BioGeoSCAPES is a nascent, international program that aspires to combine detailed biological and chemical investigations of the oceans in order to transform our understanding of marine biogeochemistry and microbial metabolism. To explore and develop international interest in such a program, a first meeting was convened in the Fall 2018 in Woods Hole, MA (USA), where a preliminary vision statement was drafted.
The BioGeoSCAPES initiative aims to integrate knowledge on organism identity and physiology within frameworks of community ecology and global ocean biogeochemistry. It is envisioned that an improved, predictive, and quantitative understanding of ocean metabolism on a changing planet can be achieved by combining detailed information on plankton, cell status, biochemical processes, and species interactions with intercalibrated measurements of nutrient fluxes, concentrations, and speciation (eg macronutrients, including inorganic and organic carbon, micronutrients and vitamins).
BioGeoSCAPES is at an early stage of the organising process. Interested parties are gauging and aiming to build international community support, as well as discussing potential science objectives and parameters. Since 2018, a series of national meetings have taken place (eg Japan, China, Canada, USA, India, France, etc), while others are in the planning stages. In these meetings scientists continue gauging interest and brainstorming scientific goals. In addition, initial intercalibration efforts are being encouraged for potential parameters, such as those recently organized for metagenomic and metaproteomic. BioGeoSCAPES sessions at international meetings are also occurring. In this talk, Professor Maldonaldo will introduce BioGeoSCAPES, as well as some of the ongoing international activities and plans to move forward.