Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Workshop 2010

Abstract

This year’s OCB summer workshop highlighted three interdisciplinary science themes: Arctic, low oxygen regions, and benthic-pelagic coupling. Within these themes, we were especially keen to address nitrogen cycling, ecological tipping points, and strengthened connections between experimentalists and modelers.

Arctic: The Arctic is undergoing rapid changes in response to warming, accelerated melting of large ice sheets, and reductions in seasonal sea ice cover.

Low Oxygen Regions: Many models are predicting a significant expansion of oxygen minimum zones under the IPCC “business-as-usual” scenario for anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which will affect marine productivity, carbon and nutrient cycling, and food webs.

Benthic-Pelagic Coupling: Benthic and pelagic ecosystems are intimately linked by way of biogeochemical cycling and transformation. Benthic-pelagic coupling along continental shelves represents a significant unknown in coastal carbon budgets, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes driving organic carbon export and burial in the open ocean remain poorly characterized.