P01 General Topics in Oceanography (physics and biogeochemistry)
Convener(s): Marie Sicard (Sweden)Co-Convener(s): Alejandra Sanchez-Franks (UK) Alexander Haumann (USA)
Description
This symposium welcomes presentations of new research results in physical and biogeochemical oceanography not included in the other symposia. It explores oceanic processes of global relevance and those specific to different regions of the ocean, such as tropical, subtropical, subpolar, polar, marginal, and coastal seas. Relevant processes include water mass formation and interactions, large-scale and meso-scale circulations, interactions with other Earth system components (land, seafloor, atmosphere, and cryosphere), distribution and cycling of chemical elements and compounds, or pollution. Variability on different space and time scales will be considered and methodological approaches will range from in situ, autonomous, and satellite observations to numerical and laboratory studies.
Solicited speakers: Lijing Cheng (Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Madhavan Girijakumari Keerthi (LOCEAN, Sorbonne Université, France)
Go to the top of the page
P02 Physics and Biogeochemistry of Semi-Enclosed, Shelf Seas, and Coastal Zones
Convener(s): Katrin Schroeder (Italy)Co-Convener(s): Jianping Gan (China) Osmar Moller Jr (Brazil) Peter Zavialov (Russia)
Description
This interdisciplinary symposium provides a joint forum for oceanographers whose research focuses on physical, chemical, and biological processes in coastal zones, semi-enclosed and shelf seas of the World, as well as their responses to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. These areas are often characterized by complex interactions between land, ocean, and atmosphere, they exhibit rich dynamics driven by a variety of feedbacks and forcing mechanisms. Marginal seas and coastal areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change effects and anthropogenic stressors. Given their limited geographical extension and their sometimes constricted connection to the open ocean, these environments often exhibit shorter timescales in their responses to external forcing: this is why they are widely recognized as natural “laboratories” for studying oceanic processes and interactions between the physical, biogeochemical and climatic spheres. They also play an exceptionally important role in ecosystem services and socio-economic issues and require careful governance measures to avoid or mitigate environmental deterioration. Gathering experts from different regions, the symposium will give a global perspective of the topic through comparison and elucidation of similarities and differences. Contributions on different regions are invited, related to themes such as innovative observational, theoretical, experimental and modeling studies of the hydrodynamics, marine biogeochemistry (e.g., nutrient dynamics, primary production, acidification, algae blooms) and the influence these regional seas and coastal zones exert on the adjacent basins/oceans and on the global scale. Studies of past, present and future climate variability are welcome, as well as interdisciplinary studies on the bio-physical interactions in semi-enclosed and shelf seas.
Solicited speaker: Eleonora Cusinato (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, Italy)
Go to the top of the page
P03 Ocean Mixing Frontiers
Convener(s): Toshi Hibiya (Japan)Co-Convener(s): Hans van Haren (The Netherlands) Jae-Hun Park (Republic of Korea)
Description
Ocean mixing plays crucial roles both in the open and coastal ocean, affecting key physical, biological and chemical processes. Mixing in the upper ocean influences the sea surface temperature and hence air-sea interactions which impact global climate change, while mixing in the deep ocean maintains abyssal stratification of the world’s oceans and impacts the global overturning circulation. In coastal oceans, mixing modulates the transport and dispersal of dissolved and suspended materials including pollutants and nutrients. Planktonic ecosystems are controlled by nutrient pumping associated with ocean mixing. In this session, we encourage contributors to present recent findings of ocean mixing obtained through field observations as well as theoretical, numerical, and laboratory studies. Through the related detailed discussions, we would like to confirm how far has our understanding of the ocean mixing processes advanced, defining the new frontier of ocean mixing research to be tackled in the next decade. The session encompasses a wide variety of aspects of coastal and open ocean mixing processes; within the water column from the surface through the interior to the near boundary benthic mixing, including the roles of mixing in the biological processes and productivity of the ocean. Observational, theoretical, and numerical modeling studies are all encouraged.
Go to the top of the page
P04 Storm Surges, Waves, and Coastal Hazards
Convener(s): Thomas Wahl (USA)Co-Convener(s): Ivan D. Haigh (UK) Marta Marcos (Spain) Aimée Slangen (The Netherlands) Katherine Serafin (USA)
Description
Extreme sea levels (excluding tsunamis) emerge as a combination of regional mean sea level, astronomic tides, storm surges caused by extra-tropical or tropical storms, a dynamic wave component leading to wave-setup and runup, and, in deltas and estuaries, river discharge. Resulting flooding events can have devastating impacts with wide ranging social, economic, and environmental consequences. The 2017 hurricane season in the North Atlantic was only the latest reminder of the vulnerability of low-lying densely populated and highly developed coastlines. In order to plan effective adaptation to coastal flooding hazards it is essential to improve the understanding of the superposition of the different extreme sea level components, and how they are modulated by climate change and variability, individually and in combination. This symposium seeks contributions from studies that have: (i) examined changes in extreme sea levels and waves including the role of climate change and variability (past and future); (ii) undertaken statistical or process-based model analyses of extreme water levels or its individual components; (iii) assessed the various types of impacts (e.g., inundation, erosion, ecosystem degradation); (iv) or taken an integrated approach toward flood hazard and vulnerability evaluation of complex coastal systems as a result of extreme sea levels.
