Dear Colleagues, We invite you to submit an abstract to the Ocean Sciences 2018 Session *'From Physics to Predators: Understanding Bottom-up Forcing of Pelagic Ecosystems'*. Abstracts can be submitted here: https://agu.confex.com/agu/os18/preliminaryview.cgi/Session28622. The submission deadline is 6 September 2017, 11:59 P.M. EDT.
*Session ID*: 28622 *Topic Area*: Ecology and Physical Interactions *Session Description*: Physical oceanography is a fundamental determinant of micro- and macroecology in our oceans, driving vertebrate distributions and interactions through bottom-up processes. Understanding how oceanographic processes influence marine vertebrate distribution and ecology is not only of key interest to ecologists, but is also necessary for effective species conservation and management. A wealth of correlative studies have revealed the strong links between oceanography and vertebrate ecology, however holistic understanding of the mechanisms underlying these relationships remains limited due to the complex nature of these dynamic processes. The rapid advancement of animal tracking technologies, coupled with sophisticated ocean modeling and monitoring tools, now allow researchers to better interrogate these drivers. In this session we solicit contributions on established and potential mechanisms linking ocean biophysics to vertebrate distribution and ecology, from disciplines spanning physical oceanography to community ecology. The research shared in this session will highlight data sources, methods, and areas of opportunity to foster further cross-disciplinary research on marine physical-ecological systems. We welcome a broad range of current research related to this topic. Examples of marine mammal research that would fit well include identifying the drivers underlying associations between marine mammals and mesoscale ocean features (e.g. Della Penna et al. 2015, Scientific Reports), or applying mechanistic models to predict marine mammal density or distribution based on physical or biotic factors (e.g. Pardo et al. 2015, PLoS ONE). Primary Chair: *Briana Abrahms*, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, Monterey, CA, United States Co-chairs: *Stephanie Brodie*, *Elliott L. Hazen* and *Isaac D Schroeder*, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, Monterey, CA, United States
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