The physical climate system varies on a wide range
of scales: changing storminess and severe weather, recognised modes
of variability (such as NAO, PDO and ENSO), and changes to mean
global characteristics. Likewise the marine ecosystem has many interacting
scales: small-scale patchiness vs global, shelf vs
deep-sea populations, and individuals vs communities. To
date, most studies considering the impact of the complexities of
climate variability on the equally complex marine ecosystem have
used correlation statistics of a given population and physical climate
indices. We need to go beyond simple correlations to tease out the
relationships between the changing physical and biological systems
if we are to understand what controls what. How do the various scales
of climate variability project onto the variability of the population
of a given species or the ecosystem as a whole? How does the changing
climate impact on the scale interactions of the biogeochemical system?
Are the time-series we have long enough to draw meaningful conclusions?
What do we need to get right in models used to predict the impact
of climate change on the marine ecosystem and fisheries?
The workshop
will bring together experts in the physical oceanography of the
Pacific, climate dynamics and variability, marine ecosystems and
biogeochemistry, and fisheries. The workshop is charged to produce
statements on our present understanding of, or lack thereof, the
impact of climate variability on the marine eco- and biogeochemical
system, what we can hope to extract from combining extant datasets,
and strategies for numerical experimentation, observational networks
and data assimilation, that will improve our knowledge and predictive
capabilities. Sufficient enthusiasm by the participants will result
in the publication of a special issue of a leading international
journal.