Support for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

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The PI requests funding to cover the costs of the IOC's program officer to manage the ocean carbon programs of the IOC; namely, the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) and IOC's activities in the areas of ocean acidification and ocean carbon sequestration. The proposal also provides support for PhD-level professional's assistance for specific activities of the IOCCP. The IOC program officer serves as a liaison between IOC activities and the IOC Member States, as well as the United Nations conventions and other intergovernmental mandates relevant to the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle, including sequestration and ocean acidification.Broader Impacts: Understanding the role of carbon, it's absorption into the ocean, it's consequences for ocean ecosystems and its long-term cycling, as well as the relationships between human colonization and its effect on coastal ecosystems, are fundamental societal concerns. Accurate data and the development of reliable models are essential in order to understand the consequences of inaction and the planning of cost-effective mitigation strategies. These planning activities stimulate beneficial exchanges between U.S. scientists and their international counterparts, often resulting in extended subsequent joint research, field activities and student exchanges.