We are excited to let you know that the EU Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) - Ocean Thematic Centre (OTC) is inviting interested parties to join the 1^st ICOS OTC pCO₂ instrument inter-comparison. The exercise will take place between 24 August and 4 September 2020 at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) in Oostende, Belgium. The aim is not only to compare different instrumentation, but also to improve the handling of instrumentation and of data, in order to achieve the best possible measurement quality being delivered. The results will be published preferably in a data paper with actual instrumentation names mentioned.

If you are interested in the inter-comparison, please sign up to the e-mail list here. For details and a tentative timetable of activities see below or on the OTC site here. For further inquiries please contact Tobias Steinhoff from ICOS-OTC (e-mail: tost[at]norceresearch.no).

We would like to draw your attention to the newest issue of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Newsletter #41. Among other things, you can read about the recent SCOR Annual Meeting, approval of new SCOR WG groups (C-GRASS and DeepSeaDecade) and about changes in SCOR Executive Office. On 1 February 2020 Dr. Patricia Miloslavich will assume duties as the new SCOR Executive Director, replacing Dr. Ed Urban who will step down after serving SCOR for 19 years as its Executive Director. 

On behalf of all of IOCCP, we would like to congratulate Patricia on her new appointment. In her capacity as project officer of GOOS Biology & Ecosystems Panel, Patricia has helped develop a strong partnership with IOCCP as GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel. We are excited to be able to work closely together with Patricia in her new role as SCOR Executive Director. At the same time, we want to sincerely thank Ed for his long-standing support for oceanic research in general, and in particular for IOCCP in our mission to promote the development of coordinated and sustained marine carbon and biogeochemistry observations. We wish Ed best of luck in his new endeavours.

We would like to let you know that the 8^th International Symposium on Gas Transfer at Water Surfaces (GTWS), a 5 yearly event, will be held in Plymouth, UK, on 19-22 May 2020. The focus is on the physicochemical and biogeochemical processes that govern atmosphere-water gas exchange and fluxes, which include turbulence, shear, breaking waves, bubbles and natural and anthropogenic surfactants. The scope of the conference covers all domains where atmosphere and water meet, which include but are not limited to, fresh water, estuarine, mountain, glacial, marine (coastal and open ocean) and polar regions. Topics include: field observations, laboratory and numerical studies, near-surface processes, biological effects including surfactants, the micro-layer, remote sensing, global scale processes and many more.

Financial support to help support Early Career Scientists and to promote women in science is provided by the European Space Agency (ESA). The deadline for applying for early career support is 15 November 2019. Further information can be found at www.pml.ac.uk/GTWS2020 and in the flyer attached. For any queries contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

IOCCP is looking for applications for two new members of the Scientific Steering Group (SSG). We hope to attract motivated and energetic experts working at the interface of marine observations and information product development within two specific fields described in the call. New SSG members will start their terms early next year. As indicated in the call, please feel free to contact us with any related questions you might have.

You can view the complete call online below or as PDF in the attached.

We are happy to let you know that the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) has recently released its Special publication on “Ocean Acidification and Deoxygenation in the North Pacific Ocean.” The report, edited by Tsuneo Ono (National Research Institute for Far Seas Fisheries/Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency) and Jim Christian (University of Victoria, Canada), aims to improve our knowledge and communications of the future of the North Pacific marine ecosystems and the potential impacts of human activities on the North Pacific. This is a contribution to the primary objective of FUTURE (Forecasting and Understanding Trends, Uncertainty and Responses of North Pacific Marine Ecosystems) - an integrative Scientific Program undertaken by the member countries and affiliates of PICES.

The report can be freely downloaded from here: https://meetings.pices.int/publications/special-publications/Special-Report%205-Ocean_Acidification.pdf.

