Session List

Only one abstract is permitted per presenting author with exceptions made for second submissions to an assigned education or tribute session.

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Special Sessions

SS01 ASLO Multicultural Program Student Symposium

Benjamin Cuker, Hampton University ([email protected])
Jeanette Davis, Hampton University ([email protected])

This session is for undergraduate and beginning graduate students, primarily affiliated with the ASLO Multicultural Program (ASLOMP). Students will present their research findings in a friendly atmosphere that encourages constructive criticism. Appropriate submission from students not affiliated with ASLOMP will also be considered. Students may present in this session only once. They are encouraged to present subsequent work in regular sessions.

Keywords: Diversity, Student, Education,

SS02 Undergraduate Research in Marine and Aquatic Sciences

David Fields, Bigelow Labs for Ocean Sciences ([email protected])
Lisa ROM, NSF ([email protected])
Hayley Schiebel, Suffolk University ([email protected])

Research opportunities are increasingly offered to undergraduate students and recent graduates to help them understand marine and aquatic sciences and offer them an opportunity to consider career options. This session will provide a venue for undergraduate and post- baccalaureate research in a general session that highlights the wide variety of student research. Presenting at meetings is an opportunity for students to engage with the science community and for interested faculty to discuss potential projects. This session is designed for students who are presenting for the first time at a scientific meeting and for mentors looking for possible graduate students. Students are not limited to this session, and we encourage any student who wishes to submit an abstract to a specialized science session in the subject of their research to consider that option as well.

Keywords: Undergraduate, REU, Education,

SS04 Examining the associations between the blue economy and aquatic ecosystem health (Poster-only)

Kurt Wurthmann, Nova Southeastern University ([email protected])
Susanne Menden-Deuer, University of Rhode Island ([email protected])
Bayden Russell, University of Hong Kong ([email protected])

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) defines the blue economy as “the sustainable use and conservation of aquatic resources in both marine and freshwater environments. This includes oceans and seas, coastlines and banks, lakes, rivers and groundwater.” While early definitions of the blue economy focused mostly on marine environments, broader definitions that encompass all aquatic systems, such as that of the UN ECA, are increasingly being adopted. This is in recognition of the fact that the deep interconnections among all water systems make it impossible to draw clear dividing lines between lake, river, estuary, and ocean environments. Accordingly, this session also adopts this more inclusive definition of the blue economy.  Blue economy activities are diverse and include fishing and aquaculture, aquatic environmental tourism, lake, river, and maritime transport, aquatic renewable energy and carbon dioxide removal, water desalination, and undersea cabling and mining. Estimates indicate that the blue economy contributes more than $1.5 trillion annually to the global economy and offers the potential to provide more than 20% of the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions needed to meet the Paris Agreement limitations on temperature increases by 2050. Measuring and monitoring the past, present, and future state of health of our lakes, rivers, estuaries, and oceans is at the core of the blue economy. The goal of this session is to integrate theories, methods, and perspectives from economics, policy studies, and the aquatic sciences to provide new insights about the blue economy. The session aims to include but is not limited to studies of the interrelationships between past, present, or future states of aquatic ecosystems and blue economy activities, regulations, and policies. We welcome all innovative, interdisciplinary studies that integrate natural and social science perspectives in examining how blue economy activities and/or governance affect or are affected by the health of our aquatic ecosystems. The session will promote mutual learning and potential future collaborations among participants. Interdisciplinary research on the blue economy can improve understanding of this complex human-natural environment system and facilitate decision making that helps to safeguard the overall health of our interconnected aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: blue economy, governance, ocean regulations, aquatic ecosystem health, human-natural environment system

SS05 Interdisciplinary approaches that consider the social and psychological dimensions of taking the pulse of our aquatic systems (Poster-only)

Kurt Wurthmann, Nova Southeastern University ([email protected])
Susanne Menden-Deuer, University of Rhode Island ([email protected])

Reflecting upon and making decisions about how today’s actions will manifest in tomorrow’s environmental outcomes involves social and psychological processes. The goal of this session is to integrate theories, methods, and perspectives from the social sciences in the study of the health of aquatic ecosystems. For example, data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted through lenses that are shaped by social and psychological processes, which also influence decision making. This session aims to include but is not limited to studies about how assessments and decision making related to past, present, or future states of aquatic ecosystems are shaped by implicit theories and biases, perceptions, beliefs, values, attitudes, personality, group behavior, social and personal norms, behavioral intentions, environmental history perspectives, environmental sociology and justice theories, media, ethics, or aesthetics. We welcome all innovative, interdisciplinary studies that integrate natural and social science perspectives in taking the pulse of our aquatic ecosystems. Considering broader, interdisciplinary assessments of aquatic ecosystems can improve understanding of these complex systems and facilitate decision making that raises the overall health of our lakes, rivers, estuaries, and oceans.

