Ocean Sciences 2016: New Orleans
Craig Smeaton
The Ocean Science Meeting (OSM) happens every two years and attracts poster and oral presentations from across the globe. The conference brings together all forms of ocean and marine science ranging from ecosystem science to physical oceanography and everything in between; this makes it the ideal place to present multidisciplinary research such as my own.
The week started off with a bang with Tornados in the surrounding county and high winds and rain hitting the city but this did not put a dampener on the conference. Early in the week I attended the Early Career icebreaker and networking events were I met up with colleagues and friends.
During the week I attend sessions on both my topic area and sessions with no direct connection to my research such as the Oceanography of Saturn’s Methane Seas. The sessions which I attend were all interesting and many presentations had some relevance to my work. Of particular interest was a number of talks by scientist currently working on NERC’s Biogeochemistry of Shelfs Sea program which gave me insight into some of the carbon cycling processes which my research does not touch upon. There were hundreds of posters on display and many were of interest to me; a number of these focused my mind on ideas that I have be contemplating and I’ am know keen to try some off these ideas out in the near future.
On Thursday the 25th I gave my presentation “The Spatial Distribution of Carbon in a Scottish Sea Loch: Broad and Fine Scale Observations” within the session EC41B: Understanding the Coastal Carbon Cycle and Biogeochemical Processes in the Coastal Ocean: Observations and Modeling. The presentation was well received and has resulted in the offer of additional analytical work and possible future collaboration with one of the leaders in the research area.
Apart from the academic and networking side of the conference I got to experience the city of New Orleans which is unlike any other place I have visited in the US before. There was great sights, foods and experiences throughout New Orleans but the French Quarter of the city was the highlight for me.
Again I am thankful for the support from the Challenger Society to attend OSM 16 and present my research and experience New Orleans.
Latest News
NOC Association (NOCA) AGM 2025
The 14th AGM of the NOC Association will be held on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th May 2025. This free, on-line event will take place on Zoom, across two consecutive mornings, each starting at 10:00 and ending at 12:30. The agenda will focus on national capability (NC) science, ships, and autonomous vehicles, and how the community can engage. There will be an update on AtlantiS and on the new marine science scoping group. All are warmly welcome to join.
To participate, please complete your registration here.
For enquiries: Jackie Pearson, Secretary to NOCA: jfpea@noc.ac.uk
Townhall on UK Arctic Ocean contribution to International Polar Year 32/33
The Arctic is one of the most rapidly-changing regions on our planet, with impacts on global sea-level rise, changes to our climate and weather patterns, and threats to our shared biodiversity and ecosystem services. With the international community rapidly mobilising towards the International Polar Year 32/33, and with new international programmes and initiatives now being shaped, it is timely for the UK Ocean Science community to come together and articulate what its unique offerings could be to Arctic research and technology.
This hybrid 2-day meeting, to be held at NOC Southampton, is intended to start this process. Recognising the Arctic Oceans role in global Earth and Human systems, anticipated outcomes include a high-level shaping of what the UK Arctic Ocean community would like to achieve over the course of the IPY, stimulation of new collaborations and proposals for grand Arctic challenges and a baseline from which wider integration with terrestrial, atmospheric and cryosphere communities, both in the UK and overseas, can be built. Discussions will continue in diverse forums, including the UK Arctic Science Meeting in September and at Challenger 2026.
This action is supported by the UK Arctic Office and UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership
Further details and meeting registration link will be circulated in April together with a questionnaire to help shape the agenda and discussion
In the meantime…SAVE THE DATE
Potential Availability of NERC Ship Time During the 25/26 Programme Year
The NERC Marine Facilities Programme for 2025/2026 for the RRS Discovery and the RRS James Cook has been published on the Marine Facilities Planning website.
The RRS Discovery programme currently contains a 79 day alongside slot between the 2nd of November 2025 and the 19th of January 2026, which is available for science delivery if funded science projects can make use of this time. Due to the location of the vessel, the ship is most likely to be able to deliver fieldwork in the North and East Atlantic regions. Some support for science capability within the National Marine Equipment Pool is potentially available, although there is no capacity for use of autonomous vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Any fieldwork within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) will need the appropriate diplomatic clearance submitted to coastal states at least 6 months in advance, and to NMF with sufficient lead time for processing via the FCDO.
If interested in making use of this ship time, please contact NERC Marine Planning (marineplanning@nerc.ukri.org) ASAP to start discussions.