The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program is soliciting proposals for OCB activities to begin during the 2017 calendar year. We seek proposals for OCB-relevant scoping workshops and smaller group activities as follows:
- Scoping workshops (50-60 people) that bring together an appropriate body of expertise to foster discussions and develop forward momentum in a specific OCB-relevant research area
- Small working groups (8-12 members) to address targeted science goals/questions and develop products that benefit the broader OCB community
- Synthesis activities to assimilate existing data, model outputs, etc. to support and inform future research efforts
- Intercomparison activities to compare and build consensus on approaches (methodological, modeling, data analysis, etc.) for advancing OCB-relevant research
Please visit the OCB website to learn about previous scoping workshops and other activities. OCB has recently led numerous workshops and scientific planning activities that have generated guidelines and recommendations for future research in OCB-relevant research areas; however, proposals need not be limited to these topics:
- Burd et al. (2016), Towards a transformative understanding of the biology of the ocean’s biological pump: Priorities for future research
- Benway et al. (2016), A science plan for carbon cycle research in North American coastal waters
- Hofmann et al. (2015), A science plan for a collaborative international research program on the coupled North Atlantic-Arctic system
- Lorenzoni and Benway (2013), Report of global intercomparability in a changing ocean: An international time-series methods workshop
Recent scoping workshops:
- Biogeochemical cycling of trace elements within the ocean: A synthesis workshop (2016)
- Trait-based Approaches to Ocean Life (2015)
- Improving predictive biogeochemical models through single cell-based analyses of marine plankton physiological plasticity, genetic diversity and evolutionary processes (2014)
Current OCB Research Priorities
- Climate- and human-driven changes in ocean chemistry (e.g., acidification, expanding low-oxygen conditions, nutrient loading, etc.) and associated impacts on biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystems
- Ocean carbon uptake and storage
- Estuarine and coastal carbon fluxes and processes, including exchanges with open ocean, terrestrial, and atmospheric reservoirs
- Water column and seafloor ecological and biogeochemical processes and associated effects on carbon export and the biological pump
- Molecular-level responses of marine organisms (primarily lower trophic levels, including plankton, mollusks, etc.) to their changing environment
- Impacts of evolutionary changes on plankton community structure, function and biogeochemical cycling in the face of global change
Proposal Guidelines
For this solicitation, OCB has funds to support one scoping workshop and 2-3 other follow-on activities. Proposals should be a maximum of 5 pages in length and should explicitly address
1) how the workshop supports and advances OCB research and observational priorities; and
2) workshop products and outcomes (science plans, data syntheses, algorithms, small group activities, etc.) that will benefit the OCB community.
All proposals should include the rationale for and detailed description of the activity, a budget, and a budget justification. No salary may be included in the budget.
Scoping workshops
Scoping workshop proposals should include preliminary logistical information, including potential time frame and venue, and workshop outcomes (reports, special journal volumes, etc.) and their benefits to the OCB community as a whole. The maximum budget for scoping workshops is $65,000.
Other activities
Other proposed activities should be a maximum duration of 2 years with a total target budget of $20,000-$30,000 to cover travel, analytical costs, shipping and publication costs, etc. We will consider larger budget requests if adequately justified. If the activity is a follow-on from a previous OCB activity, this connection should be explicitly made and PIs should address how this activity will serve the OCB community and further advance the scientific ideas put forth in the initial activity. Proposals should also include a draft time line for the activity with target dates for products and outcomes, as well as anticipated OCB Project Office scientific and/or logistical support needs.
Please submit workshop proposals electronically to the OCB Project Office (hbenway(at)whoi.edu) by December 1, 2016 for consideration by the OCB Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). The OCB SSC will discuss and rank all proposals based on the following criteria: 1) Scientific merit (40%); 2) programmatic relevance (20%); 3) potential community impact (20%); and 4) timeliness with regard to OCB’s current scientific priorities and previous activities (20%). Decisions will be announced by end of calendar year 2016.
If you have difficulty with this email, please view/download this solicitation on the OCB website at
http://us-ocb.org/OCB_activity_solic_2017.doc
Further information on the programme.
