Key Concepts in Microbial Oceanography
Abstract
The Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) is a multi-institution Science and Technology Center, established by the National Science Foundation in 2006. C-MORE's research mission is to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the diverse assemblages of microorganisms in the sea, ranging from the genetic basis of marine microbial biogeochemistry including the metabolic regulation and environmental controls of gene expression, to the processes that underpin the fluxes of carbon, related bioelements, and energy in the marine environment. The C-MORE education and outreach program is focused on increasing scientific literacy in microbial oceanography among students, educators, and the general public. A first step toward this goal is defining the key concepts that constitute microbial oceanography. After lengthy discussions with scientists and educators, both within and outside C-MORE, we have arrived at six key concepts: 1) Marine microbes are very small and have been around for a long time; 2) Life on Earth could not exist without microbes; 3) Most marine microbes are beneficial; 4) Microbes are everywhere: they are extremely abundant and diverse; 5) Microbes significantly impact our global climate; and 6) There are new discoveries every day in the field of microbial oceanography. A C-MORE-produced brochure on these six key concepts will be distributed at the meeting. Advanced copies may be requested by email or downloaded from the C-MORE web site(http://cmore.soest.hawaii.edu/downloads/MO_key_concepts_hi-res.pdf). This brochure also includes information on career pathways in microbial oceanography, with the aim of broadening participation in the field. C-MORE is eager to work in partnership to incorporate these key concepts into other science literacy publications, particularly those involving ocean and climate literacy. We thank the following contributors and reviewers: P Chisholm, A Dolberry, and A Thompson (MIT); N Lawrence (Santa Cruz Boardwalk); R Foster, S Mansergh and P Moisander (UC Santa Cruz); A Culley, K Doggett, J Edmonds, A Eiler, A Fong, D Hayakawa, D Karl, P Kemp, B Li, N Puniwai, B Wai, and S Wilson (U Hawaii); J Becker and M Nieto-Cid (WHOI); M McCaffrey (CIRES).
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2008
- Bibcode:
- 2008AGUFMED13D..06B
- Keywords:
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- 0400 BIOGEOSCIENCES;
- 0465 Microbiology: ecology;
- physiology and genomics (4840);
- 0800 EDUCATION;
- 1615 Biogeochemical cycles;
- processes;
- and modeling (0412;
- 0414;
- 0793;
- 4805;
- 4912);
- 4800 OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL (0460)