Keywords: Environmental psychology, social psychology, environmental sociology, environmental history, environmental ethics

SS06 Biogeochemical feedbacks in aquatic environments: On the role of ecology, evolution, and biological adaptation as drivers of Earth’s climate system

Richard LaBrie, McGill ([email protected])
Corday Selden, Rutgers University ([email protected])
Laura Ganley, New England Aquarium ([email protected])

Climate change is rapidly altering aquatic ecosystems worldwide, from pristine headwater streams to the abyssal plain. The resulting shifts in ecosystem structure and function can, in turn, exert a reciprocal influence (feedback) on environmental chemistry and climate by amplifying or dampening the impact of the initial perturbation. At the global scale, aquatic ecosystems can alter climate by varying (1) albedo, (2) greenhouse gas fluxes, and (3) carbon stocks through short- to long-term reservoirs. These biogeochemical feedbacks have the potential to profoundly influence the rate of warming and other physical/chemical changes, and to determine ‘tipping points’ i.e., inflections in these rates. Yet, despite their probable importance, most biogeochemical feedbacks remain poorly constrained and, in some cases, even the directionality of their effect on the initial stimulus (amplifying or dampening) is unknown. Consequently, biogeochemical feedbacks represent an area of major uncertainty in Earth Systems Models, when they are included at all. This session will take the pulse of biogeochemical feedbacks in aquatic ecosystems, addressing the question: “How will ecosystem shifts (e.g., changes in diversity, productivity, trophic structure, size structure, stoichiometry, metabolic rates) driven by climate change-related stressors (e.g., warming, deoxygenation, acidification, sea level rise) alter Earth’s climate system?” We welcome presentations from modelers, experimentalists, and observationalists alike. The goal of this session is to improve our understanding of climate feedbacks driven by ecosystem dynamics in aquatic systems.

Keywords: Climate, Feedbacks, Biological carbon pump, Greenhouse gas emissions, Albedo

SS07 Ecological impacts of infrequent water column mixing events

Meredith Holgerson, Cornell University ([email protected])
Adam Heathcote, St. Croix Watershed Research Station ([email protected])
Lienne Sethna, St. Croix Watershed Research Station ([email protected])
Ana Morales Williams, University of Vermont ([email protected])

Water column stratification regulates key ecosystem processes in lentic waterbodies, including oxygen availability, carbon cycling, nutrient availability, and habitat suitability. Climate change is predicted to strengthen water column stratification via warming, while also increasing the frequency of partial or complete water column mixing via intensifying storms. For example, storms may cause shallow dimictic lakes to become polymictic, whereas warming may reduce mixing frequency in shallow polymictic lakes and ponds. Infrequent mixing events may have ecological consequences that last for weeks, including algal blooms, release of greenhouse gases, and the release of bioavailable contaminants to the water column. The goal of this special session is to explore how infrequent physical mixing events influence ecological processes, such as ecosystem metabolism, algal blooms, contaminant bioavailability, or greenhouse gas production and emissions. We welcome scientists who work across different systems and use various techniques to understand how changing climate may alter the physical, chemical, and biological properties of lakes and ponds.

Keywords: Lake mixing, Stratification, Ecosystem ecology, Algal blooms, Biogeochemistry

SS08 Integrating and developing ‘omics technologies in aquatic community ecology

Cynthia Becker, Ithaca College ([email protected])
Alicia Reigel, Washington and Lee University ([email protected])
Jeanne Bloomberg, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ([email protected])
Natalie Cohen, University of Georgia ([email protected])
Adrian Marchetti, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill ([email protected])

Advancements in ‘omics tools, such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and lipidomics, have revolutionized our understanding of aquatic ecosystems and produced immense amounts of data. Often, different ‘omics data types are interrelated, therefore connecting them has the potential to make research efforts more robust. If we remain siloed, we may miss potentially important components of aquatic systems that could provide insight into important ecological processes in this changing world. However, dealing with “big data” is computationally challenging, and the tools and expertise to glean biological information lags behind abilities to produce the data. Furthermore, there is currently no standardization of practices for collection, processing, or bioinformatic analyses, but there exist many protocols and frameworks that are commonly used within the community. Therefore, better standardizing tools and creating workflows for the integration of different ‘omics data may advance our understanding of aquatic biodiversity, function, and environmental change.

This session aims to highlight research that develops, integrates, and applies ‘omics data to take the pulse of aquatic biodiversity, function, and ecosystem change. For example, studies that couple metagenomics and metabolomics data, or work that focuses on tools to standardize or visualize different types of ‘omics data, would be ideal additions to this session. We invite talks across ecosystems, target organisms, and omic disciplines that highlight how novel omics practices can be leveraged to answer fundamental questions in aquatic ecology, evolutionary biology, and biogeochemistry. Our goal is for this session to stimulate a discussion around best practices in omics and to bring together scientists from diverse disciplines so that we may better leverage and integrate these tools in the coming years.

Keywords: omics, bioinformatics, aquatic ecology, metagenomics, metabolomics

SS09 Microbial responses to pulse disturbances in aquatic environments

Melissa Brock, University of California - San Diego ([email protected])
Alexandra Jones-Kellett, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ([email protected])
Christopher Olivares, University of California - Irvine ([email protected])

