Ocean Sciences 2016: New Orleans
Craig Smeaton
The Ocean Science Meeting (OSM) happens every two years and attracts poster and oral presentations from across the globe. The conference brings together all forms of ocean and marine science ranging from ecosystem science to physical oceanography and everything in between; this makes it the ideal place to present multidisciplinary research such as my own.
The week started off with a bang with Tornados in the surrounding county and high winds and rain hitting the city but this did not put a dampener on the conference. Early in the week I attended the Early Career icebreaker and networking events were I met up with colleagues and friends.
During the week I attend sessions on both my topic area and sessions with no direct connection to my research such as the Oceanography of Saturn’s Methane Seas. The sessions which I attend were all interesting and many presentations had some relevance to my work. Of particular interest was a number of talks by scientist currently working on NERC’s Biogeochemistry of Shelfs Sea program which gave me insight into some of the carbon cycling processes which my research does not touch upon. There were hundreds of posters on display and many were of interest to me; a number of these focused my mind on ideas that I have be contemplating and I’ am know keen to try some off these ideas out in the near future.
On Thursday the 25th I gave my presentation “The Spatial Distribution of Carbon in a Scottish Sea Loch: Broad and Fine Scale Observations” within the session EC41B: Understanding the Coastal Carbon Cycle and Biogeochemical Processes in the Coastal Ocean: Observations and Modeling. The presentation was well received and has resulted in the offer of additional analytical work and possible future collaboration with one of the leaders in the research area.
Apart from the academic and networking side of the conference I got to experience the city of New Orleans which is unlike any other place I have visited in the US before. There was great sights, foods and experiences throughout New Orleans but the French Quarter of the city was the highlight for me.
Again I am thankful for the support from the Challenger Society to attend OSM 16 and present my research and experience New Orleans.
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Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.
Workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33
12:00 11th June – 16:00 12th June 2025: NOC Southampton (In-person with online option): Registration deadline 16th May
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Pre-meeting questionnaire (open to all)
The purpose of this workshop is for the UK Ocean Science community to discuss and then draft a prospectus document outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps.
The second day of the workshop will be dedicated to writing groups, one for each of the priority research questions identified - from both the pre-meeting questionnaire (HERE) and day one discussion. By the end of the meeting, each group will have produced draft text and sourced supporting figures for the prospectus.
Post meeting, the draft will be opened for comments and suggestions from everyone, regardless of whether they were able to attend the workshop or not. It will then be shared with UK funders (UKRI, FCDO, DSIT, ARIA) and potential international programmes with whom we would like to collaborate (e.g. Arctic 2050, Norway). It will form a basis from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities can be built, e.g. at the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September in Northumbria.
To ensure balanced community and ECR representation, and to ensure that the size of the writing groups is efficient and effective, if the number of registrations from individual institutes becomes overwhelming, we may contact individuals or teams and ask that each institute selects a smaller number of individuals to attend in-person. Please wait for confirmation of in-person attendance before finalising travel arrangements.
The workshop will be open to hybrid attendance and contributions on both days.
Challenger Society Council Position Vacancy
The Challenger Society for Marine Science (CSMS) are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to support the next generation of ocean scientists and innovators. CSMS are looking for a new Council member to fill the Student Travel Awards and Stepping Stones Portfolio. The successful applicant will administer the travel and research grants available for Early Career Researchers.
The role involves:
- Receiving applications for the two schemes and responding to applicant inquiries
- Soliciting and compiling input from the rest of the Council for assessing the applications
- Communicating with successful and unsuccessful applicants for the two schemes
- Working with the Honorary Treasurer on allocating funds to successful applicants
- Following up with award winners on their reporting requirements
- Attending Council meetings four times a year (in person or online) and contributing to discussions and decision making for CSMS
The usual term for Council members is three years.
For more information about the CSMS Council, please follow this link: https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/The_Council
For more information about our Early Career Researcher grants and awards, please follow this link:
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Stepping_Stones
and
https://www.challenger-society.org.uk/Travel_awards
If you are interested in applying or have any questions regarding the role, please contact kathen@bas.ac.uk