The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office

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The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Program is an organized undertaking to provide planning, coordination and collaborative opportunities that promote team building and development of critical multidisciplinary research efforts directed at the study of marine biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem processes within the U.S. and with international partners. With original funding from NSF, NASA, and NOAA, OCB was first established in 2006, locating the Project Office at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Renewed funding for the OCB Project Office over the next three years will allow a full range of activities including (1) scientific and logistical support of the OCB Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) and its subcommittees, (2) organization and execution of the OCB summer workshop and Scoping Workshops to develop new research topics, (3) scientific coordination within the OCB scientific community and with other U.S. and international programs, (4) communication to both established and early career researchers via OCB websites, newsletters, and email lists, and (5) development and dissemination of education and public outreach materials. Based on 9 years of experience and success with these same types of activities, as well as the current strong community support for OCB, it is expected that these efforts will create further opportunities for new collaborations, proposals and funded projects, manuscripts, field opportunities, community input to scientific planning initiatives, and scientific training for new investigators. OCB provides unique broader impact in its ability to engage scientists that represent almost the entire oceanographic community, as well as policy makers and educators, in pursuit of the more complete understanding of climate change related to evolving atmospheric and ocean chemistry, ocean biogeochemistry, and ecosystem processes needed to develop improved predictions and sensible adaptation strategies. The OCB Project Office will work over the next 3 years to continue the significant contributions they have made in enabling the ocean biogeochemistry and ecological communities to discuss and identify novel areas of interdisciplinary research. The OCB SSC and Program Office personnel will work to re-focus their successful, well-attended summer and scoping workshops on critical new research questions. Using a community-driven approach, and by collecting the best ocean carbon cycle expertise in smaller settings that foster meaningful discussions, OCB will continue to provide services that the traditional scientific meeting format, designed only to deliver the latest new science from individual PIs, cannot. OCB Project Office staff will continue to respond to requests for information from journalists, federal agency representatives, congressional staffers, and NGOs as opportunities arise. With its responsive style, OCB will also continue to facilitate timely scientific synthesis activities and strengthen partnerships with U.S. and international partner programs.