Workshop Rationale: In the major ocean basins, energetic western boundary currents (WBC) adjacent to subtropical continental shelves (STCS) interact strongly with bathymetry, resulting in first order consequences to shelf biochemistry and ecosystem response. Comparative analysis of the physical forcing and biochemical/ecological ramifications between the different ocean/shelf settings has the potential to reveal common and contrasting underlying properties and their sensitivity to climatic perturbations in ways that fragmented attention to individual system idiosyncrasies cannot. We believe the time is right to consider these systems as parallel global marine ecosystems and to develop a coherent international strategy to assess their function and contributions to global carbon cycles.

Scope and goals: The overall goal of this workshop is to convene a globally diverse group of researchers to discuss the state of knowledge of WBC-STCS ecosystems and to identify strategies for coordinating observational and research objectives to advance understanding of these dynamic regions.

The initial phase of the Workshop has concluded with virtual sessions held on November 10th and November 17th, 2020, and a Virtual Poster Session in February 2020. Recordings of the Speaker presentations and the panel discussion/question and answer session and the poster sessions have been archived within our Webex Teams space. To access that material, please contact William Savidge (william.savidge@skio.uga.edu) and complete the Workshop application survey available <HERE> . The original Workshop announcement and agenda can be viewed <HERE>

Upcoming Workshop events:

Because of continued pandemic travel uncertainties for our international participants, we have cancelled the planned 2020 workshop in Savannah. Instead we have proposed a scientific session and auxiliary workshop meeting at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in 2022. The status of those events will be finalized in July-August 2021. To receive updates on the new Workshop agenda, please complete the Workshop application survey.