Co-Convenors: Jürgen Alheit (ICES/Germany), Elliott Hazen (PICES/U.S.A.), Oleg Katugin PICES/Russia), Robert Suryan (PICES/U.S.A.), Yutaka Watanuki (PICES/Japan) and Ichiro Yasuda (PICES/Japan)

Invited Speakers:
Jürgen Alheit (Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research, Germany)
Igor Belkin (University of Rhode Island, U.S.A.)
Sei-Ichi Saitoh (Hokkaido University, Japan)
Robert M. Suryan (Oregon State University, U.S.A.)

This session will examine the physical and oceanographic factors that correspond to ecological or economic “hotspots” in the North Pacific and North Atlantic and their marginal seas. For the Pacific, this session will focus on the Kuroshio/Oyashio extensions and ecotone, the intersection of the Sea of Okhotsk and the western North Pacific (Kuril Islands region), and the Western Bering Sea. For the Atlantic, this session will focus on the North Sea, the intersection of the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current, in addition to tidally driven systems such as the Gulf of Maine and Gulf of St. Lawrence. “Hotspots” can broadly be defined as areas encompassing high species diversity, high abundance of individuals, especially of important indicator species, or areas of high economic value. Interdisciplinary contributions on physical-biological coupling and resulting seasonal or year-round “hotspots” in primary to tertiary productivity are invited. This includes data on physics, phyto- and zooplankton, forage fish, and upper trophic level predators (e.g., fish, seabirds, mammals, humans). We are particularly interested in simultaneous multi-species multi-use hotspots (i.e., sites of ecological importance that overlap highly with sites of economic value) and potential changes in hotspots under future climate change scenarios. Modeling and empirical studies are encouraged. We will solicit a special publication in the primary literature pending subscription to the session.