estuary RDM Report – Intermediate Assessment: Duiwenhoks Estuary. Report No RDM/WMA16/04/CON/0713A, Pretoria.
- Gordon N & J Harlay 2022: Development of protocol for monitoring of water quality in three watershed areas on Mahe island: Val D’endor, Anse Royale & Grand Police. Report prepared for the GEF/UNDP Ridge to Reef Programme, Seychelles.
