AMEMR & NCOF

Operational Biological Oceanography Workshop

Jurys Inn Hotel, Plymouth
5-7th November 2007

Operational ecosystem forecast: who's it for, what do they want and where should it be going?
(Or towards downstream services).

Recent years have seen major advances with a number of (pre)operational ecosystem modelling systems being established. In spite of these considerable advances in the integration of numerical models and observing systems, their provision of information products to support the assessment of the state of marine environments and ecosystems is currently fragmented, regionally inconsistent and very often incomplete. Until this deficiency and its causes are properly documented, it will not be feasible to identify the important knowledge gaps that in turn should be prioritised and filled via targeted research and monitoring.

The aims of this workshop are to review the existing efforts, identify gaps and to 'think outside the box' in terms of identifying new areas and directions for this kind of work.

To help facilitate this process we will invite a number of keynote speakers who will address topics such as;

• The relationship between the marine environment and human health,
• Harmful algal blooms,
• The socio-economic valuation of the marine environment,
• Stakeholder requirements for forecast products.

The focus of the workshop will be on new directions rather than technical discussions. The workshop is limited to 30 participants whose basic travel and subsistence costs will be covered by a NERC grant. We are seeking to get a range of national and international representatives.

The closing date for registration is 15 September 2007