The scientific theme “New Frontiers in Marine Science” was chosen to encourage contributions that explore processes at oceanic extremes, apply innovative approaches and cutting-edge technologies, develop new ideas, or tackle current or upcoming global or regional environmental issues. Contributions should address one of the following six session topics:

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Session 1
	Biodiversity and productivity of marine organisms from pole to pole Invited Speaker: Hyung-Chul Shin (Korea Polar Research Insitute, Incheon, Korea)
		Marine biological diversity and productivity play a vital role in the global climate and carbon cycle, and provide much of the world’s protein. Marine biodiversity also is recognized as an important source of medicines and raw materials. Understanding diversity and productivity is critical to the conservation and management of living marine resources. This session will address regional to large-scale patterns in diversity and productivity at all trophic levels from bacteria to marine mammals. Preference will be given to papers addressing (1) global patterns in diversity and productivity and the processes that give rise to them, (2) diversity in poorly sampled regions such as the deep sea and the polar seas, (3) effects of fisheries and climate change on marine biodiversity and ecosystem function, and (4) innovative theories, sampling techniques, indicators, and statistical models for assessing diversity and productivity.
Session 2
	Processes at ocean margins Invited Speaker: John Simpson (School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, UK)
		Ocean margins play a key role in the global ecosystem by supporting the majority of the world’s fisheries, while being directly impacted by multiple human uses. These boundary areas are critical habitat for many species and are important in the transfer of energy and materials between oceans and continents. Ocean margins are areas where biological, physical, and chemical processes are tightly coupled and where multidisciplinary research is essential. This session aims to provide a forum for such interdisciplinary discussion and invites contributions covering all areas of nearshore and continental shelf research. Topics may include the effects of circulation on sediment transport, chemistry, and biology, interaction between estuaries and the nearshore environment, effects of river plumes on coastal oceans, characterization of the nearshore ecology and environment, ocean margin productivity, and the mechanisms of energy transfer between the nearshore and the deep ocean. Contributions may address processes that occur on scales from tens of meters to thousands of kilometers, from the very nearshore to the continental slope region. Especially encouraged are interdisciplinary contributions.
Session 3
	The last frontier: The deep sea Invited Speaker: S. Kim Juniper (University of Victoria, BC, Canada)
		The deep sea is regarded by many as the ultimate frontier for marine research. New organisms and geochemical processes are continuously being discovered at the deep seafloor and in extreme ocean environments. At the same time, there has been a rapid increase in deep sea trawling and hydrocarbon exploration in these largely unknown ecosystems, which are now believed to be much more dynamic and diverse than previously assumed. A better understanding of the geochemical processes, life forms, and community dynamics in these environments, from the continental rise to the abyssal zone, is urgently needed. Recent advances in submersibles (e.g. smart sensors) and marine communication (e.g. telemetry for remote exploration) have greatly improved our ability to sample and monitor extreme systems. We invite contributions on the geological, geochemical, biochemical, and biological processes that shape the deep sea environment. Examples include, but are not limited to, seismic and volcanic activities at mid-ocean ridges, chemosynthetic food webs at hydrothermal vents, adaptations of deep sea organisms, and unique microbial communities at cold vents and in subseafloor sediments.
Session 4
	The role of behavior in marine biological processes Invited Speaker: Mark Baumgartner (Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, USA)
		From single-cell plants to marine mammals, behavior in response to physical, chemical and biological cues is a common trait whose significance is increasingly recognized. Behaviors as simple as vertical migration can cause differential transport and aggregations in frontal zones, with implications for predator-prey interactions and energy transfer in ocean ecosystems. More complex behaviors such as schooling and long-distance spawning migrations influence a population’s vulnerability to predation and exploitation as well as its reproductive potential, stock structure, and ability to recover from overharvest and habitat loss. Advances in in-situ measurement capabilities (e.g., acoustics, tagging, laser and video optical methods, holography), coupled bio-physical and bio-geochemical numerical models, and otolith and genetic approaches have provided insights into the complexity of behavior, its role in structuring populations and ecosystem processes, and its impact on survey design and sample variability. We solicit contributions that further our understanding of the role of behavior in marine biological processes with an emphasis on methods that apply recent advances in technology.