Natural, episodic processes such as eddies, fronts, upwelling, storms, hurricanes, as well as irregular anthropogenic-driven oil spills or pollutant release are common disturbances in marine and limnetic ecosystems. These processes occur at fine-scale temporal and/or spatial resolution and thus are not currently resolved in modern Earth System Models that are used to project future climate scenarios. Many of these processes are becoming more frequent and are intensifying under ongoing climate change, so it is increasingly important to understand their effects. These events disproportionately impact aquatic systems by providing anomalous “pulses” of nutrients or an altered physical environment that microbial communities respond to. However, the impact of such pulses on microbial communities is difficult to capture and synthesize because of variable characteristics of the physical disturbance, rapid changes to biogeochemistry, and potentially unknown pre-existing local environmental conditions. In this session, we invite submissions that quantitatively link episodic or irregular fine-scale forcings with geochemical changes and the microbial response (bacteria, archaea, and/or eukaryotes) within marine and limnetic ecosystems. We highly encourage submissions that use observational surveys of microbial communities (e.g., ‘omics, flow cytometry, and microscopy) to perform a detailed assessment of the biological response to pulsed physical disturbances. Of particular interest are examinations of the duration of the microbial response to the disturbance, the variability of the response to a particular type of disturbance, a comparison of the response between different types of disturbances, or links between changes within the microbial community to changes in ecosystem level processes.

Keywords: microbial ecology, phytoplankton ecology, fine-scale variability, disturbance, recovery

SS10 Microbial processes of the dark ocean

Ramunas Stepanauskas, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences ([email protected])
Maria Pachiadaki, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ([email protected])

The “dark ocean” – the water column below the photic zone - constitutes 90% of the ocean’s volume and contains three quarters of its microbial biomass. The dark ocean microbiome controls the aphotic end of the ocean’s carbon biological pump, and play a vital role in biogeochemical cycling. It is characterized by elevated taxonomic diversity, pronounced vertical stratification and complex interactions among heterotrophs and chemoautotrophs. There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the metabolic processes in light of the emerging use of the dark ocean and its seafloor for fishing, carbon sequestration, and industrial mining. However, due to the challenges of conducting research at such depths, relatively little is known about the identity, ecology, evolution, activity and resilience of microorganisms inhabiting the dark ocean. The goal of this session is to assemble scientific presentations that cover deep-sea technology development and cutting-edge science in a broad spectrum of dark ocean microbiology-related research areas.

Keywords: dark ocean, plankton, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, hadal zone

SS11 Biotic and abiotic influences on the lability and fate of organic matter

Shuting Liu, Kean University ([email protected])
Yuan Shen, Xiamen University ([email protected])
John Paul Balmonte, Lehigh University ([email protected])

Organic matter in aquatic environments includes dissolved and particulate compounds with varying lability, ranging from labile compounds that turn over rapidly, such as amino acids and carbohydrates, to refractory components that persist for thousands to millions of years. The lability of organic matter influences its fate, either incorporation into microbial biomass, respiration by heterotrophic microbes, or export to various regions. Organic matter lability is influenced by intrinsic molecular properties, as well as biotic factors, such as microbial abundance, enzymes, and community composition. In addition, abiotic factors, such as photochemical reactions, oxygen stress, sorption/desorption, and physical aggregation/disintegration, also influence the transformation and fate of organic matter. While recent advances in chemical analysis and microbial studies have significantly enhanced our understanding of these processes, several big questions remain regarding the fate of organic matter. When and where do biotic versus abiotic factors dominate organic matter transformations? Can we identify common principles that determine the fate of organic matter across all water bodies? In this session, we invite presentations on the lability and fate of organic matter in aquatic environments, including but not limited to chemical characterization, ecosystem-specific studies on organic matter source and fate, microbial production and uptake, and pathways of degradation and transformation. We welcome both field observation and lab experimental studies, aiming to synthesize research across disciplines and better understand the factors shaping organic matter lability and its role in biogeochemical processes in aquatic environments.

Keywords: organic matter, lability, fate, biotic, abiotic

SS12 Identifying, measuring and responding to plastics in the aquatic environment

Meredith Seeley, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), William & Mary ([email protected])
Zhanfei Liu, University of Texas Marine Science Institute ([email protected])
Mara Walters, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), William & Mary ([email protected])

Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the foremost environmental contaminants in aquatic systems worldwide. Plastics are multifaceted, encompassing a variety of sizes (macro/meso: >5 mm, micro: 1 um – 5 mm, and nano: <1 um), shapes (fragments, fibers, beads) and chemistries (different polymers and chemical additive compositions). Plastic reaches the aquatic environment through various sources and, once there, is subject to natural weathering processes including physical abrasion, biodegradation, and photooxidation. As such, this aquatic contaminant presents significant and unique analytical challenges. These challenges have hindered the scientific community's ability to fully measure their extent and composition, or assess ultimate environmental impact. In ‘taking the pulse’ of aquatic environments, an understanding of current plastic pollution levels as well as best-methods for analyzing their future concentration, composition and toxicity is paramount. This session invites presenters to share research on a variety of plastic-related topics, including but not limited to: current plastic pollutions levels in different aquatic ecosystems; methods for improved plastic polymer/additive detection in aquatic matrices; methods to improve analysis of small micro- and nanoplastics and related chemical constituents; analysis of plastic fate and weathering in aquatic environments; novel techniques or perspectives for measuring plastic impacts and toxicity; studies elucidating the interactions between plastics and natural aquatic biogeochemical and ecological systems. All presenters are invited to highlight key research needs related to their work. In all, this session will provide attendees with an opportunity to discuss research gaps and identify opportunities for future research collaboration on plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

Keywords: plastic pollution, microplastic, analytical methods, plastic additives, monitoring

SS13 Benthic Alkalinity Production Across the Land-Ocean Aquatic Continuum: Experiments, Modeling, Challenges, and New Perspectives

