Thank you for joining the BioGeoSCAPES email list! BioGeoSCAPES is the concept for a potential future interdisciplinary global-scale microbial biogeochemistry program that arose out of a small international working group in late 2018 (see the meeting report here) and various prior related activities. BioGeoSCAPES is at an early stage of the organizing process, when those interested are gauging and aiming to build international community support, as well as discussing potential science objectives and parameters.
Upcoming plans include organizing national meetings to continue gauging interest and brainstorming scientific goals. In addition, initial intercalibration efforts are being encouraged for potential parameter such as the recently organized metagenomic and metaproteomic intercalibration projects. Future sessions at international meetings are also being organized, including a session at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in 2020.
In parallel, we would like to find a way to facilitate the inclusion of more nations and researcher in BioGeoSCAPES activity. To help with this we have begun a list of ambassadors based on those who participated in the Woods Hole Scoping meeting and shared it here. Please have a look and if you wish to add your name, please do, and equally if you wish to get involved contacting those listed would be a good first step.
Some highlights of recent and upcoming activities include:
- The 7th Kaplan Symposium: Traces in the Sea; Eilat, Israel; February 11-13, 2019 was used to introduce BioGeoSCAPES to the Israeli scientific community and gather support and interest. Many Israeli microbiologists, marine-omics geochemists and biogeochemists are now involved in various EU initiatives. For further information, please contact: Yeala Shaked (yeala.shaked@mail.huji.ac.il)
- Presentation of BioGeoSCAPES at the Futures of Organic Biogeochemistry meeting; April 2019; Delmenhorst, Germany. For further information, please contact: Liz Kujawinski (ekujawinski@whoi.edu)
- Workshop Ocean nucleic acids ‘omics intercalibration and standardization; January 9-11, 2020; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; funded by the US Ocean Carbon Biogeochemistry (OCB) program. A more complete description of this activity is available here.
- Intercomparison of Ocean Metaproteomic Initiative, ongoing; funded by the US Ocean Carbon Biogeochemistry (OCB) program
- A series of EU participants at the 2018 WHOI BioGeoSCAPES workshop (Alessandro Tagliabue, Ingrid Obernoster, Daniele Iudicone, Chris Bowler, Yeala Shaked and Martha Gledhill) are now preparing an EU-COST action (with multiple EU partners) to develop an EU wide BioGeoSCAPES network, outlining protocols and planning intercalibrations, field campaigns and experiments.
- Informal discussion about BioGeoSCAPES goals and scope at the upcoming Chemical Oceanography Gordon Research Conference in July 2019. For further information, please contact: Alessandro Tagliabue, Ben Twining, Mak Saito.
- 1st Workshop Canadian BioGeoSCAPES; October 25-27; Halifax. Organizers: Erin Bertrand, Steven Hallam and Maite Maldonado
- A BioGeoSCAPES Sessions at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in 2020
BioGeoSCAPES related science is being promoted on social media through the Twitter account “@BioGeoSCAPES”, and we will also start sending email updates to this moderated listserv. Thanks for showing interest in BioGeoSCAPES!
Sincerely,
Maite Maldonado, Adrian Marchetti, Alessandro Tagliabue, Mak Saito
Biogeoscapes meeting conveners