The course will bring together diverse researchers that have made important contributions to the field of Biogeochemistry and are effective communicators to teach and interact with the students. This will be the second time the course in Marine Biogeochemistry in Portugal is offered and based on the success of the first year we expect broad interest. We note that the topic of this Course is particularly important at a time when profound changes in ocean circulation and primary production rates associated to global warming is impacting the distribution of key elements (from the biologically used nutrients to trace elements) in the ocean and their relationship to important global processes.  Furthermore, this topic is directly relevant to the major global GEOTRACES program, which has yielded many publications and broad interest in the community. The presence of divers instructors representing sub-fields in marine biogeochemistry will allow for a first-hand communication of new data, synthesis and modelling, and will certainly produce a more accurate understanding of the impact that changes in the ocean have on the earth system.
The course will start with the modern ocean distributions and biogeochemical cycles of the most biologically utilized elements as well as the distribution of elements that can be important tracers for oceanographic processes and will proceed to the use of such elements and their isotopes as proxies for the reconstruction of past conditions. The economic and social value of such studies will also be reviewed. We will introduce conceptual and numerical modeling, as well as principles of biogeochemical analyses. Free form/brainstorming evening discussions will be added and could include for example topics such as communicating science, Â teaching, proposal and paper writing, or presentations by the students.
The course is limited to 25 participants (in person) and will also work on a hybrid format basis, so you can choose between these two options.
The registration fee for in-person attendees includes registration, local transport to and from the course venue, as well as lunches and dinners.
Today’s climate goes through a warming shift caused by the increased release of human-generated greenhouse gases, such as CO2. While ocean warming is driving changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns, CO2uptake by the ocean, although helping to control atmospheric temperature, is changing ocean’s chemistry, mainly lowering the oceans’ pH (acidification). Both of these changes will have profound consequences on the oceanic primary production (±50% of Earth’s total)and the biological pump.
To determine the response to global change of elements that regulate marine ecosystem dynamics and  C cycling implies the knowledge of their sources and sinks, as well as their behavior in the ocean, is crucial. Furthermore, to learn about the processes and the ocean’s role in driving global change, we must reconstruct ocean conditions in the past, and that will improve as a better understanding of the biogeochemical cycling of the different elements is obtained.
In light of society’s pressing needs to prepare for the future consequences of global climate change, it is of major importance for the next generation of young marine researchers to grasp the basic biogeochemical concepts and existing knowledge and gain the capacity to use such information in their future work.
This will be a training opportunity not available in any institution given the assembled group of experts. The location of the course will be in a very touristic area of Portugal, the Algarve, but off-season, this will allow for accommodation and food at a lower rate than in most places in Europe, facilitating the participation of students in general and Southern European ones in particular. The international airport and cheap flight options mean that the event can be very affordable both to students and researchers alike.
The course will cover:
- Ocean Observations from Space & Ongoing Programs and Initiatives
- Global Circulation Impacts on Climate
- Chemical Distributions Interaction with Biological Processes
- Reconstructing Atmosphere-Land-Ocean Interactions in the Past
- Numerical Modeling of Marine Biogeochemistry
There will also be a lecture on Science Communication. Lectures will be complemented by practical/ interactive activities.
A fieldwork visit covering coastal morphodynamics and risk is also planned.
Participants will be asked to give a short presentation of their work.
AUDIENCE
If you have any questions regarding this job offer, please feel free to contact Dr. Gabriele Gerlach (gabriele.gerlach@uol.de).
For further information, follow this link.