Hang Yin, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi ([email protected])
Xinping Hu, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi ([email protected])

Benthic processes significantly influence seawater chemistry, with benthic alkalinity production playing a crucial role in the oceanic alkalinity cycle, representing an important pathway for net carbon sequestration. However, direct measurements of benthic alkalinity fluxes are still scarce due to technical difficulties. It is also difficult to relate direct measurements of seawater carbonate chemistry to benthic alkalinity flux without accounting for hydrodynamics. Additionally, sediment diagenetic reactions can be very dynamic in coastal environments, leading to temporal and spatial variations in benthic alkalinity fluxes. From a modeling perspective, region-specific models that fully incorporate variabilities of coastal environments are lacking. Therefore, sediment-water alkalinity fluxes in models remain poorly constrained.

This session aims to enhance the understanding of benthic alkalinity production, from its spatial and temporal variations to its role in regional to oceanic alkalinity cycle and carbon sequestration. We invite contributions ranging from experiments to modeling (including oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, iron, etc.) in various environments from estuaries to the open ocean.

Keywords: benthic process, carbonate chemistry, hydrodynamic model, alkalinity, land-ocean aquatic continuum

SS14 Biogeochemical Connections and Ecosystem Adaptation Across the Land-Ocean Continuum

Michael Seidel, University of Oldenburg ([email protected])
Sairah Malkin, University of Maryland ([email protected])
Patricia M. Medeiros, University of Georgia ([email protected])
Sasha Wagner, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ([email protected])
Nicholas D. Ward, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory ([email protected])

Rivers transport large amounts of organic carbon, trace metals, and nutrients from land to coastal oceans. At the land-sea interface, elemental fluxes and transformations are influenced by processes occurring in rivers, wetlands, and estuaries. Increasing anthropogenic pressure, such as land-use change and increasing frequency of extreme events (e.g., hurricanes, fires), are altering the sources and quality of organic carbon and nutrients exported to coastal ecosystems. Maintaining the integrity of coastal aquatic systems is critical because they provide essential ecosystem services. Effectively adapting to meet these challenges requires us to understand the biogeochemical linkages of carbon and nutrient cycles to ecosystem processes and microbial activity, and how they are altered by human activities. This session aims to bring together scientists from all fields of biogeochemistry, covering ecosystems at different latitudes and spatio-temporal scales. We welcome contributions that address carbon and nutrient fluxes across the land-ocean continuum, biogeochemical transformations in rivers, coastal wetlands and estuaries, as well as the fate of terrestrial carbon in marine environments. We also encourage submissions that explain mechanisms underlying observed patterns in the distribution or transformation of sedimentary, particulate, and dissolved organic matter, their relationship to CO2 outgassing or uptake, and microbial community composition across aquatic gradients. In addition, we are interested in approaches to quantify the response of coastal aquatic systems to environmental stressors to guide conservation and restoration efforts.

Keywords: coastal aquatic ecosystems, rivers, organic matter and nutrient transformations, biogeochemistry, microbial community composition

SS16 Emerging Chemical and Biological Contaminants in Aquatic Ecosystems

James Pinckney, University of South Carolina ([email protected])
David Hala, Texas A&M - Galveston ([email protected])
Antonietta Quigg, Texas A&M - Galveston ([email protected])
Karl Kaiser, Texas A&M University - Galveston ([email protected])
Catherine Schlenker, University of South Carolina ([email protected])

Biological and chemical contaminants enter aquatic ecosystems from both land and the atmosphere. Biological contaminants include viruses, bacteria, and parasites that infect humans, wildlife, or livestock. These enter our waterways through untreated sewage or wastewater, or via run-off from forests, agricultural fields, concentrated animal growth operations on land, or intensive aquaculture operations. Chemical contaminants also enter via these routes and occur in a wide variety of forms including organic nutrients, pesticides, herbicides, industrial products (e.g., PFAS and 6ppd- quinone), personal care products, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, and heavy metals. Many chemicals, especially PFAS, 6ppd-quinone, and microplastics are considered “contaminants of emerging concern” due to their longevity and potential for biomagnification in food webs. Inputs of many contaminants are poorly regulated, so concentrations are steadily increasing in aquatic ecosystems. Contaminants in surface waters may have direct effects on human health but may also profoundly influence aquatic ecosystems through indirect impacts on aquatic biota, resulting in poor water quality. The central focus of this session will be oral presentations on the quantification of environmental concentrations of these compounds in aquatic ecosystems, information on the real and potential impacts on biota (aquatic and human), characterizing biomarkers to demarcate exposure and adverse effects, new detection technologies, and strategies for mitigating contaminant impacts within these systems.

