Biological Oceanography

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• The Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and
  Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project is a new
  international and multi-disciplinary 10-year
  activity jointly sponsored by the International
  Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the
  Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR).

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• The vision of IMBER is
• to provide a comprehensive understanding of, and
  accurate predictive capacity for, ocean responses
  to accelerating global change and the consequent
  effects on the Earth System and human society.

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IMBER Science Plan
IMBERS GOAL To understand how interactions
between marine biogeochemical cycles and
ecosystems respond to and force global change, on
time scales ranging from years to decades.
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• To achieve this goal it will be important to
  understand the mechanisms by which marine
  biogeochemical cycles control marine life and, in
  turn, how marine life controls biogeochemical
  cycles.
• IMBER research aims to identify key feedbacks
  from marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems
  to other components of the Earth System.
• IMBER will focus on processes within, and
  interactions between, the euphotic and
  mesopelagic layers of the ocean, the continental
  margins, and high-latitude and polar ocean areas.

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Essential features of the IMBER project
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Birth of IMBER

• Previously known as OCEANS, the IMBER project was
  initiated by the IGBP/SCOR Ocean Futures Planning
  Committee in 2001 to identify the most important
  science issues related to biological and chemical
  aspects of the oceans role in global change and
  effects of global change on the ocean, with
  emphasis on important issues that are not major
  components of existing international projects.
• The IMBER transition team was formed in 2002-03
  to develop a Science Plan and Implementation
  Strategy for the new project.

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Publication of the Science Plan in IGBP Report 52
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IMBER RESEARCH

• The Science Plan and Implementation Strategy
  identifies and outlines the key science themes
  and questions which form the scientific focus of
  the IMBER project.
• IMBER is structuring its research around four
  themes

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• Theme 1
• Interactions between biogeochemical cycles and
  marine food webs
• Theme 2
• Sensitivity to Global Change
• Theme 3
• Feedbacks to the Earth System
• Theme 4
• Responses of Society

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• Theme 1 is the interaction between biogeochemical
  cycles and marine food webs. This theme will
  provide the basic science which will be built on
  in the other themes
• Theme 2 is the core of IMBER. It focuses on the
  impacts of global change on biogeochemistry and
  ecosystems.
• Theme 3 deals with the feedbacks from the marine
  system to the earth system
• Theme 4 deals with the interaction between marine
  biogeochemistry and ecosystems and the human
  dimension. The work will involve collaboration
  with the social science community and will focus
  on open ocean issues.

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• Within each theme we have identified a number of
  specific issues and within each issue priority
  questions have been identified.

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Theme 1. Interactions between biogeochemical
cycles and marine food websWhat are the key
marine biogeochemical cycles, ecosystem
processes, and their interactions, that will be
impacted by global change?
Theme 1 has been developed to provide a great
deal of the groundwork science that is needed for
the other themes within the IMBER Science Plan
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Key issues that have been identified in theme 1.

• Transformation of organic matter in marine food
  webs
• Transfer of matter across ocean interfaces
• End-to-end food webs and material flows

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Issue 1 Transformation of organic matter in in
marine food webs

• Priority Questions
• What controls the stochiometry and form of
  bioreactive elements in space and time?
• What controls production, transformation, and
  breakdown of organic matter in marine food webs?

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Issue 2 Transfers of matter across ocean
interfaces(for example the euphotic and
mesopelagic interface, the open and coastal
interface, sediment water interface)

• Priority Questions
• What are the time and space scales of
  remineralisation of organic matter in the
  mesopelagic layer?
• How does nutrients exchange between continental
  margins and the ocean interior impact
  biogeochemical cycles?
• How exchange between the seafloor and the water
  column impact food web structure and function?

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Issue 3 End-to-end food webs and material flows
(This will be moved forward in collaboration
with GLOBEC to ensure there is end to end
coverage of the food web)

• Priority Questions
• How do food web dynamics affect nutrient
  availability?
• How do key functional groups, species, and genes
  affect biogeochemical cycles?
• How do species biodiversity and species
  interactions affect food web functioning and
  biogeochemical cycling?
• How are the interactions between biogeochemical
  processes and food webs recorded in
  palaeo-proxies?

