convener:Takafumi Hirata(Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University), Shin-ichi Ito(Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo), Enrique N Curchitser(Rutgers University New Brunswick), Eileen E Hofmann(Old Dominion University)

The ocean accounts for about 50% of global net primary production. This production is significant for carbon cycling and ecosystem functioning, and is related directly or indirectly to a variety of climatic and ecological phenomena. The responses to natural and anthropogenic environmental stressors that influence marine production and diversity can cause perturbations to marine ecosystems that alter trophic dependencies and interactions among organisms at a range of space and time scales. Quantification of the principal mechanisms driving spatio-temporal variability of marine ecosystem remains to be done, especially in terms of evaluation of uncertainty in responses. As a result, evaluating vulnerability of marine ecosystems to environmental change requires systematic and holistic approaches that integrate physics to ecology and are based in observations and modelling. In addition, expectations to deliver these science to public society is raising. This session aims to provide a venue for not only discussing recent advances in understanding marine biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and their interactions, but also networking with a variety of people to seed new ideas in marine ecological research. Observational, modeling and conceptual studies, including technological development and operational applications, that consider linkages among biogeochemical and ecosystem processes, biodiversity, and the effects of multiple stressors from molecular to planetary scales are encouraged.