Solicited speakers: Dr. Alejandra Rodríguez-Enríquez (University of Central Florida, USA and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Dr. Tim Hermans (Utrecht University, The Netherlands)
Go to the top of the page
P05 The Meridional Overturning Circulation
Convener(s): Gerard McCarthy (Ireland)Co-Convener(s): Ben Moat (UK) María Paz Chidichimo (Argentina) Elizabeth Maroon (USA)
Description
Encompassing the largest ocean currents in the circumpolar mixing engine of the Southern Ocean to the narrow gaps of throughflows and overflows from Indonesia to Iceland, the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is a system of currents that links the world’s oceans. With its global reach from surface to abyss, the MOC substantially influences the Earth’s cycles of heat, freshwater, and carbon. The South Atlantic acts as a gateway for interocean exchanges between the North Atlantic, the Pacific and Indian oceans. In the South Atlantic Ocean heat is uniquely moved equatorward, where freshwater transports may be key to AMOC stability. The largest heat transport occurs in the North Atlantic, especially impacting the land masses bounding the North Atlantic and sub-Arctic. The most efficient ocean sink of anthropogenic carbon occurs in the North Atlantic, intimately entwined with the MOC through processes of deep water formation. MOC dynamics and variability drive key societal impacts such as coastal sea level, extreme events, temperature and precipitation patterns, and large-scale climate variability. This societal importance has motivated paleo-reconstructions, climate and ocean modelling on varying time and spatial scales, and in the past 20 years, direct observation of the MOC. We have learned a lot, but have also generated even more questions. For example, the recent AR6 IPCC report highlighted that, in contrast to ocean variables such as sea level and ocean heat content, where predicted and simulated rises due to anthropogenic climate change are being borne out by observations, the MOC has not conclusively shown a decline and in fact contradictions remain between observations and simulations through the 20th century. This symp welcomes abstracts on observations, theory, and numerical modelling of the MOC that address the burning questions that have yet to be answered and the timescales of change yet to be revealed.
Go to the top of the page
P06 IIOE-2: A Huge Step Forward for the Indian Ocean Sciences
Convener(s): Yukio Masumoto (Japan)Co-Convener(s): Nick D'Adamo (Australia) Raleigh Hood (USA) Satheesh Shenoi (India)
Description
The Second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) was launched in December 2015 to advance our understanding of the physical, chemical, biological, geological and climatological aspects of the Indian Ocean to underpin its enhanced role on the socio-economy of the region. During the IIOE-2 period, vigorous observational, modelling, and theoretical research activities have been conducted, providing new data and insights on top of the achievements since the first IIOE 50 years ago. This symposium aims to summarize and highlight recent advances in our understanding of the Indian Ocean multi-disciplinary sciences. We invite papers on various aspects of the Indian Ocean, including, but not limited to, circulation and boundary currents, climate and monsoon variability, extreme events, air-sea interactions, ocean observations and data, impacts of climate change, biogeochemical processes, biology and ecology of the Indian Ocean. This session also invites papers describing programs, projects, activities and other significant contributions to showcase the ongoing or planned activities and the connection of ocean scientists with the broader agenda of sustainable development of oceans. We especially welcome contributions from international teams and consortia highlighting the power of international cooperation, capacity and knowledge sharing in a transdisciplinary context.
Go to the top of the page
P07 Unravelling New Aspects of Nutrient Cycling in the Ocean: Multi-proxy and Modelling Approaches
Convener(s): Malin Ödalen (Germany)Co-Convener(s): Arvind Singh (India) Sarah Fawcett (South Africa)
Description
Understanding of ocean nutrient cycling is important as it plays a major role in ocean’s ability to regulate atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. There has been major advancement in our understanding of nutrient cycling in the last decade. These include challenging of the Redfieldian C:N:P ratio paradigm, technical issues related to N2 fixation estimates, the role of fixed nitrogen in oxygen minimum zones, revealing of deoxygenation at an unprecedented rate, and advancements in the study of trace metals. In this session, we invite the modelling and experimental studies related, but not limited to, elemental stoichiometry, impact of atmospheric inputs to ocean biogeochemistry, isotope tracer based studies to understand nutrient cycling, new advancements in techniques to measure N2 fixation estimates, fixed nitrogen in oxygen minimum zones, deoxygenation in the tropical and subtropical oceans and studies of trace metals and phosphorous cycling in the ocean.
Go to the top of the page
P08 Bringing Scientific and Technological Ocean Information Together for Advancement of Sustainable Development in the Framework of the UN Ocean Decade
Convener(s): Martin Visbeck (Germany) Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade (Puerto Rico)Co-Convener(s): Alexander Turra (Brazil) Delphine Lobelle (the Netherlands) Mujeeb Abdulfatai (Nigeria)
Description
The United Nations General Assembly established the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to facilitate the “science we need for the ocean we want“. The aim of the ‘Ocean Decade‘ is to bring together diverse scientists and stakeholders to facilitate the generation of new and integrated knowledge that informs policies that ensure a well-functioning, clean, productive, resilient, safe, sustainable and inspiring ocean and support the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and associated Sustainable Development Goals. Covering 71% of the planet, the ocean is the largest component of the earth’s system. It provides approximately 20 percent of all animal protein consumed globally. Millions of people are at risk from ocean hazards or dependent on rainfall patterns driven by the oceans. It absorbs 25% of all carbon dioxide emissions and captures 90% of the excess heat. The ocean also furnishes cultural values and recreation is the seventh largest economy in the world. The ocean is one of the last frontiers for exploration on the planet and represents an exciting, adventurous and unexplored domain that can inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators, communicators, and policy makers. Hundreds of Decade Actions have been endorsed since 2021. This session invites papers describing programs, projects, activities and other significant contributions that highlight ongoing or planned actions and the connection of ocean scientists with the broader agenda of the ocean dimension of sustainable development. We especially welcome contributions from international teams and consortia highlighting the power of international cooperation, capacity and knowledge sharing in a transdisciplinary context.
Go to the top of the page