The Southern Ocean Seasonal Cycle Experiment (SCALE), funded by the South African Department of Science & Innovation (DSI), took place in the austral winter and spring of 2019. Scientists from South Africa, with global collaborators, studied a wide range of disciplines, collecting data and samples from the Southern Ocean.

The SCALE program involved 2 cruises on board the R/V SA Agulhas II, which left Cape Town and travelled to the most northerly sea ice extent on the 0 meridian, before returning to Cape Town. During the Spring the ship travelled through the sea ice to ~26E before travelling back to the 0 meridian through the marginal ice zone. The winter cruise ran from 18 July to 12 August 2019 and the spring cruise ran from 12 October to 20 November 2019.