1. OCB: Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program
OCB Mission: to establish the evolving role of the ocean in the global carbon cycle, in the face of environmental change, through studies of marine biogeochemical cycles and associated ecosystems
Introduce me, SSC members present and agency reps.
We called this town hall to get YOUR input on a new program on ocean carbon and biogeochemistry. The program is being spearheaded by NSF with significant input and support from NASA and NOAA.
My plan for this session is to first introduce you to the fundamentals of the OCB progam (~20 minutes) and then I will open up the floor to questions (address to any of us on the SSC or to the agency reps)
First: the mission of this program:
The mission of this program is to “establish the evolving role of the ocean in the global carbon cycle in the face of environmental change – through studies of marine biogeochemistry AND associated ecoystems…
In other words, this program includes not only biogeochemical processes, but opens up more widely than earlier programs to include more of the marine ecosystem research community.
At one extreme, you could fit almost any kind of research under the banner of this mission statement, because all ecosystems have some kind of link to ocean biogeochemistry.
In reality, the mission can’t possibly reach that far. There needs to be a RESEARCHABLE link between the two. That is, we are familiar with the role of phytoplankton in the ocean biogeochemical cycles. That kind of research continues to fit under this banner. We have a tougher time linking the reproductive behaviors of whales to biogeochemical cycles, although certainly that must exist!

2. Promote, plan, and coordinate collaborative, multidisciplinary research opportunities within the U.S. research community and with international partners
OCCC
Ocean Carbon
& Climate Change
NACP
North American
Carbon Program
SOLAS
Surface-Ocean
Lower Atmosphere
Study
IMBER
Integrated Marine
Biogeochemistry
and Ecology
Will promote, plan and coordinate collaborative multidisciplinary research opportunities within the US community and with international partners…
We are building off of the OCCC strategy that was formally published as this doc in 2004 – with 2 main differences has been expanded to include greater emphasis on ecological processes and to coordinate with existing national and international programs like NACP, SOLAS and IMBER
Part of a continuum of discussions going back to OCTET, etc.

3. OCB Overarching Science Themes
Improve understanding and prediction of:
1) oceanic uptake and release of atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases;
2) climate-sensitivities of biogeochemical cycles and interactions with ecosystem structure

4. OCB Program Structure Data Management OCB Office OCB SSC
Biological and Chemical
Ocean Data Management
OCB Office
OCB Project
Office
OCB SSC
Scientific Steering
Committee
New & Future Projects
U.S. single-investigator to
larger research
projects funded by NASA,
NOAA, and NSF
Observing System
Repeat Hydrography/CO2
HOT, BATS, CARIACO
U.S. efforts in CarboOcean
ORION, …
There are two main components to the Program Structure – Research and Management

5. OCB Implementation
Annual Summer OCB Science Workshop (July 21-24, 2008, Woods Hole MA)
Mix of plenary talks, breakouts & poster sessions
Climate sensitivity of ecosystem structure & trophic dynamics
Carbon uptake and storage
Temporal trends in ecosystem variability
Current and future OCB pursuits
Discussion of future community science/field efforts (e.g., follow-up on NASA OCRT field experiment discussions)

6. OCB Implementation
Targeted scoping meetings on implementing critical science meetings
Ocean Acidification (Oct., 2007)
report available for public comment soon
OCB build OA research plans from report
Gulf of Mexico (May, 2008)
Next round of workshops (Spring, 2009)
workshop proposals submitted June/July
Targeted workshop, ~50 people
$50K in travel support
focus on implementation

7. May 6-8, 2008 St. Petersburg, FL Deadline to Apply: March 24, 2008
Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Scoping Workshop on Terrestrial and Coastal Carbon Fluxes and Exchanges in the Gulf of Mexico
May 6-8, 2008 St. Petersburg, FL Deadline to Apply: March 24, 2008
Contact Organizers for More Information:
Paula G. Coble & Lisa Robbins

8. OCB Implementation
Core NSF funds (Feb. target date for OCB proposals) as well as NASA and NOAA announcements of opportunity
OCB Time-series Advisor Committee
Debbie Bronk Chair
Working with HOT, BATS, Cariaco programs
Community input
OCB Ocean Acidification Committee
Joan Kleypas and Dick Feely co-Chairs
Whitepaper building from Fall OA workshop
New initiatives

9. IMPORTANT CONTACTS http://us-ocb.org/
NSF Don Rice, Dave Garrison, Phil Taylor
NASA Paula Bontempi
NOAA Mete Uz
CCSP Program Office Roger Hanson
Scott Doney (WHOI) Bob Anderson (LDEO)
Ginger Armbrust (UW) Kathy Barbeau (SIO)
Debbie Bronk (VIMS) Mary-Elena Carr (JPL)
Richard Feely (NOAA) Dave Karl (U. Hawaii)
Joanie Kleypas (NCAR) Steve Lohrenz (U. S Miss.)
Wade McGillis (LDEO) Burke Hales (OSU)
Galen McKinley (U Wisc) Mark Ohman (SIO)
Tammi Richardson (U-SC) Chris Sabine (NOAA
The Steering committee includes researchers from universities and federal agencies. Scott Doney is the chair of the SSC -Here’s a complete list of the SSC members – these are the go-to people with questions, inputs, problems.