Hi everyone,
Excitingly, registration and abstract submission is now open for the UK Challenger conference being held in London 5-8th September this year. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/science-events/the-challenger-society-conference-2022-in-london.html
It really is a great conference, and a fab way to connect with marine scientists, particular for ECR's as it is very welcoming and inclusive.
I wanted to highlight two great sessions to you all (no bias of course), for those in the fields of blue carbon and/or Southern ocean ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling. Find details of the session below this email.
The deadline for abstract submission is 15th May, with an early bird deadline for registration of 1st May.
Please do considering submitting an abstract to one of the many fabulous sessions being planned this year.
All the best,
Anna
Session details below:
Session Title:
Blue carbon credits from non-conventional ecosystems: plankton, nekton and continental shelf benthos
Abstract:
Marine ecosystems can provide a mechanism for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus are considered an important part of mitigating climate change. Protection of such ecosystems may be adopted as a strategy for 'offsetting' greenhouse gas (e.g. carbon dioxide) emissions. However, quantifying blue carbon storage is not trivial and there are many non-conventional ecosystems that can make an important contribution to carbon storage and sequestration, but are less well recognised or studied than coastal vegetation blue carbon. Protection and restoration of blue carbon environments is crucial because they can be very efficient carbon storage mechanisms. There are also important initiatives to create new blue carbon areas for example by seaweed farming. We welcome in this session, both model and observation-based talks on blue carbon storage by plankton, nekton and continental shelf benthos, as well as policy focussed talks on the management strategies, we need to protect these areas and ensure their appropriate use for 'offsetting'. We particularly encourage talk submissions from PhD and early career researchers.
Key Questions/topics:
- What is blue carbon? Is there a common definition?
- What time period do we consider carbon to be sequestered?
- How can we quantify and verify the blue carbon in oceanic ecosystems? (transient species moving with water masses etc)
- What is the economic value of blue carbon ecosystems?
- Can protecting blue carbon ecosystems be considered offsetting?
- How can oceanic blue carbon offsetting be verified and then certified?
- How will a changing climate and other stressors impact these ecosystems?
- What management strategies do we need to protect these areas/ensure appropriate use for 'offsetting'?
- What are the repercussions if something is assigned 'blue carbon' – good could be extra protection (e.g. fishing quotas or MPAs), bad could be exploited on carbon market
- What is our responsibility as scientists in this space?
Session Title:
From the micro to the macro: linking bottom-up and top-down approaches that investigate the function, resilience and conservation of Southern Ocean ecosystems
Abstract:
The Southern Ocean and its ecosystems are of global significance. Not only are they are integral to our global food security and climate regulation, they contribute to some of the most uniquely diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. Understanding the interactions within Southern Ocean food webs, and the processes driving them, is vital for underpinning the sustainable management and conservation of these systems. This ecological knowledge goes further as it is essential for understanding an ecosystem's role in influencing global ocean nutrient and carbon cycling – a role of increasing significance in the face of climate change. This session aims to bring together insights from two major streams of ecological research in the region: those which study the pelagic environment and investigate bottom-up processes, and those which study marine predators and provide top-down perspectives on ecosystem processes. Presentations in this session may fall within three themes; i) interactions between biogeochemical cycling, ecosystem processes, and productivity, ii) impacts of environmental change on processes, species, or ecological interactions iii) innovative methods or long-term syntheses that can inform Southern Ocean conservation and sustainable management. Submissions from field, laboratory, or modelling studies are equally welcome. This session aims to be an open platform and we encourage early career researchers and underrepresented groups to present their work.
Dr Anna Belcher | Ecological Biogeochemist| British Antarctic Survey
High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET
Email: annbel@bas.ac.uk |Tel: +44 (0)1223 221281
British Antarctic Survey is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
NERC is part of UK Research and Innovation www.ukri.org
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