Symposium Announcement
International Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Symposium
"Climate Variability and Sub-Arctic Marine Ecosystems"
Victoria, B.C. Canada
16-20 May 2005
For more information, registration, and abstract submission, see the
International GLOBEC website at:
http://www.globec.org
Reduced Registration Fee and Abstract Submission Deadline:
Wednesday, 1 December 2004
Co-sponsors:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
National Science Foundation, U.S.A.
North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES)
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Sub-Arctic seas support extraordinarily rich marine resources, which
provide food and wealth to local communities. These seas include: the
Okhotsk Sea, Oyashio shelf region, Bering Sea, Hudson Bay,
Newfoundland/Labrador shelves, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Greenland shelves,
Iceland regions, the Nordic Seas, and the Barents Sea. These seas share
several features in common: seasonal ice cover, freshwater from ice-melt
and runoff, dramatic seasonality, reduced sunlight, and low
biodiversity. Recently, changes in species abundance or distribution
have been observed within several Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems.
A symposium on climate effects on the Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems is
timely because these recent changes appear to correlate with
fluctuations in the physical environment and because of the growing
concern about anthropogenically induced climate change. Also, several
new national programs in Sub-Arctic seas have recently been initiated,
e.g. Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST), Effects of North Atlantic Climate
Variability on the Barents Sea Ecosystem (ECOBE), and the
Oyashio-pollock project in Japan. Additionally, a new GLOBEC regional
program, Ecosystem Studies of Sub-Arctic Seas (ESSAS), is in the
planning stage. This symposium offers the opportunity to influence the
implementation plans of ESSAS and BEST through 1-day workshops at the
beginning (BEST) and end (ESSAS) of the Symposium.
SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
The symposium's scientific objective is to present current knowledge of
the effects of seasonal to multi-decadal climate variability on the
structure and function of Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems. We invite
papers, particularly interdisciplinary or comparative ones, on the
following topics:
- Large-scale climate forcing on the physical oceanography of Sub-Arctic
seas
- Physical and biological factors structuring Sub-Arctic ecosystems
(e.g., nutrient availability, sea ice, low temperatures, low species
diversity, etc.)
- The transfer of energy and material through subarctic food webs, from
primary producers through zooplankton and benthic fauna to fish,
seabirds, marine mammals and fisheries
- Recent changes in subarctic ecosystems, time scales of variation and
possible causes
- Inter-comparisons between Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems
Papers on related topics will also be considered. Scientists are invited
to submit titles and abstracts (maximum of 250 words), for oral
presentations or posters, through the GLOBEC website:
http://www.globec.org
All abstracts will be reviewed for merit and relevance. The deadline for
abstract submission is Wednesday, 1 December 2004. Authors will be
notified of the receipt of their abstracts.
STRUCTURE
The symposium will have a combination of plenary sessions in the
mornings and parallel sessions in the afternoons. Keynote speakers will
provide 40-minute introductions and challenges to selected topics.
Contributed papers that are accepted will be 20 minutes in length.
Posters will be displayed throughout the meeting, and sufficient time
will be provided for discussion with authors. Workshops on BEST and
ESSAS will be held on the first and last days of the symposium,
respectively. The official language of the symposium will be English.
PUBLICATION
The symposium proceedings will be published in a refereed journal yet to
be selected. Papers, including those based on poster presentations, will
be considered for publication following peer review. Interested authors
will be required to submit an electronic version of their manuscript in
standard format at the time of meeting.
DATES AND VENUE
The symposium will be held 16-20 May 2005, at the Victoria Conference
Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. May 16 will be a workshop
for discussion of the Bering Ecosystem Study (BEST) Implementation Plan,
and May 20 will be an all-day workshop for developing the Implementation
Plan of ESSAS. All symposium participants are welcome to attend and
participate in these workshops. Local arrangements will be coordinated
by the PICES Secretariat.
PARTICIPATION
The symposium is open to all scientists and students interested in
Sub-Arctic marine ecosystems.
REGISTRATION
Those attending are invited to register by Wednesday, 1 December 2004 to
obtain a reduced registration fee. A registration fee of $250 USD ($150
for students) will be charged to help cover the costs of the symposium.
Late registration is $350 USD ($250 for students). Limited support for
student participation is expected to be available. Applications for
student support must be made by 1 December 2004. Registration, abstract
submission, and student support will be through the GLOBEC website:
http://www.globec.org
IMPORTANT DATES
1 December 2004 - Early registration and abstract submission
1 December 2004 - Application for Student Support Grants
1 February 2005 - Notification of abstract acceptance
1 April 2005 - Notification of Student Support Grants
17 May 2005 - Submission of electronic versions of papers
Further information about the symposium, including accommodation and
registration forms, can be found at:
http://www.globec.org
Co-Convenors:
George L. Hunt, Jr. (University of California, Irvine, U.S.A.)
Ken Drinkwater (Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway)
SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE
Olafur S Astthorsson (Marine Research Institute, Iceland)
Manuel Barange (GLOBEC IPO, UK)
Mickle Flint (Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russia)
Jean-Claude Gascard (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, France)
Jackie Grebmeier (University of Tennessee, USA)
Erica Head (Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada)
Hans-Jurgen Hirche (Alfred Wegner Institute, Germany)
Eileen Hofmann (Old Dominion University, USA)
Anne Hollowed (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, USA)
Michael Kingsley (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, West
Greenland)
Michio J. Kishi (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Harald Loeng (Institute of Marine Research, Norway)
Bernard Megrey (Alaska Fisheries Science Center, USA)
Ian Perry (Pacific Biological Station, Canada)
Sei-ichi Saitoh (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Yasunori Sakurai (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Kurt Tande (University of Tromso, Norway)
Terry Whitledge (University of Alaska, USA)