We are excited to let you know that the European Research Infrastructure Integrated Carbon Observation System Ocean Thematic Centre (ICOS OTC) now delivers data with partial pressure of CO₂ in water, together with ancillary measurements, from several stations in near-real time (NRT) mode. You can search, preview and download the NRT data from the ICOS Carbon Portal (https://www.icos-cp.eu/) by selecting “ICOS OTC NRT Product” under data type as in HERE. Currently, you can view NRT data from R/V G. O. Sars (PI: Ingunn Skjelvan, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre) and from M/S Nuka Arctica (PIs: Are Olsen and Meike Becker; University of Bergen) from the ICOS Norway network.

On behalf of the International SCOR working group #147, ‘Towards comparability of global oceanic nutrient data’ and the writing team led by Susan Becker (SIO-UCSD, USA), we are happy to inform you that the updated version of the GO-SHIP nutrient manual entitled: “The precise and accurate determination of dissolved inorganic nutrients in seawater; Continuous Flow Analysis methods and laboratory practices” has been published. This GO-SHIP manual is a rewrite of the original version by Hydes et al. (2010), and reviews basic sample collection and storage, aspects of CFA using an Auto-Analyzer, and specific nutrient methods in use by many laboratories doing repeat hydrography. The document also covers laboratory best practices including quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) procedures to obtain the best results, and suggests protocols for the use of reference materials (RM) and certified reference materials (CRMs).

The document is available from our site HERE as well as from the Ocean Best Practices site: http://dx.doi.org/10.25607/OBP-555. We encourage you to include the correct document citation when referring to its contents.

The application period is now open for the 2020 Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Visiting Scholars Program. Awards for these scholarships are very competitive. For the 2019 program, 30 applications were received, but only 6 scholarships were awarded. The program, started in 2009, has awarded scholarships to scientists at all career levels, from Ph.D. students to retired professors, but because the purpose of the program is teaching and mentoring, extensive experience in working with students gives applicants a higher chance of success. See here for a list of past SCOR Visiting Scholars.

Applications are due by 1 December 2019 and selections will be made by the SCOR Committee on Capacity Building by 1 January 2020. Application forms and instructions can be found HERE.

After a decade of preparations, MOSAiC, the largest polar research expedition in history has begun. On 20 September, the German research icebreaker Polarstern has set sail from Tromsø, Norway, to spend a year drifting through the Arctic Ocean - trapped in ice. The goal of the MOSAiC expedition is to take the closest look ever at the Arctic as the epicenter of global warming and to gain fundamental insights that are key to better understand global climate change. MOSAiC, spearheaded by Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Germany, will gather data on five subareas: atmosphere, sea ice, ocean, ecosystems and biogeochemistry, in order to gain insights into the interactions that shape the Arctic climate and life in the Arctic Ocean.

Throughout the entire annual cycle that the expedition will spend drifting across the Arctic, MOSAiC experts from the Biogeochemistry (BGC) Team will continually monitor greenhouse and trace gases, and collect data relevant for better understanding of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen cycling in the Arctic water and sea ice.

The new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), released on 25 September, is the first IPCC Report to focus on the role of the ocean in the global climate and the effects of climate change on the ocean. Ocean acidification and ocean deoxygenation are two biogeochemical phenomena which are extensively covered throughout the report. One of the headline statements of the report reads:

"Over the 21^st century, the ocean is projected to transition to unprecedented conditions with increased temperatures (virtually certain), greater upper ocean stratification (very likely), further acidification (virtually certain), oxygen decline (medium confidence), and altered net primary production (low confidence). Marine heatwaves (very high confidence) and extreme El Niño and La Niña events (medium confidence) are projected to become more frequent. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is projected to weaken (very likely). The rates and magnitudes of these changes will be smaller under scenarios with low greenhouse gas emissions (very likely). {3.2; 5.2; 6.4; 6.5; 6.7; Box 5.1; Figures SPM.1, SPM.3}"

The full Report, Summary for Policymakers, SROCC factsheet and other materials are available for download from https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/home/.