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Working group 1: Ocean Ecosystem and Global Change


Background

1. Post JGOFS Era:
After the series of JGOFS programs, there is increasing recognition of importance of marine biological process for better understanding of the earth system. We need to know causes and ecological/environmental consequences of variation in regional and basin-global scale Biological Carbon Pump function

2. Global synchrony of marine ecosystem variation:
It has been reported that standing stock of some commercially important fish species varied in a globally synchronous manner with decadal to multi-decadal time scale, indicating regional marine ecosystems are likely to vary responding to basin-global scale climatic forcing

Goals

To understand mechanisms of global scale ecosystem change, collaboration between scientists from areas of retrospective study, modeling, and process study (observational and experimental) (Fig. 1). Goal of this WG is to tighten the affiliation between scientists of those different areas both in Japan and USA to show ideas what information/data to exchange or obtain to promote respective study foci, and consequently to contribute to better prediction of ecosystem change and its feedback to the earth system responding future global warming. North Pacific lying between the two countries is the target ocean, where decadal scale variations in climate and marine ecosystem have been reported (Fig.2).

Keywords

marine ecosystem, plankton, decadal scale change, regime shift, global warming, phenology, North Pacific, regional comparison, biological carbon pump, fisheries, ecosystem model, monitoring, retrospective study, process study, remote-sensing, pCO2, biological feedback, biological indicator.

Possible Discussion Topic (tentative)

Summarize climate-related ecosystem changes observed in the North Pacific
- Comparison to model hindcast
- Figure out spatio-temporal information gaps

Observation and experimental efforts to fill the gaps in retrospective analysis, and to provide data for better parameterization for the North Pacific ecosystem model.
- What can we expect from on-going and planned field projects, including remote-sensing?

Capability and limitation of existing large scale ecosystem model
- in terms of carbon cycle
- in terms of biodiversity
- strategies to tackle biological complexity

Japanese participants

Toshiro SAINO

Professor
Hydrospheric Atmospheric Research Center, Nagoya University
Group Leader of Marine Ecosystem Model Group, FRCGC/JAMSTEC
e-mail: tsaino[at]hyarc.nagoya-u.ac.jp, [at]=@
Tel: 052-789-3487
Fax: 052-789-5508

[Interest]
Climate change and marine ecosystem responses
Behavior of biogenic particles and its role in material cycles in the ocean

[Current Projects]
POPPS: Project on Ocean Productivity Profiling System
PACIFICARBON: process study on ecosystem response and feed back to global change based on satellite data

[Services]
Member, SOLAS National Committee: 2003-present
Member, IMBER National Committee: 2004-present

Kimio HANAWA

Professor
Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University
e-mail: hanawa[at]pol.geophys.tohoku.ac.jp, [at]=@
Tel: 022-795-6526
Fax: 022-795-6530

[Interests]
Large-scale atmospheric-ocean interaction
Development of ocean monitoring system

Makio HONDA

Sub-Leader
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, JAMSTEC
e-mail: hondam[at]jamstec.go.jp, [at]=@
Tel: 046-867-9502
Fax: 046-867-9455

[Interest]
Time-series observation for the biological pump by using sediment trap and automatic sampling systems

[Current Projects]
HiLATS: High LAtitude Time-Series observatory (collaborator: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of California, Santa Barbara)
VERTIGO: VERtical Transport in the Global Ocean

[Service]
Member, IMBER National Committee: 2004-present

Tsuneo ONO

Section Chief
Subarctic Fisheries Oceanography Division, Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency
e-mail: tono[at]fra.affrc.go.jp, [at]=@
Tel: 0154-92-1723
Fax: 0154-91-9355

[Interests]
Decadal scale change of biological/chemical property in the subarctic@North Pacific.
Carbonate chemistry in the North Pacific Ocean.

[Current Projects]
Monitoring of lower-trophic communities and oceanic environment in the Oyashio and Mixed-water Regions (A-line: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council)
Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study (SEEDS: Japan Ministry of Environment)
Member of PICES Carbon and Climate section: 2005-present

Hiroya SUGISAKI

Section Chief
Stock productivity section, Mixed Water Region Fisheries Oceanography Division, Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency
e-mail: sugisaki[at]affrc.go.jp, [at]=@
Tel: 022-365-9926
Fax: 022-367-1250

[Interests]
Ecology of macrozooplankton and micronekton

[Current Projects]
ODATE: Studies on long term variation of ocean ecosystem/climate interactions based on the Odate collection
DEEP: Deep-Sea Ecosystem and Exploitation Programme

Noriyuki TANAKA [external link]

Sanae CHIBA [external link]

Convenor of WG1. Any questions and suggestions on WG1 should be addressed to the convenor.


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