We are happy to inform you that the report from the XII^th Session of the IOCCP Scientific Steering Group has been published. You can read and download the report in PDF from our site HERE.

The report summarizes the current status and future plans related to IOCCP's coordination activities for each of our themes. We hope that you will find the report informative and many of you will become involved in the activities that the SSG planned for the months to come. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions and comments.

On behalf of the Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT) scientific community, we are proud to announce the release of SOCAT Version 5! SOCAT is a synthesis activity by the international marine carbon research community (>100 contributors). SOCAT version 5 has 21.5 million quality-controlled, surface ocean fCO₂ (fugacity of carbon dioxide) observations from 1957 to January 2017 for the global oceans and coastal seas. Calibrated sensor data are also available. Automation allows annual, public releases of SOCAT. The SOCAT data is discoverable, accessible and citable. SOCAT enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink and ocean acidification and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2017, SOCAT represents a milestone in biogeochemical and climate research, and in informing policy.

On 8-10 February 2017, Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Panels for Physics & Climate (OOPC), Biology & Ecosystems and Biogeochemistry (IOCCP), and the Ocean Research Coordination Network (Ocean RCN) co-organized a workshop on "Implementation of Multi-disciplinary Sustained Ocean Observations (IMSOO)".

We would like to inform you that the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Global Carbon Project (GCP) established a Scientific Partnership Agreement in April 2017. The signed partnership aims to advance our knowledge of the carbon cycle and our ability to predict carbon sinks and sources in the future. 

We would like to let you know that the workshop report from the '2^nd Air-Sea Gas Flux: Progress and Future Prospects' workshop is now available to download from HERE. The scientific workshop, held in September 2016 in Brest, France, was organized by the OceanFlux Greenhouse Gases Evolution project as a forum to bring the international and interdisciplinary air-sea gas flux scientific community together to present recent advances, report results from key initiatives and importantly to identify new goals, challenges and opportunities.

The participants discussed among other things, the current state of the marine component of the global carbon observing system, and the need for the 'flux community' to use standard techniques, data formats and common tools, e.g. binning tools that are used and/or needed by communities measuring carbon dioxide fluxes (Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas - SOCAT) and nitrous oxide/methane fluxes (MarinE MethanE and NiTrous Oxide - MEMENTO). 

Mark your calendars for the 4^th International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World's Oceans (ECCWO), which will be held June 4-8, 2018, in Washington, DC, USA. The Symposium will bring together experts from around the world to better understand climate impacts on ocean ecosystems - and how to respond. 

Deadline for Session/Workshop Theme proposal submission: 9 June 2017. Abstract submission deadline: 15 December 2017.

We are happy to let you know that the Latin American Ocean Acidification (LAOCA) Network has recently launched its website - http://laoca.cl/en/ - which is now accessible in English, Spanish and Portuguese! The mission of LAOCA is to communicate and enhance understanding of ocean acidification process in Latin America, and its interaction with other local processes and their impact on marine ecosystems and their services through international cooperation. IOCCP, as a partner of LAOCA, actively promotes standards and best practices for marine biogeochemistry observations as well as provides technical training on measurement, data handling and data management procedures (Technical workshop on carbonate system measurements) for Latin American colleagues. LAOCA has now also announced the 1^st Latin American Symposium in Ocean Acidification, which will be held at Cultural Centre for the Sciencies of CONICET in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from the 23 to 26 October 2017.

Five working group proposals that have been submitted to the SCOR Secretariat for consideration at the 2017 SCOR Annual Meeting are available on the SCOR Web site. The Executive Committee will be very grateful for comments from SCOR National Committees, individuals, and interested organizations to assist in the review of these proposals. This is, in fact, one of the most important ways in which SCOR’s National Committees and cooperating organizations can provide input to SCOR on scientific priorities. SCOR WG proposal reviews are due to Ed Urban, Executive Director of SCOR, before 1 August 2017.

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.

Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) is pleased to announce that with support from the Nippon Foundation (NF) and in partnership with the University of Liverpool, University of Southampton and Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), it is offering a NF-POGO Visiting Fellowship for training on-board the GEOTRACES North Atlantic "FRidge" cruise in 2017-18. The programme is open to scientists, technicians, postgraduate students (PhD/MSc) and post-doctoral fellows involved in oceanographic work at centres in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Priority is given to early-career scientists.

The application deadline is 31^st May 2017.