Contact us

CASIX Final Science Meeting

Uncertainties of the Ocean Carbon Cycle: understanding changes in fluxes and ecosystems

2nd July 2008 | The Geological Society, Piccadilly London, UK

Recent research has highlighted how the ocean's ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may be changing. For the past five years the NERC Centre for observation of Air-Sea Interactions and Fluxes (CASIX) has been investigating ocean processes responsible for the air-sea exchange of CO₂ to reduce uncertainties in our understanding. This meeting presented the latest results to those with an interest in Earth system & climate science, climate and energy policy and carbon mitigation strategies.

Programme

09:30-10:00        Coffee & Registration

10:00-10:15        Introduction (Prof. Jim Aiken, former Director CASIX, PML)

10:15-10:45        Decadal changes in air-sea CO₂ flux in the N. Atlantic (Prof. Andy Watson, UEA)

10:45-11:15        Changes in global phytoplankton community structure from satellite observations (Dr Tim Smyth, PML)

Tea/Coffee

11:45-12:15        Observations of atmospheric CO₂ from space (Dr John Remedios, U. Leicester)

12:15-12:45        Reduction of uncertainties in CO₂ fluxes from EO-derived climatologies (Dr Chris Merchant, U Edinburgh)

Lunch

13:45-14:15         Modelling short-term and long-term variability in air-sea CO2 exchange (Dr Rosa Barciela, Met Office)

14:15-14:45        High-resolution modelling of CO₂ exchange in European shelf waters (Dr Jason Holt, POL)

Tea/Coffee

15:15-15:45        Policy relevance and implications of changes in ocean carbon cycling (Dr Nick Hardman-Mountford, PML)

15:45-17:15        Discussion on how ocean carbon cycle research can be better used to guide and inform policy

This event was timed to coincide with the "The Breathing Ocean" exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, organised by the UK Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (UK-SOLAS), CASIX and CarboOcean.