2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Marine Ecosystems in Hot Water: Some Like It Hot (But Some Do Not)

Much of our understanding on how and why the chemistry, biology, and biodiversity of the ocean are changing derives from uncoordinated observations collected by different oceanographers over the last 150 years. Groups of scientists, in the last 30 years, have started long-term observation programs around the world to collect multi-year, high-quality data to measure how biogeochemistry and ecosystems vary over time periods ranging from seasons to decades. These time series carry out innovative science to collect information that is essential for understanding life and ocean biodiversity in our changing planet. This symposium provides an image of the scientific results and societal value of these efforts in the context of ocean carbon and biogeochemical processes, ecosystem structure and function, changes in biodiversity and linkages, and feedback with the Earth’s climate system. The session will galvanize attention on the linkages between life within the ocean and human social and economic systems and the adventure and challenges faced by the people that maintain these time series. It will highlight work supported by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Carbon Cycle Science Program, the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project, the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program, and a number of dedicated government funding agencies around the globe.