Keywords: pollution, PFOS, 6ppd-quinone, pharmaceutical, antibiotic

SS17 Viral interactions and ecological dynamics

Stephen Beckett, University of Maryland ([email protected])
Elaine Luo, University of North Carolina at Charlotte ([email protected])
Kristina Mojica, University of Southern Mississippi ([email protected])

Viruses are the most abundant, diverse, and widespread known biological entities in aquatic systems. Viruses infect a diverse range of organisms, from bacteria to whales, and their impacts on aquatic ecosystems extend beyond causing mortality and disease. Viral infections play a crucial role in shaping biogeochemical cycles, facilitating gene transfer, and altering metabolic processes of host cells. Ecologically, viruses have different lifestyles that exist on a continuum between horizontal and vertical transmission (e.g., spanning lysis to lysogeny) – and they also differ in host specificity – leading to questions of how coexistence is mediated and what conditions favor particular virus life-history strategies. Additionally, ongoing research is needed to better understand the factors regulating virus-host interactions and how these interactions vary across different spatial and temporal scales. Biogeochemically, in marine systems viral-induced lysis is hypothesized: (a) to enhance microbial mediated respiration and nutrient recycling in the microbial loop via the release of labile nutrients retained in surface waters – the viral shunt; and also (b) to increase particle aggregation and export to the deep oceans – the viral shuttle. The large-scale biogeochemical impacts of small, yet abundant viruses in aquatic systems remains open to investigation. While new technologies have advanced the roles of viruses in aquatic ecology and biogeochemistry over the last three decades, identifying and quantifying the importance of virus-mediated processes and how they scale up across differing aquatic ecosystems remains challenging.  We invite submissions focusing on the analysis of field sampling, experimental systems, theory, modeling, and/or bioinformatics approaches. We encourage interdisciplinary submissions that integrate multiple lines of evidence and those which seek to quantify rates and processes. Topics of interest include the regulation of virus-host interactions, biophysical interactions, mortality rates and population dynamics, the influence on aquatic food web functioning and biogeochemical cycling, novel host-virus systems, and other studies that advance our understanding of the vast roles that viruses play in aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: Viruses, Phage, Infection, Ecology, Viral shunt and shuttle

SS18 Nitrogen Cycling Processes in Aquatic Ecosystems and Associated Food Webs

Lin Zhang, Texas A and M University Corpus Christi ([email protected])
Mark Altabet, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth ([email protected])
Annie Bourbonnais, University of South Carolina ([email protected])
Pat Glibert, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ([email protected])
Wingman (Charlotte) Lee, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi ([email protected])

Aquatic ecosystems, ranging from the open ocean to coastal environments, are driven by intricate nitrogen (N) cycling processes that are essential for maintaining the health of these environments and the food webs they sustain. At the base of these food webs, primary producers such as phytoplankton play a pivotal role by assimilating N from various sources through both photoautotrophic and mixotrophic pathways. Autotrophy converts inorganic N to organic N, predominantly in the form of proteins and amino acids (AAs), which serve as the primary carriers of N as it moves through the food webs.

Identifying the sources of N in aquatic ecosystems and their associated food webs is crucial for understanding and modeling these cycling processes. This can be achieved through contemporary measurements of dissolved inorganic N (e.g., nitrate and ammonia) concentrations and stable isotopes, as well as by reconstructing historical N sources and usage patterns using organic N and their isotopes in biogenic particles and sediments. These investigations provide valuable insights into both the past and present dynamics of N cycling in open ocean and coastal environments.

Moreover, N cycling processes have significant implications for climate, as processes such as denitrification and nitrification can lead to the production of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas with long-term impacts on global warming. Understanding the factors that regulate N₂O production and release is therefore essential for predicting the broader environmental consequences of N cycling.

This session aims to bring together researchers utilizing a diverse array of methodologies, including isotope geochemistry, biomolecular tools, and numerical modeling, to explore N cycling in aquatic ecosystems and their associated food webs across both open ocean and coastal areas. By sharing insights and findings, this session seeks to deepen our understanding of N cycling processes across different aquatic environments, ultimately contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of how N cycling influences ecosystem structure and function across various spatial and temporal scales.

Keywords: compound specific nitrogen isotopes, nitrate ammonium, protein and amino acids, denitrification annamox, natural and anthropogenic nitrogen

SS19 Climate “winners and losers”: predicting and assessing microbial responses to climate change

Arianna Krinos, Brown University ([email protected])
Christine Palermo, WHOI ([email protected])
Margaret Mars Brisbin, University of South Florida ([email protected])

Climate “winners and losers” are organisms or groups of organisms expected to become more or less (respectively) abundant due to climate change, when climate responses are evaluated at a broad biological scale. -Omics approaches can be used to identify the genetic traits that confer climate resilience or susceptibility and their adaptation rate. Evidence from field studies and in situ observations may be leveraged to make isolated predictions, or to test forecasts made by ecosystem models about future microbial distributions. Likewise, culture manipulations that assess physiological adaptations to different physicochemical conditions can drive predictions of microbial community responses to changing aquatic environments. Whether or not organisms can be accurately and summarily predicted as climate “winners and losers”, either generally or regionally, is an open question with key implications for our language about future impacts of climate change on aquatic microorganisms and the ecosystems they shape. In this session, we invite talks describing evidence for climate resilience or sensitivity of microbial taxa from any aquatic environment. We particularly encourage talks from participants who link empirical and theoretical approaches, or specifically address the capacity of -omics approaches to predict climate impacts on microbial communities. We hope this session will inspire precise language about predicted climate impacts on key groups of aquatic microorganisms and promote dialogue about microbial groups experiencing recent climate impacts.

