Japan-U.S. Collaborative Research on the Biocomplexity of Colloidal Systems in Aquatic Environments

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The purposes of this study were i) to investigate the possibility of the Japan-U.S. collaboration under the framework of new environmental research program, particularly in relation to the "Biocomplexity in the Environment" program launched by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and ii) to conduct a collaboration study on the role of organic colloids in oceanic carbon cycling. This particular area of "Biocomplexity" studies examine the mechanisms underlying the formation of a large organic cabon pool in oceanic waters in order to contribute to improvimg our understanding on global carbon cycles. Participants of this program exchanged ideas at the International Symposium "Food web dynamics and biogeochemistry in marine environments ? New approaches for exploring biocomplex systems" (held in Otsu in December 2001). At this symposium, several new concepts emerged regarding colloid-micoorganisms interactions and oceanic biogeochemistry. These results provide new directions on the future collaboration of Japan-U.S. research teams, and this collaboration should contribute to developing a new multidisciplinary framework on the science of the global environrnent.