This year’s OCB summer workshop will take place July 22-25, 2013 at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Please visit the workshop website at http://www.whoi.edu/workshops/ocbworkshop2013/  for more information and to register to attend. The registration deadline is June 19, 2013.

The focus of this year’s workshop will be on the following themes:

Estimating rates of biological carbon across biogeochemical time-series
Chairs: Ricardo Letelier, Craig Carlson

Ocean time-series represent one of the most valuable tools scientists have to characterize and quantify ocean carbon fluxes and biogeochemical processes and their links to changing climate. As a tribute to the 25^th anniversary of the HOT and BATS time-series programs, this session will focus on producing best estimates of critical carbon fluxes (e.g., net community production, or NCP) derived from measurements made at these and other sites where comparable data sets are available. Speakers in the session will discuss statistical estimates of flux uncertainties and discrepancies in methods, underlying sources of variability such as sampling and analytical methods, physical transport, and different assumptions regarding the basic cycling of associated tracers (e.g., gas exchange rates). Confirmed speakers for this session include Ken Johnson (MBARI), Rachel Stanley (WHOI), Paul Quay (UW), Matt Church (U. Hawaii), and Dave Siegel (UCSB).

Trace element-biota interactions
Chair: Mak Saito

In addition to major elements such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon, the productivity and species composition of marine phytoplankton communities are strongly influenced by trace metals such as iron, zinc, cobalt, manganese, copper, and cadmium. Conversely, phytoplankton directly affect the distribution, speciation, and bioavailability of these metals. The GEOTRACES Program has provided tremendous insight into the distribution, sources, and sinks of trace metals in the ocean. This session will focus on interactions between trace metal nutrients and phytoplankton in the ocean, including the roles of key micronutrients in various biological functions. Confirmed speakers for this session include Mark Moore (Southampton), Kathy Barbeau (SIO), Seth John (USC), and Adrian Marchetti (UNC). 

Southern Ocean processes
Chairs: Jorge Sarmiento, Kendra Daly

The Southern Ocean undergoes natural fluctuations in biogeochemical cycling over a wide range of spatiotemporal scales, and is also responding in measurable ways to the atmospheric increase in CO₂ and the ozone hole, but the associated mechanisms of response are poorly quantified. Major changes are also occurring in Southern Ocean food webs, which have direct effects on key species and indirect impacts throughout the food web, and the consequences of these for carbon and biogeochemical cycling and biological production are unknown. This session will focus on the challenges that we face in our understanding of Southern Ocean physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystem processes in response to current and future climate.  Confirmed speakers for this session include Mike Meredith (BAS), Nicole Lovenduski (Univ. Colorado), Kevin Arrigo (Stanford Univ.), Eileen Hofmann (ODU), and Hugh Ducklow (LDEO).

Marine microbes, climate change, and evolution
Chairs: Tatiana Rynearson, David Hutchins

Climate change is expected to alter many aspects of the planktonic environment.  This session will examine the potential of marine plankton to evolve in response to these changes and explore how evolutionary changes may influence community structure and biogeochemical cycling.  Presentations will include perspectives on the evolutionary potential and responses of cyanobacteria, protists and metazoans to climate change.  Confirmed speakers for this session include Tatiana Rynearson (URI), Carol Lee (Univ. of Wisconsin), Sinead Collins (Univ. of Edinburgh), Elena Litchman (Michigan State Univ.) and Dave Hutchins (Univ. of Southern California).

We are looking forward to another stimulating and productive workshop!

Sincerely,

The OCB Project Office
Scott Doney, Heather Benway, Sarah Cooley, Mary Zawoysky