Scientists gather in New Zealand to share oceans’ secrets

SHARE THIS: 

Two hundred of the world’s leading marine biologists will gather in Auckland from 14-16 November to share the latest insights on marine life from the poles to the tropics.

This major meeting of a global marine research programme, the Census of Marine Life, is being jointly hosted by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and The University of Auckland.

The Census of Marine Life is a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans – past, present, and future. Ending in 2010, the Census involves a growing global network of nearly 2000 researchers in more than 80 nations, making it the largest ever global scale marine biology research programme.

The Census of Marine Life has discovered more than 5300 new, undescribed marine animals since 2003. Of these, 110 have gone through the rigorous scientific review process required for designation as a new species – a process that can often take years. Collectively, the Census is discovering new species at a much faster rate than the capacity to describe them.

Leaders from all 17 Census projects will present the latest discoveries on marine ecosystems, ranging from hydrothermal vents to ice oceans, and organisms ranging from viruses to great white sharks. Data gathered by the Census will ultimately be synthesised and used to predict future changes in marine populations caused by environmental or human influences, such as climate change and fisheries.

The meeting will be launched with a public symposium on Wednesday 14 November. This will focus on Census projects relating to Australasia, the Pacific, and Antarctica.  Scientists will be available for interviews on the 14th and on other days by arrangement.

When: 14-16 November (public symposium 1pm to 5.15pm, Wednesday 14 November)
Where: Owen Glenn Building, University of Auckland Campus

Details of newsworthy highlights will follow shortly.

For more information about the Census, see: http://www.coml.org/

About the Census of Marine Life

Support for the Census of Marine Life comes from government agencies and universities concerned with science,  environment, and fisheries in a growing list of nations as well as from private companies and foundations

The Census is associated or affiliated with several intergovernmental international organizations including the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the UN Environment Programme and its World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, and the North Pacific Marine Science Organization. It is also affiliated with international non-governmental organizations, including the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and the International Association of Biological Oceanography of the International Council for Science. The Census is led by an independently constituted international Scientific Steering Committee, whose members serve in their individual capacities, and a growing set of national and regional implementation committees.

Archived

This page has been marked as archived, and is here for historical reference only.

Information provided may be out of date, and you are advised to check for newer sources in this section.

This content may be removed at a later date.