Conference Description
Polar oceans face rapid change, but major knowledge gaps remain in quantifying and predicting physical and chemical change, and in assessing their impacts on polar marine ecosystem structure and function. The prognoses for future polar oceans that will be warmer, fresher, more acidic and covered by less sea ice are not understood, yet these regions are globally significant for planetary heat balance, water mass formation and oceanic circulation, sea level rise, oceanic CO2 uptake, fisheries and biodiversity conservation. The 2021 GRC on Polar Marine Science "Integrating Ocean Physics and Biogeochemistry to Assess Polar Marine Ecosystem Sensitivity to Rapid Change" will highlight cutting-edge advances in the understanding of physical-chemical-biological linkages and feedback processes across the coupled ocean-cryosphere-atmosphere systems of the Arctic and Southern oceans. Special emphasis will be given to research focused on the impacts on polar marine species, food webs and habitats. Sessions will highlight recent advances in polar climate change detection and attribution, impacts of multiple stressors on biota, changes in habitat distribution, integrated approaches to collect year-round multi-disciplinary observations, and novel methods to analyze and link long-term time-series data with conceptual and numerical models.
Continuing a tradition of highlighting cross-cutting research, the 13th GRC on Polar Marine Science will bring leading scientists together to present and discuss frontier research in Arctic and Antarctic marine research. The unique GRC format, with invited talks moderated by discussion leaders, plenary discussions and interactive poster sessions, provides a key forum for scientists to explore new ideas and interface across disciplinary boundaries. One-minute oral summaries of posters allow presenters to address the entire group, promoting enhanced interactions, in-depth discussions and brainstorming. A GRC "Power Hour" will be held to help address the challenges women face in polar science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
A Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be held on the weekend prior to the GRC. The GRS will provide a forum for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists to present their work in a peer-to-peer setting. The participants will discuss cutting-edge aspects of their research, and have the opportunity to build collaborative relationships with other early career researchers as well as with established scientists and mentors. Financial support will be offered in priority to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attending both the GRC and the preceding GRS.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by January 23, 2021. Please check back for updates.
Recent Change in Physical Properties of Polar Oceans
Discussion Leaders
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Kristina Brown (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada)
Speakers
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Andrew Meijers (British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom)
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Michael Steele (University of Washington, USA)
Drivers and Impacts of Changing Sea Ice Dynamics
Discussion Leaders
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Marilyn Raphael (University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
Speakers
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Cecilia Bitz (University of Washington, USA)
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William Hobbs (Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Australia)
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Sohey Nihashi (National Institute of Technology, Tomakomai College, Japan)
Changes in Polar Ocean Biogeochemistry: Paleo- and Future States
Discussion Leaders
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Patricia Yager (University of Georgia, USA)
Speakers
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Helen Bostock Lyman (University of Queensland, Australia)
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Elizabeth Shadwick (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia)
Impacts of a Changing Cryosphere on Polar Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Functioning
Discussion Leaders
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Letizia Tedesco (Finnish Environment Institute, Finland)
Speakers
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Mathieu Ardyna (Stanford University, USA)
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Mark Hopwood (GEOMAR - Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany)
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Sebastien Moreau (Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway)
Crossing Boundaries in Observing Coupled Ocean-Ice-Atmosphere Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Léo Lacour (Joint UL/CNRS Laboratory, Université Laval, Canada)
Speakers
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Alison Gray (University of Washington, USA)
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Markus Rex (Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany)
The Role of Interactive Effects of Multiple Drivers in Structuring Polar Marine Ecosystems
Discussion Leaders
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Philip Boyd (University of Tasmania, Australia)
Speakers
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Erin Bertrand (Dalhousie University, Canada)
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Clara Hoppe (Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany)
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Vonda Cummings (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand)
Complexity, Connectivity and Change in Polar Marine Foodwebs
Discussion Leaders
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Bodil Bluhm (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Norway)
Speakers
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Maxime Geoffroy (Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)
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Andrew Brierley (University of St Andrews, United Kingdom)
Predicting Habitat Changes, Range Shifts and Impacts on Populations
Discussion Leaders
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Andrea Piñones (Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Limnológicas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile)
Speakers
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Sophie Bestley (University of Tasmania, Australia)
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Mônica Muelbert (Instituto do Mar, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil)
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Huw Griffiths (British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom)
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Coupled Social-Ecological Systems
Discussion Leaders
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Nadja Steiner (Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada)
Speakers
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Cassandra Brooks (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)
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Henry Huntington (Huntington Consulting, USA)