New Frontiers in Southern Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research

Abstract

This Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) scoping workshop in Princeton, New Jersey, will focus on carbon cycling and marine ecosystems in the context of climate variability in the Southern Ocean. The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the global climate system owing to its unique physical, biogeochemical, and ecological features. The region is undergoing substantial changes in response to climate trends and variability, and future changes are expected to exert substantial impacts on biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem processes of the Antarctic. Despite increased efforts to understand these processes, significant discrepancies still exist between models and observations, and a number of key processes remain poorly quantified. There is a clear and increasing need to develop a coordinated approach that advances our understanding of climate variability in the Southern Ocean and its implications for ecosystem dynamics and biogeochemical cycling.

The overall objective of this Scoping Workshop will be to facilitate interaction between the physical, biogeochemical, and ecosystem research communities to develop research strategies to resolve current limitations, gaps and discrepancies in our understanding and prediction of the Southern Ocean ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles and carbon uptake.