Keywords: Microbial ecology, Forecasting, Climate change, Phytoplankton, Adaptation

SS20 Leveraging Modeling Approaches to Understand and Mitigate Global Change Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems

Chuyan Zhao, Michigan Technological University ([email protected])
Pengfei Xue, Michigan Technological University ([email protected])
Mark Rowe, NOAA ([email protected])
Xing Zhou, Georgia Institute of Technology ([email protected])
Reza Valipour, Environment and Climate Change Canada ([email protected])

This session will focus on the application of modeling approaches to assess the impacts of global change on aquatic ecosystems, emphasizing the resolution of biological problems. By incorporating a range of modeling methodologies, including but not limited to biophysical modeling, biogeochemical modeling, and ecosystem modeling, the session will advance the understanding of how environmental stressors affect aquatic ecosystems. Additionally, it will discuss how these models can be utilized to develop better management strategies for policymakers facing the stressors of global change.

We will examine how modeling can elucidate the effects of multiple stressors — such as climate change, land use intensification, contaminants, nutrients, habitat destruction, and overfishing — on environmental and biological issues. These issues include, but are not limited to, algal blooms, water quality, shifts in species distributions, and changes in ecosystem functions. This session also aims to advance our understanding of the complex dynamics of global change impacts on aquatic systems and address pressing environmental challenges effectively through fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. On the one hand, the robustness and predictive capabilities of modeling can be enhanced by integrating real-time observational data, remote sensing, in situ measurements, and machine learning/data analysis techniques. On the other hand, modeling work can provide better guidance for observed fieldwork and public policymaking.

We invite contributions that demonstrate innovative modeling approaches, case studies, and practical applications to promote knowledge sharing and the development of effective solutions. Specific areas of focus will include but are not limited to, modeling aquatic greenhouse gas emissions, harmful algal blooms (HABs) occurrences, assessing changes in water quality indicators, and understanding nutrient dynamics under varying climatic conditions. This session will provide a platform for exchanging ideas and strategies to enhance the resilience of aquatic ecosystems in the face of various stressors, leveraging modeling approaches to resolve critical biological and environmental problems.

We encourage submissions not only from researchers but also from practitioners and policymakers to promote interdisciplinary collaborations and advance our understanding of climate change impacts on aquatic ecosystems. We particularly welcome submissions from early career researchers and those from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized communities.

Keywords: Modeling, Global change, Aquatic Ecosystems, Multiple Stressors

SS21 Recording Changes in the Health of Lake Ecosystems using Innovative Retrospective Approaches

Katrina A. Moser, University of Western Ontario, Dept. of Geography and Environment ([email protected])
Euan Reavie, University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute ([email protected])

Lake ecosystems are under threat from a myriad of often interconnected factors including, climate change, fertilization, microplastics, metals, hydrocarbons, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and invasive species. These stressors can act independently or synergistically in complex interactions. What are the combined effects of these different stressors on lake ecosystems? How do we know when a lake has moved from a “healthy” to an “unhealthy” state? What can we do to protect lake ecosystems and important water resources?

A historical perspective provides us with important information to determine the effects of different stressors and provides critical information for successful management including: 1) timing of changes; 2) direction of change; 3) magnitude of change; 4) the cause of change and 5) whether a lake ecosystem has moved outside of natural variability or its “healthy” state. Unfortunately, long-term measurements of these stressors or lake ecosystem health are rarely available, but paleolimnology and long-term monitoring offer opportunities to gain these essential perspectives. In this session we welcome papers that use innovative paleolimnological and other long-term approaches to understand the effects of a variety of stressors on lake ecosystems or use novel approaches to identify best management practices. We hope that this session will not only demonstrate the critical role long-term records play in identifying the effects of a variety of stressors acting individually or together, but also point to effective lake ecosystem management and protection of these important water resources.

Keywords: Paleolimnology, monitoring, lake ecosystem health, stressors, lake management

SS22 Altered Biogeochemical Cycling in The Laurentian Great Lakes Under Intensifying Anthropogenic Stress

Christopher Filstrup, University of Minnesota Duluth ([email protected])
Kathryn Schreiner, University of Minnesota Duluth ([email protected])
Reagan Errera, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory ([email protected])

The Laurentian Great Lakes (LGLs) contain approximately 20% of global surface freshwater, and therefore play important roles in global biogeochemical cycling. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of biogeochemical cycling within the LGLs, including not only traditional biogeochemical processes such as nutrient pools and processing rates, but also complex interactions between macro- and micro-elemental cycles. This is increasingly important, as anthropogenic impacts are intensifying and the LGLs are responding to multiple stressors (e.g., warming, water level fluctuations, strong storm-drought cycles, acidification, aquatic invasive species, harmful algal blooms). For example, large uncertainties in pools and processing rates of the three primary macronutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) in the LGLs constrain our ability to forecast lake responses to future stressors. Although hydrologically interconnected, the LGLs encompass five distinct freshwater ecosystems concerning biogeochemistry. For example, Lake Superior’s carbon budget is 20+ years old and includes missing carbon inputs from unidentified sources (i.e., the carbon mass balance does not add up), and mechanisms contributing to high accumulation of nitrate in the water column are unclear. In contrast to the predominantly forested watershed of Lake Superior, the lower four Great Lakes are strongly influenced by nitrogen and phosphorus loading from agricultural sources, but coupling between these critical nutrient cycles has not been fully defined. As anthropogenic stress continues to compound, cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as other nutrients, will be affected in yet unknown ways. In this session, we invite submissions that focus on macro- and micro-elemental cycles (both pools and processes) in the LGLs, especially those that focus on interactions among cycles, connections between cycles and anthropogenic stress, or novel or understudied controls on biogeochemical cycles. We hope to integrate findings from observational or experimental studies using diverse approaches (e.g., high frequency sensors, remote sensing, field surveys, modeling). The intended outcome from this session is to identify new linkages among cycles and areas for future research and refinement.

