AccelNet - Implementation: Development of an International Network for the Study of Ocean Metabolism and Nutrient Cycles on a Changing Planet (Biogeoscapes)

Microorganisms play important roles in the biogeochemical cycles of the oceans and help maintain the functioning of Earth’s ecosystems. Yet much remains unknown about what determines their occurrence around the globe, and what controls ocean metabolism. Human activities and climate change are affecting ocean microbes and biogeochemical cycles in many ways; being able predict and understanding those changes is needed to inform management and decision-making.

An international community effort is building a global, marine microbial biogeochemistry network, “BioGeoSCAPES: Ocean Metabolism and Nutrient Cycles on a Changing Planet”, that combines biological and chemical sampling to map microbial communities and study ocean metabolism and their effects on ecosystem health and biogeochemical cycles. This Accel-Net project draws upon expertise and infrastructure across multiple national and international networks to lay the groundwork for the BioGeoSCAPES program.

BioGeoSCAPES is an interdisciplinary effort that combines biological and chemical measurements through a coordinated international program. Network activities contribute to the development of BioGeoSCAPES through a combination of virtual and in-person meetings, workshops, working groups, student and postdoc exchanges, and summer school events. Large workshops focus on: science integration and planning; informatics and data management; intercalibration review and assessment; and science implementation and infrastructure.

Smaller workshops/meetings include a modeling and data integration workshop, two summer schools, and two scientific steering committee meetings. These community activities contribute: an intercalibration assessment; methodological and sampling best practices; data management and informatics planning; data-model integration strategies and recommendations; and planning for the launch of an international BioGeoSCAPES Program.

To support early career engagement and development, this Accel-Net includes international research experiences across international network partners via: in-person summer schools designed to build scientific, technical and data integration expertise; international early career research exchanges; virtual professional development workshops; and a cross-network mentoring program. The proposed capacity building activities for early career scientists (participation in Accel-Net leadership, research exchanges, summer schools, professional development workshops, mentoring) provide the training and tools needed to transcend disciplines and utilize “big data” sets in novel ways to understand how marine microbes interact with their changing environment.

These activities facilitate participation across networks and diverse groups, foster new collaborations across career stages and nations, and cultivate leadership skills.

The Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program is designed to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand scientific challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. This project is funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.