News

The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) working group 161 (Respiration in the Mesopelagic or ReMO) announces a capacity-development program to foster exchange of expertise and to establish international collaborations in the area of respiration in the mesopelagic ocean for early-career scientists. The mentoring program aims to enable participants to develop an original research project linked to mesopelagic microbial respiration, using either observations, experimentation, or modeling approaches. The program will further facilitate participants to start up new collaborations and strengthen their network in the field of mesopelagic respiration globally. The duration of the mentoring program will be limited to a maximum of 2 years until the end of the WG.

For further information, please visit the website, social media (Twitter @ReMO_SCOR161) or contact by email (natalia.osma@imochile.cl).

All applications should be sent to natalia.osma@imo-chile.cl

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 16 of December 2022

SCOR welcomes Dr. Moagabi Ragoasha (South Africa), Dr. Mauro Cirano (Brazil), and Viena Puigcorbé (Spain) as new members of the SCOR Capacity Development Committee as well as Dr. Rebecca Zitoun (Germany) as the Chair of the Capacity Development Committee.

Dr. Rebecca Zitoun is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Marine Mineral Resource Group at the Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (GEOMAR). Her research interests are related to the biogeochemistry of trace metals, trace metal speciation, metal-binding ligands, shallow and deep sea hydrothermal vent chemistry, ecotoxicology, trace metal bioavailability, electrochemical methods, and voltammetry. She is also focused on capacity development in marine science, ocean literacy, and on bridging the science-policy interface.

Dr. Moagabo Ragoasha is a lecturer at the University of Cape Town and a research associate with the Nansen Tutu Center for Marine Environmental Research. She is also involved as a lecturer in the floating University SEAmester, which introduces marine science as an applied and cross-disciplinary field to students from around Southern Africa. Her research interests include ocean and atmospheric modelling of the South African EEZ, the physical connectivity between Agulhas and the Benguela system, and the anthropogenic influences on the coastal environment. Particularly the eco-systemic responses to the intensification, changes, and instabilities of ocean currents (Agulhas and Benguela Currents) surrounding South Africa.

Dr. Mauro Cirano is an Associate Professor working at the Department of Meteorology of the the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). His areas of research include the study of circulation processes in coastal and oceanic regions, both based on the analysis of oceanographic data and through numerical modeling of circulation. He coordinates the longest sustained monitoring program of the Brazil Current as well as the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development Advisory Committee for Oceanography (CNPq CA-OC).

Dr. Viena Puigcorbé is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institut de Ciències del Mar – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICM-CSIC) in Spain. Her research is focused on the use of naturally occurring radionuclides as tracers of particle export in the open ocean. She is also working on microbial ecology, combining radiotracers with molecular biology to better understand the fate of marine organic particles. Viena has participated in several SCOR related activities including the intercomparison program for 234Th and 210Po-210Pb, and five GEOTRACES cruises.

SCOR wishes them a successful engagement, and acknowledges the valuable contributions and dedication of former Chair Claudia Benítez-Nelson (USA) and committee member Vanessa (Brazil) for their outstanding services to the SCOR community for the last years.

More information about SCOR Capacity Development activities here.

The Trevor Platt Memorial Scholarship was established by the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) to honour the memory of Professor Trevor Platt (1942-2020), who was a brilliant scientist and a leader in interdisciplinary oceanographic research, with outstanding contributions in the fields of biological oceanography, theoretical ecology and the use of satellite ocean colour data for measuring ocean processes. He played an especially important role in the establishment of the IOCCG, being one of the founding members of the group, and serving as the first Chairman for a period of 10 years (from 1996-2006).

The prestigious IOCCG Trevor Platt Memorial Scholarship is aimed at providing students and early career scientists from developing countries and countries with economies in transition with the opportunity for gaining valuable training experience in the field of ocean and in-land water remote sensing and applications. The applicant must be a citizen of one of the listed eligible countries (according to SCOR), and must be residing in that country at the time of application.

Two scholarships will be awarded for the inaugural year, in 2023, at US$ 5,000 each.

Applications close on the 11 of November 2022.

More information about requirements and how to apply here.

SCOR and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) have signed a collaboration agreement aimed at furthering synergies between SCOR and ICES based on their mutual interest in:
• Enhancing the working collaboration between SCOR and ICES and establishing and maintaining collaborations with other international organisations with related goals,
• Supporting international cooperation of marine scientists through working groups, workshops, symposia, and infrastructural and research projects,
• Facilitating capacity development, including the professional development of early career scientists through scientific collaboration, training opportunities, and travel grants, and
• Furthering synergistic opportunities through the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development activities, and especially together with the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) through the joint ICES/PICES Ocean Decade programme SMARTNET.

The agreement was signed by Patricia Miloslavich, Executive Director of SCOR, and William Karp, President of ICES during the UN Ocean Conference held in Lisbon in June 2022.

The SCOR Executive Committee has been renovated with the approval of SCOR nominated members at the 2022 SCOR Annual Meeting held in hybrid mode from Busan, Korea.
Peter Croot (UK/Ireland) was elected Secretary of SCOR (2022-2026) to replace Paul Myers (Canada), Ilka Peeken (Germany) was elected Vice-President (2022-2024) to replace Jing Zhang (Japan), and Wee Cheah (Malaysia) was appointed as the early career co-opted member (2022-2024) to replace Charlotte Laufkoetter (Switzerland).

SCOR welcomes Peter, Ilka and Wee wishing them a successful engagement with SCOR and acknowledges the valuable contributions and dedication of Paul, Jing and Charlotte!

More information about the new members here.

The book Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound: Volume 1 edited by Christine Erbe and Jeanette A. Thomas, and published by Springer is available online with free and unlimited access.

The book introduces standard terminology, procedures, equipment, and analysis tools for animal bioacoustic studies; unravels complex concepts, such as sound propagation and discusses common pit-falls; and points to printed and online resources for further in-depth reading.

Several members of the International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE) project contributed to the book.

To access the book, go to this link.

At the recent SCOR 2022 Annual Meeting, the SCOR nominated members approved two new working groups to start their activities in January 2023.

SCOR WG 166, “DMS-PRO”, will develop resources for the study of Methylated Sulfur compound cycling processes in the ocean. WG 166 will be co-chaired by Martí Galí (Spain) and Daniela del Valle (Argentina). Read more here.

SCOR WG 167, “RUSTED”,  will work in reducing uncertainty in soluble aerosol trace element deposition. WG 167 will be co-chaired by Rachel Shelley (UK), Douglas Hamilton (USA), and Morgane Perron (France). Read more here.