Keywords: biogeochemistry, carbon, Laurentian Great Lakes, nitrogen, phosphorus

SS23 What Leaves Leave When Leaves Leave Trees?

Peter Hernes, University of California, Davis ([email protected])
Juliana D'Andrilli, University of North Texas (juliana.d'[email protected])
Klaus Kaiser, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ([email protected])

Carbon fixed by plants in soft tissues is nearly quantitatively released back to the atmosphere in a matter of years, and yet the paths, processes, and timelines by which leafy organic matter (OM) is eventually remineralized has a profound impact on the biosphere, including soils, water, and biota. Organic matter leached from soft tissues contributes to soil OM and fertility, enters water bodies and shapes the light field, fuels microbial foodwebs, exerts strong controls on photochemistry, and functions as the electron donor in countless redox reactions. Release of nutrients drives fertility in soils, spurs primary productivity in waters, fuels denitrification in combination with released organic matter, and functions as an electron acceptor in countless redox reactions in anoxic environments. In this session, we invite primary research that quantifies the breakdown and loss of OM and nutrients from leaves, needles, and grasses as well as more persistent barks and woods through a variety of natural processes, and investigates the processes and fates of these released materials throughout the biosphere. We also welcome secondary analyses of existing literature that defines or clarifies conceptual models. Submissions to this session are great candidates for a special issue in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences with the same title as this session. In addition to process-based studies, we are also interested in the topic of how to conduct simple laboratory leaching and incubation experiments that are still relevant to complex environmental systems.

Keywords: Dissolved Organic Matter, Plant Leachates, Soils, Rivers and lakes, Incubations

SS24 Biogeochemistry and food webs of oligotrophic ocean regions and potential climate-change impacts on habitat quality for the larvae of large pelagic fishes

Michael Landry, University of California, San Diego ([email protected])
Michael Stukel, Florida State University ([email protected])
Sven Kranz, Rice University ([email protected])

While climate change impacts on high-latitude ecosystems are already substantial and being widely investigated to predict future consequences, the effects on already warm and nutritionally poor regions of the oceans are less clearly understood and will be more difficult to quantify relative to background variability. For such regions, predicting the consequences of future changes will also challenge our understanding of how these systems and the populations dependent on them function in the contemporary ocean. One specific concern is the nature of food webs that underlie successful recruitment of some the ocean’s top predators and economically important stocks, such as tunas, billfish and similar large pelagics. Adults of such species migrate freely, forage over long distances and have other capabilities, such as deep diving and thermoregulation, that minimize direct impacts of shifting ocean conditions on them. Many, however, spawn in restricted remote areas of tropical and subtropical oceans, leaving their larvae to feed, grow and survive (or not) in surface waters that are becoming warmer, more stratified, less productive and more acidic. Different from adults, larvae have limited thermal range, mobility and resistance to starvation leaving them vulnerable to changing ocean conditions, a likely recruitment bottleneck for large pelagics in the future. This session will provide a forum for biological, biogeochemical and fisheries oceanographers to share their complementary perspectives on assessing change in oligotrophic seas and its implications for larval habitat quality. We invite abstracts on topics including biogeochemical and lower-level ecosystem studies in oligotrophic seas that link to processes impacting larval feeding, growth or survival; the controls and limitations on productivity and trophic flows; new approaches that distinguish optimally and deficiently growing larval subpopulations and their defining characteristics; inter-species or inter-system comparative ecology of spawning habitats; and ecosystem-level modeling studies that relate to larval recruitment issues for large pelagics.

Keywords: productivity limitation, climate change, food webs, trophic structure, isotopic niche

SS25 Marine microbial interactions at the molecular and cellular scale

Uri Sheyn, Virginia Tech ([email protected])
Shiri Graff van Creveld, University of Washington Center for Environmental Genomics ([email protected])
Flora Vincent, EMBL Heidelberg ([email protected])

Microbial interactions, whether symbiotic, beneficial, antagonistic, or pathogenic, are crucial in the marine environment, as they can shape community composition and influence nutrient cycles, energy flow, and overall ecosystem function. Despite their significance, the complex web of interactions among planktonic microbes remains enigmatic, mainly due to marine environments' dynamic nature and our limited ways of sampling the interactions that occur at the scale of the single cells. This session aims to bring together experts in aquatic microbial ecology to discuss the implications of recent advancements in technologies and methodologies that are revolutionizing our ability to decipher and characterize marine microbial interactions.

Keywords: microbial-interactions, molecular-mechanism, infochemicals, single-cell, phycosphere

SS26 The role of (hydrologic and climatic) intermittency in the cycling of carbon and nitrogen and associated greenhouse gas fluxes across the land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC)

Jacob Yeo, Southern Cross University ([email protected])
Ryan Felton, Southern Cross University ([email protected])
Jian-Jhih Chen, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology ([email protected])
Bradley Eyre, Southern Cross University ([email protected])

The land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC) is a complex system of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. It is the interface where large amounts of terrestrial organic matter, carbon and nitrogen enter estuaries and wetlands through rivers and groundwater inputs. These inputs are transformed by biogeochemical processes occurring within the coastal environment before being exported to the ocean. There is intense hydrological and climatic variability along the LOAC. Biogeochemical processes occurring along the LOAC can be understood as a reactive transport pathway; with short- (diurnal) to long-term (periodic) hydrological and climatic patterns influencing respective reactive and transport fluxes within and between the riverine, estuarine, and marine components.

