In January, 2006, an Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) was created by NSF, NASA, and NOAA to provide leadership to the U.S. ocean research community by identifying research priorities and promoting, planning, and coordinating collaborative, multidisciplinary research opportunities in ocean biogeochemistry. In conjunction with the founding of the SSC, the OCB Project Office was established to provide scientific and logistical support for the SSC and OCB activities. Over the past three years, the OCB Project Office has established an annual OCB summer science meeting series, conducted targeted scoping workshops on specific science questions, supported U.S. participation in national and international science and coordination activities, hosted a minority student program, and created an OCB website and newsletter for distribution of OCB results.
Under this award, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution will receive renewal support to continue the activities of the OCB Project Office: 1) Provide logistical support to the OCB SSC for its meetings, production of reports, and other SSC activities; 2) Organize community workshops, short courses, and symposia; 3) Communicate OCB products and activities to the national and international scientific community and broader audiences, serving as a clearing house for information related to U.S. and international ocean carbon cycle science programs; and 4) Interface with other national and international carbon cycle science programs and activities.
Broader Impacts In the face of climate change and associated changes in atmospheric composition and ocean chemistry, a more comprehensive understanding of ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystem processes is critically needed to improve our predictive capabilities and provide the framework for the development of sound adaptation strategies. The OCB Project Office will facilitate a more integrated scientific approach by providing critical coordination and logistical support to enhance the efforts of the U.S. research community. Through a grassroots, community driven approach, the proposed OCB workshops and courses will give OCB scientists a public venue for discussing research challenges and implementation approaches to address OCB research priorities. The Project Office will support the OCB SSC and other OCB subcommittees (i.e., ocean acidification, time-series) which provide valuable guidance on U.S. research priorities and coordination efforts. Another increasingly important role of the OCB Project Office is to engage the OCB community in other national and international carbon cycle science programs and activities (e.g., NACP, IOCCP, IMBER, etc.) thus placing ocean biogeochemical research in the broader context of marine ecology, global carbon cycle, and climate science. The communication of OCB activities and priorities is fundamental to community building and outreach. The Project Office will work to expand the OCB network by continuing production of a regular newsletter, augmenting OCB?s web presence by expanding its project information, field opportunities, and tools and resources for OCB scientists, and developing hands-on outreach products for scientists, educators, and policy makers.
The ocean plays a major role in shaping Earth’s climate, regulating the atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide on many time-scales. The Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program (www.us-ocb.org) is a dynamic network of scientists studying the ocean's role in global climate and the carbon cycle. This is a massive research challenge that involves specialists from fields like ocean chemistry, marine biology, and physics. OCB brings together people across disciplines in a strategic way to address research challenges that single investigators, groups, and disciplines can't address. Since its inception in 2006, the OCB Project Office has served as a central information hub; planned workshops on emerging research issues; coordinated interdisciplinary science activities and planning initiatives; developed and distributed education and public outreach materials; and provided travel and logistical support. Highlights of OCB accomplishments to date include: Planning and organizing science activities such as large interdisciplinary science workshops to showcase new findings, facilitate networking and collaboration, and inspire new research directions and activities; smaller, more focused workshops designed to address specific research and/or ocean observing challenges (e.g., ocean acidification, ocean time-series and autonomous measurements, integrating biological and chemical measurements at sea, etc.); ocean acidification short course to educate early career scientists on optimal chemical and biological methods for conducting ocean acidification experiments; two U.S. ocean acidification meetings to facilitate a more cohesive national vision for ocean acidification research and improve coordination and communication among scientists who are conducting this research; small teams of scientists gathering to analyze existing data from coastal regions of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada in an effort to better understand the North American carbon budget; small working groups of scientists from the fields of climate dynamics, physical, chemical, and biological oceanography tasked with increasing our understanding of the key mechanisms controlling heat and carbon uptake in the most climate-sensitive regions of the world’s oceans Communicating scientific outcomes, products, and opportunities via websites (OCB website, ocean acidification website, ocean fertilization website, international time-series network website), email lists, and regular newsletters Providing input on behalf of OCB research community to national scientific planning initiatives such as the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan, the Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences, and a national ocean acidification research program Developing and coordinating outreach products and activities, including classroom resources (e.g., lab kits, web lectures, etc.) and informational materials for policy makers, media, and the general public (e.g., ocean acidification FAQs, 20 Facts about Ocean Acidification)