Session 5
	The effect of climate on basin-scale processes and ecosystems Invited Speaker: Emanuele Di Lorenzo (School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA)
		Recent advances in earth monitoring systems and global climate models indicate that basin-scale phenomena profoundly influence physical, geochemical and biological systems in the world’s oceans. Interacting processes between the oceans and the atmosphere, such as El Niños and decadal-scale oscillations, impact circulation patterns, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem structure and productivity within and across basins. In this session, we welcome contributions that apply global datasets and recent technological advances (e.g., satellites, gliders and floats, and global climate models) to further our understanding of these basin- and global-scale processes. In particular, we invite papers that address effects of large-scale climate forcing on physical and chemical processes, mechanistic linkages between climate forcing and the dynamics of marine ecosystems, and advances in modeling and predictive capabilities for oceanic ecosystems at basin-wide scales.
Session 6
	Humans and the marine environment Invited Speaker: Philippe Cury (Centre de Recherche Halieutique Méditerranéenne et Tropicale, IRD, Sète Cedex, France)
		The marine environment is subject to a variety of human impacts, including the introduction of contaminants, habitat disturbance, species invasions, and effects of increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere. These impacts result from activities both on land and in the ocean such as increased coastal development, oil and gas exploration, fishing, and shipping. This session will explore how people impact the oceans, how changes in the oceans impact the lives and livelihoods of people, and how these impacts can be managed to ensure both healthy oceans and healthy human societies in the future. We seek contributions that (1) quantify large-scale impacts of human activity on ocean ecosystems, including novel ways to monitor and assess such impacts, (2) provide examples of how communities and societies are impacted by changes in the ocean, and (3) develop new approaches to support ecosystem-based management, including the development of ecosystem indicators and reference points.
Workshop 1
	Effective Science Communication (http://ian.umces.edu/books/) Invited Speaker: Tim Carruthers (Integration & Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD, USA)
		To have an impact, even excellent science needs to be effectively communicated. This workshop will detail how to incorporate visual elements into print and electronic media-to expand on traditional peer reviewed journal formats-and more effectively communicate to managers, the general public, as well as fellow scientists (http://ian.umces.edu/communication.php). Participants will be introduced to conceptual diagrams, one of the key tools used to synthesize information and therefore facilitate effective communication (http://ian.umces.edu/conceptualdiagrams_page.php)
Workshop 2
	Integrated Environmental Assessment Invited Speaker: Bill Dennison (University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD, USA)
		In our current scientific climate of mass data collection and a large and productive scientific community, the challenge is how to synthesize a mass of diverse information to answer apparently simple questions such as 'how healthy is a system?' and 'is the system getting better or worse?'. This workshop will provide tools for such syntheses and examples of where these approaches have been effective. Such issues as how to choose metrics, how to determine thresholds and how to combine metrics will be discussed and presented in practical exercises. See examples: http://www.ncrvitalsigns.net/ and http://www.eco-check.org/.
Mini-symposium
	International and interdisciplinary collaboration
		International oceanographic organizations and research programs play an important role in coordinating marine research activities, sharing information, knowledge, and technology, and setting research priorities for collaborative research across borders and disciplines. This mini-symposium features speakers from various regional or global organizations to provide a very brief overview over their goals and activities. More importantly, speakers will discuss how their organization can help early career scientists get involved in collaborative research, provide suggestions on what new investigators can do to get involved, and share their personal insights and advice on effective international collaborations. Individual presentations will be followed by a panel discussion on the challenges of successful collaborative research and on approaches to overcoming these challenges.
Papers on other related topics may also be considered.