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Theme 2. Sensitivity to Global ChangeWhat are
the responses of key marine biogeochemical
cycles, ecosystems and their interactions with
global change?
Theme 2 is the core of the IMBER project and
looks at 4 key issues of global change and the
impacts of marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems.
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Key issues that have been identified in theme 2.

• Impacts of climate-induced changes through
  physical forcing and variability.
• Effects of increasing anthropogenic CO2 and
  changing pH on marine biogeochemical cycles and
  their interactions
• Effects of changing supplies of macro- and
  micronutrients
• 4. Impacts of harvesting on end-to-end food webs
  and biogeochemical cycles.

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Issue 1 Impacts of climate-induced changes
through physical forcing and variability.

• Priority Questions
• What is the impact of changes in circulation,
  ventilation and stratification?
• What are the direct effects of changes in ocean
  temperature and light environment?
• What are the impacts of changes in frequency and
  intensity of extreme and episodic events?

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Issue 2 Effects of increasing anthropogenic CO2
and changing pH on marine biogeochemical cycles,
ecosystems and their interactions(There will be
strong collaboration with SOLAS in this area and
IMBER and SOLAS are currently developing a joint
implementation plan for carbon research).

• Priority Questions
• What are the effects of CO2 driven changes in
  carbonate chemistry?
• What are the effects of pH-driven changes in
  nutrient and trace metal speciation?
• Which organisms and biological processes are most
  sensitive to pH and CO2 changes, what are the
  consequences, and to what extent can organisms
  adapt in response to these changes?

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Issue 3 Effects of changing supplies of macro-
and micronutrients (close collaboration with
GEOTRACES on the micro-nutrients)

• Priority Questions
• How will changes in macro- and micronutrient
  inputs to the ocean affect the cycles of these
  elements?
• How will changes in the abundance, distribution,
  and stoichiometry of nutrient elements affect
  food web structure and function?
• How will increases in hypoxia and anoxia affect
  food webs and cycles of key macro- and
  micronutrients?

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Issue 4 Impacts of Harvesting (close
collaboration GLOBEC will be very important)

• Priority Questions
• How do harvesting-induced changes in food web
  structure impact biogeochemical cycles?
• What are the impacts of harvesting living marine
  resources on end-to-end food webs?

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Theme 3. Feedbacks to the Earth SystemWhat is
the role of ocean biogeochemistry and ecosystems
in regulating climate?

• Issues
• Issue 1. Oceanic storage of anthropogenic CO2
• Issue 2. Ecosystem feedback on ocean physics and
  climate
• Issue 3. How changes in low O2 zones affect the
  nitrogen cycle

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Issue 1. Oceanic storage of anthropogenic CO2

• Priority Questions
• What are the spatial and temporal scales of
  storage of CO2 in the ocean interior?
• What is the role of the continental margins in
  ocean carbon storage under global change?

The questions are complimentary to those
addressed by SOLAS with IMBER focusing on the
transport and storage of carbon. IMBER and SOLAS
are developing a joint implementation plan for
carbon research.
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Issue 2 Ecosystem feedbacks on ocean physics and
climate

• Priority Questions
• How do marine food web structure and variability
  affect ocean and ice physics, and large-scale
  climate and its variability, via the upper ocean
  heat budget?
• What will be the effect of global changes in
  oxygen minimum zones on sources, transport and
  out gassing of N2O?

The questions identified here are very focused
and we expect to add to these as the IMBER
project develops
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Theme 4 Responses of SocietyWhat are the
relationships between marine biogeochemical
cycles, ecosystems, and the human system?This
theme focuses on interactions between human and
ocean systems. Its motivation stems from
recognition that humans not only influence ocean
systems, but that humans also depend on ocean
systems for goods and services.
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• Theme 4 is the least developed of the themes.
• There will be a workshop held in early 2006 to
  bring the natural and social sciences communities
  together to develop the issues and questions to
  be addressed in this theme.
• It has been suggested that the work focus on
  carbon issues and will look at open ocean rather
  than coastal issues as these are covered by LOICZ
  (Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone).
• Human dimesions and fisheries are being
  addressed by GLOBEC.

