This award supports a symposium to advance the science of biogeochemical cycles. It will bring together ~70 individuals, including a diverse group of students with young and more established scientists, to share recent research results and perspectives in biogeochemistry. The symposium will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (Albuquerque, New Mexico, August, 2009), which will allow many other environmental scientists and students to participate. The symposium, and plans for an open access publication and online presentations to disseminate the results, will promote the interdisciplinary nature of biochemistry. Four scientific themes provide an exciting conceptual organization: the evolution of biogeochemical cycles throughout earth history; biogeochemical cycles as couplers of atmosphere, geosphere and biosphere; the significance of humans as drivers of biogeochemical cycles; and the dynamic feedbacks between global biogeochemical cycles and climate change. The symposium will explore recent scientific advances in each of these areas, and illustrate how biogeochemical cycles serve as feedback mechanisms linking climate change with coupled human-natural systems. Invited speakers and other contributing participants include a diverse representation of aquatic, marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric expertise.
