Record # 928 -- Image Metadata
Historical photograph record:
| Record ID | 928 |
| Photographer | Pole Evans |
| Digital image number | PE_TF04_027 |
| Date of photograph | 1919/--/10 |
| Original caption | Vaal River at Parys. Pragmites. Salise. Acacia horrida |
| Location description | Parys |
| QDS | 2627CD |
| Coordinates | -26.899194894072 27.444788307377 |
| Attribution | rephotosa.adu.org.za - UCT & SANBI |
Repeat photograph record:
| Repeat id | 311 |
| Record id | 928 |
| Digital image number | PE_TF04_027 |
| Photographer | de Speville, Lisa |
| Day | 13 |
| Month | 1 |
| Year | 2018 |
| Time period | 18:15 |
| Height camera (cm) | 5 |
| Height camera quality | ESTIMATED |
| Location description | From the bridge over the Vaal River - the R53/Van Coller Street. Lying down on the bridge sidewalk. |
| Location cairn | NO |
| Landscape changes | There is a ton more blue gum growth and, what you can see clearly in my repeat photo, is a low weir that spans the river. I haven't been able to find anything concrete about the date that this weir was constructed but, as we can see from Pole-Evans' photograph, it wasn't there in 1919. |
| Weather conditions | |
| Additional notes | The level of the water in the Vaal River at Parys is regulated by release from the Vaal Barrage (built in 1923), which in turn gets water from the Vaal Dam (built in 1938) further upstream. In Pole-Evans' time (1919), the river flow would have been seasonal and thus much lower than what we experience now with regulated flow. In my five years of living in Parys (until end Oct 2020), the water level at which I took this photo in Jan 2018, was the lowest that I experienced (probably 10 cumec). The river has flooded heavily many times in the past 100 years, which would shift and move rocks around and weather them. Even with all of this, not a lot has changed - remarkable. The biggest change is in the vegetation growth. As another note - the first bridge over the Vaal River was completed in 1915, and this is probably the position from where Pole-Evans took this photo. Being in the river is too low (I tried). The current bridge is perhaps double as high above the river - thus my elevation is higher than that of Pole-Evans. |
| Latitude | -26.899194894072 |
| Longitude | 27.444788307377 |
| Coords uncertainty description | Google Map zoom-level: 18 |
| Coords source | Google Map |
| Attribution | de Speville, Lisa; rephotosa.adu.org.za; PCU; UCT |
| PCU repeat | NO |
| Published | YES |
| Date uploaded | 2021-05-10 15:26:33 |
| Date last updated | 2021-05-10 15:26:33 |
Main repeat photo:
Wide-angle view:
The Plant Conservation Unit (PCU) is an African-centred research and postgraduate training unit. It aims to improve the ecological understanding and conservation status of Africa's biomes, and has a particular emphasis on the succulent karoo and fynbos biomes of South Africa.
The FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology aims to "To promote and undertake scientific studies involving birds, and contribute to the practice affecting the maintenance of biological diversity and the sustained use of biological resources."
The University of Cape Town is known for its academic excellence and pioneering scholarship. Through a culture of teaching and learning, UCT strives to turn out graduates who are engaged citizens, able and willing to apply their expertise across the African continent.
