We would like to let you know about the upcoming Ocean Carbon Hot Spots Workshop: Biophysical Drivers of Carbon Uptake in Western Boundary Current Regions, which will be held September 25-26, 2017, at MBARI, Moss Landing, CA. This workshop, co-sponsored by Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB), US Climate Variability and Predictability Program (US CLIVAR), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Ocean Mixing Processes (OMIX), aims to develop an interdisciplinary research community that will facilitate a better understanding of carbon uptake and storage in western boundary current regions, with an emphasis on the Kuroshio Extension. The workshop will bring together the physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic observing community with the climate modelling community. The meeting is open to international participants, with a total of ~60 attendees selected through an online application process. 

Abstract/Application due May 19, 2017.

Objectives

Western boundary current (WBC) regions display the largest magnitude air-to-sea carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes of anywhere in the global ocean, exhibit large spring blooms and high eddy activity, and are hubs for the subduction of anthropogenic carbon-laden waters into the ocean interior during mode water formation. Yet the influence of biophysical interactions on air-sea CO₂ exchange and carbon export has not been rigorously evaluated in most WBC regions.

The goal of the workshop is to develop an interdisciplinary research community that will facilitate a better understanding of carbon uptake and storage in WBC regions with an emphasis on the Kuroshio Extension. Furthermore, the workshop aims to develop a community of observationalists and modellers to collaborate on carbon cycle research near this region, increasing efforts to leverage observational capabilities to fill in modelling gaps and leverage modelling tools to inform observational strategies. The workshop will also identify critical observational needs that would improve model parameterizations of key biophysical processes that influence carbon uptake. This will guide future operational efforts to coordinate an international field program near the Kuroshio Extension, as well as recommendations for strategic long-term observing needs.

To achieve these goals, the workshop will focus on three key scientific questions related to WBC regions:

• How do mesoscale and submesoscale processes influence nutrient supply, biological activity, and air-sea CO₂ fluxes?
• Do phytoplankton contribute to air-sea CO₂ exchange primarily through pCO₂ drawdown during mode water formation or carbon export via the biological pump?
• How does natural variability modulate carbon export carried out by mode water formation and biological processes?

Format

The workshop will begin with a keynote address reviewing physical and biogeochemical processes in WBC regions. The remainder of the workshop will include four sessions distributed over two days with time devoted to discussion and synthesis after each session, which will help guide the workshop report and review paper. The organizing committee will invite speakers for select topics in addition to choosing speakers (particularly early career scientists and students) from the pool of applicants who indicate an interest in presenting when filling out the online application. Those who submit an abstract and are not slated to give a talk may be selected to present a poster. Due to time and space restrictions, the organizing committee will make decisions based on the total number of abstracts received.

Outcomes

Community building, expansion of cross-disciplinary vocabularies, and facilitation of new collaborations are all intended outcomes of the workshop. In addition, synthesis of modelling and observational perspectives will be collected to inform recommendations for OceanObs'19.

The organizing committee will synthesize the workshop presentations and discussion to generate a report, to be jointly published by US CLIVAR and OCB. A shorter workshop summary will be included in CLIVAR and OCB newsletters and websites.

Registration and more information

Visit the workshop website for more information and registration.

Scientific Organizing Committee

Andrea Fassbender (Co-Chair), MBARI
Stuart Bishop (Co-Chair), North Carolina State University
Meghan Cronin, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Takamitsu Ito, Georgia Institute of Technology
Matthew Long, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Jaime Palter, University of Rhode Island

Program Organizing Committee

Heather Benway (OCB)
Mai Maheigan (OCB)
Mike Patterson (US CLIVAR)
Jill Reisdorf (UCAR)
Kristan Uhlenbrock (US CLIVAR)