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Key components in the Implementation of IMBER to
address the issues and priority questions

• Sustained long term observations
• Repeat hydrographic lines and basin scale
  transects
• Field-based process studies
• Mesocosm experiments
• Laboratory based experiments
• Use of palaeo-proxies
• Modelling and synthesis efforts

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• Need comparison of different systems since
  interaction between biogeochemical cycles and
  food webs are expected to differ between
  environments (coastal upwelling, oligotrophic
  areas, polar regions).

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IMBER Endorsement of Research Projects

• Although IMBER does not provide financial support
  for research, it will serve to help coordinate
  national and regional IMBER research activities.
• International/regional research groups can submit
  their project for recognition by the IMBER SSC
  via the IMBER Web site.
• National groups and individual PIs should first
  work through their national IMBER committees or
  representatives, who in turn will present the
  application to the international SSC.

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IMBER National Activities

• China has newly funded five year programme
• Euro Oceans, CarbOcean
• Canada, Chile, Germany, France, India, Japan, New
  Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, UK, USA,
  Finland
• Regional Activities
• ICCED, Southern Ocean
• OECOS, SubArctic Pacific

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CLIVAR

• At the Second IMBER SSC Meeting, held at East
  China Normal University, P.R China, April 18
  20, 2005
• CLIVAR see IMBER-CLIVAR collaboration as being
  prospects for collaboration on how climate
  variability influences/impacts marine ecosystems,
  i.e. forcings and feedbacks between the modes of
  climate variability and marine ecosystems
• CLIVAR also looks forward to working with the
  newly established SOLAS/IMBER Carbon Coordination
  Group

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CLIVAR/IMBER Implementation

• Maintenance of hydrographic/carbon sections
  (joint lead between CLIVAR/IOCCP).
• Modelling the carbon cycle (IMBER/SOLAS leads).
• Development of Earth System Models (WCRP/IGBP
  partnership, AIMES?)
• Development of earth system data assimilation
  (WCRP/IGBP partnership).
• Climate variability influences/impacts on marine
  ecosystems and feedbacks (CLIVAR/IMBER
  partnership).
• Example of joint PICES/CLIVAR Workshop Scale
  interactions of climate and marine ecosystems,
  Honolulu, 23-24 October 2004.

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• A series of suggestions from the GLOBEC SSC as a
  way forward for IMBER and GLOBEC to work together
  in the next five years. These included
• end-to-end foodweb studies
• joint regional studies (e.g. Southern Ocean)
• joint modelling activities
• plans for integration into earth system studies
• investigate human dimensions issues
• write addendum for IMBER SP/IS at GLOBECs
  Sunset

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• Joint IMBER/SOLAS Carbon Research
• A group of about 20 scientists met in November
  2004 in Miami to advance the groups task of
  seamlessly merging SOLAS and IMBER carbon
  implementation plans. The work done in Miami
  built on the planning document established by
  SOLAS at the Bergen meeting in early 2004. The
  plan is currently in draft form.

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Planned Activities

• 2005
• Carbon Working Group Meeting, joint IMBER/SOLAS
• End to end food webs Working Group Meeting, joint
  IMBER/GLOBEC
• Executive meeting jointly with GLOBEC Executive
  Committee
• 2006
• Human Dimensions Working Group Meeting
• Continental Margins OSC (Open Science
  Conferences)
• 2007
• Theme 2 Issue 2 (Nutrients) OSC
• Theme 2 Issue 1 (Physical drivers) OSC
• ICCED (Integrated Analyses of Circumpolar Climate
  and Ecosystem Dynamics) OSC
• 2008
• IMBER Open Science Conference

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IMBER International Project Office Institut
Universitaire Européen de la Mer Technopôle
Brest-IroiseM Place Nicolas Copernic 29280
Plouzané, France Email Sylvie Roy Sylvie.Roy_at_univ
-brest.fr The IMBER IPO is being supported by
Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique
(CNRS), Institut de Recherche pour le
Développement (IRD), the Université de Bretagne
Occidentale and the Brittany Region.
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• www.IMBER.info
• WELCOME To the International Web site of the
  Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem
  Research (IMBER) Project