I am writing to call your attention to a session planned for the Ocean Sciences meeting, February (21-26), 2016, in New Orleans that may be of interest to some on ECOLOG. The session (#9630) focuses on how interdisciplinary research contributes to understanding and sustaining coastal and marine ecosystems. Abstracts are due Sept. 23 and submission information is available at: https://osm.agu.org/2016/abstract-submissions/.
Session ID: 9630 Session Title: Advances in interdisciplinary research to understand and sustain coastal and marine ecosystems Session Topic: Marine Ecosystems Session Description: The complex challenges facing our oceans and coasts extend beyond the bounds of individual disciplines. Ocean sciences are interdisciplinary by nature, and studies spanning physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, biology, and ecology are common. However, understanding how climate change, water quality, fishing, and conservation decisions affect coastal and marine ecosystems requires integrating natural sciences with an understanding of how human actions influence and respond to changes in the ocean. Building the scientific base for decisions related to resource management and sustainability requires studies that span disciplines and that focus on interactions and feedbacks within and between human and natural systems. This session will bring together scientists working at disciplinary interfaces to evaluate how changes in one or multiple components of coastal and marine ecosystems affect ecosystem conditions, resource productivity, and human uses or benefits. We are particularly interested in contributions that focus on linkages and feedbacks between physical, ecological, and social-economic factors across multiple scales to understand complex issues facing marine ecosystems, such as climate change, fisheries sustainability, and water quality. In addition, how scientific information is communicated and integrated into decision-making processes shapes its use in management, governance and policy settings, and we encourage contributions that address outreach and policy topics.
