Upcoming Events

Information on individual items is subject to change.  Please consult each event's web site or contact for the most accurate and current information.  If you spot an error or wish to suggest a change, please contact us using the information at the bottom of this page.   We also encourage you to let us know of events that should be listed.  Please use this form to submit information about upcoming events. Events should include a substantial component related to global change research (see list of specific research areas in left column).

Location

Gijón, Spain

Web Site

http://www.pices.int/meetings/international_symposia/2008_symposia/Climate_change/climate_background_3.aspx

Sponsors

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC), International Council for Science Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR), World Climate Research Program (WCRP)

Contact

Symposium Convenors

Luis Valdés - ICES
William Peterson - PICES
John Church - IOC

Scientific Steering Committee

Richard Feely (U.S.A.)
Michael Foreman (Canada)
Roger Harris (U.K.)
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (Australia)
Harald Loeng (Norway)
Liana McManus (U.S.A./Philippines)
Jorge Sarmiento (U.S.A.)
Martin Visbeck (Germany)
Akihiko Yatsu (Japan)

Details

Deadlines:

Abstracts: January 15, 2008
Financial support: January 15, 2008
Registration reduced fee: February 15, 2008

Background:

Climate change is the most important threat to the Earth. Even if we stabilize CO2 concentrations, the 2007 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Assessment confirms that warming will continue for decades and sea level will continue to rise for centuries. Some direct effects of climate change in the marine environment are already visible, but others need to be defined by enhanced observations, analysis and modelling. We have a rudimentary understanding of the sensitivity and adaptability of natural and managed ecosystems to climate change. An assessment of the consequences of climate change on the World’s Oceans has a high scientific and social relevance and is urgently needed.

Although we are beginning to document the local effects and consequences of climate change on the functioning of marine ecosystems, there is no comprehensive vision at the global scale, and only limited ability to forecast the effects of climate change. To close this gap, the Symposium will focus on the major issues of climate change that affect the oceans: oceanic circulation, climate modelling, cycling of carbon and other elements, acidification, oligotrophy, changes in species distributions and migratory routes, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, etc. The Symposium will bring together results from observations, analyses and model simulations, at a global scale, and will include discussion of the climate change scenarios and the possibilities for mitigating and protecting the marine environment and living marine resources.