Dear all,
I hope this email finds you well.
Could you please forward the following call to your network?
Best,
Maria
On October 13-14, 2021, the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) will host three online workshops titled: "Plankton ecosystem functions, biodiversity, and forecasting - research requirements and applications".
The full call can be found here: https://eqmh.github.io/MBON-Plankton-Workshop/.
As the ocean changes, the many ecosystem functions of plankton - their biodiversity, distribution, nutrient and carbon flows, timing of life stages and blooms - change in ways that also alter ecosystem services that other organisms,
including humans, depend on. There is a need to better understand and predict how these ecosystem functions of the plankton community change on different time scales. This series of virtual workshops brings scientists together
to provide an overview on the state-of-the-art of field, lab and modelling approaches used to study plankton biodiversity and discuss data needs for improving our understanding on the value of plankton, its functions and ecosystem services.
Each workshop will gather a diverse group of around 25 participants, each with recognized expertise in their field of interest from the following disciplines: oceanography, theoretical ecology, data science, citizen science, socioeconomics, art, policy.
Three virtual workshops will be held during the following time zones:
-
UTC-9 to UTC- 5: Latin America and Canada
-
UTC to UTC + 6: Africa, Europe, Middle East, India
-
UTC + 7 to UTC + 12: Asia, Oceania
Key objectives
-
Data availability, accessibility, and use, specifically: (i) data types necessary for exploring the effect of plankton biodiversity on ecosystem functions, (ii) improving our ability to link field observations and models.
-
Value of plankton from an ecological, biogeochemical, cultural, and economic perspective.
Expected outcomes
The goal of the workshops is to develop international working groups to:
-
Develop community-agreed unit conversion tables (e.g., abundance to carbon) published as best practices documents and/or available as online tools, important for forecasting and global data metaanalysis.
-
Write a synthesis paper on the ecological, biogeochemical, economic, and recreational value of plankton with colleagues from different fields and regions for a global perspective.
To apply:
Your application should include
-
a CV
-
a short motivation statement on why and how you would like to contribute to the workshop objectives with your skills and expertise (max. 400 words)
Please submit your application in PDF to plankton.mbon@gmail.com. Applications will be accepted until August 25, 2021, at 11:59 pm UTC.
If you have any questions or would like to receive further information, please don't hesitate to contact Dr. Maria Grigoratou (mgrigoratou@gmri.org)
From the organizing committee,
Maria Grigoratou