Approximately forty percent of the world’s population live within 100 km of the coast, attracted by the key ecosystem services to humans provided by LOAC environments. As a result, human-induced changes locally along the LOAC and also globally, are dramatically altering the intermittent hydrological regimes with changes in episodic flood, storm and drought events. Human impact along the LOAC has cascading effects on the capacity of natural systems to sequester carbon, remediate excess nutrients, and provide adequate conditions for biogeochemical processes. Furthermore, anthropogenic intervention focusing on utilizing components of the LOAC for enhanced carbon storage may be jeopardized by increasingly intermittent systems. The fluxes of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) may oscillate between effluxes and uptake depending on intermittent drivers.

Although scientific efforts are now focused on the effects of intermittent hydrology and climatic events exacerbated by anthropogenic change, it is still unclear how reactive transport within the LOAC may be influenced. Collectively, the component systems of the LOAC represent a disproportionate impact on greenhouse gas fluxes. The question remains: how can we characterize these fluxes within inherently intermittent systems?

Variation in temporal drivers influencing biogeochemical processes continues to obscure trends in long-term data. Work is being done at a global scale to rethink the meaning of average conditions and to specifically contextualize periodic, ephemeral, and intermittent drivers on biogeochemical processes on annual scales. This session welcomes studies that focus on the 1) individual LOAC components and/or 2) the LOAC as a whole; through a multidisciplinary lens, exploring topics such as spatial connectivity, and short- and long-term impacts of intermittent events and human impacts on biogeochemical processes that influence the cycling of carbon and nitrogen and associated greenhouse gas fluxes.

Keywords: Intermittency, Greenhouse gases, Land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC), Biogeochemistry, Anthropogenic Impacts

SS27 Long-term perspectives in marine pelagic ecosystem research

Katherine Barbeau, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego ([email protected])
Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska Fairbanks ([email protected])
Heidi Sosik, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ([email protected])
Oscar Schofield, Rutgers University ([email protected])

The U.S. Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) network expanded in 2017 to encompass four marine sites with a pelagic focus, complementing existing time-series maintained by NSF, NOAA, and multiple international funding agencies and enhancing our ability to document multidecadal ecosystem responses to climate variability and change across a global gradient. The four LTER sites span a range in terms of physical environment, geography, bathymetry, and terrestrial influence. Palmer LTER, on the western Antarctic Peninsula and extending 200 km offshore, is dominated by seasonal changes in sea ice cover and light availability. The California Current Ecosystem LTER is an eastern boundary upwelling regime and primarily an open ocean site with minor terrestrial inputs. The Northeast U.S. Shelf and Northern Gulf of Alaska LTER sites extend from the continental shelf into the open ocean, with significant terrestrial influences. All of the sites are associated with productive fisheries, and all are experiencing warming trends in surface air temperatures with associated impacts on mixed layer temperature and depth, and/or sea ice cover. This session will showcase ongoing studies of ecological responses at the LTER sites in terms of primary production, community composition and structure, carbon and nutrient cycling, and disturbance. We strongly encourage submissions related to these topics from other (non-LTER) national and international pelagic time-series sampling programs. Recent cross-LTER site synthesis efforts will also be highlighted.

Keywords: oceanography, coastal ecosystems, climate change, ecology, marine biology

SS28 Taking the pulse of constructed ecosystems: past, present, and future

Ruchi Bhattacharya, Dept. of Biological, Geological, & Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, OH, USA ([email protected])
Xinyu Sun, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, MI, USA ([email protected])
Carolina C. Barbosa, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability Department, Colorado State University, CO, USA ([email protected])
Tonya Delsontro, Dept. of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, ON, CA ([email protected])

Constructed inland aquatic systems (e.g., reservoirs, ponds, lakes, canals) are managed to provide ecosystem services, such as drinking water supply, flood control, irrigation, hydropower generation, and recreation. These socioeconomically important systems are ecological and biogeochemical hotspots and are increasingly affected by anthropogenic disturbances and hydro-climatic fluctuations. Here, we invite research contributions that take the “pulse” of these constructed ecosystems to understand their physical, ecological, and biogeochemical responses to local and global changes. Research focused on past reconstructions, present observations, or future projections/forecasts of such responses are invited. We aim to use the session to bring together the broader scientific community to understand current conditions of constructed aquatic systems and identify future research needs and directions related to the management and conservation of these important ecosystems. As such, contributions from scientists studying all aspects of man-made ecosystems utilizing methodologies including, but not limited to, remote sensing, artificial intelligence, modeling, field surveys, long-term monitoring, experimental manipulations, or big data are encouraged.

Keywords: Lakes & Reservoirs, Nutrients (Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus), Long-term & Big data, Remote Sensing, Modeling

SS29 The Pulse of Water Quality Remote Sensing in Inland Waters: State of the Art and Perspectives

Igor Ogashawara, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) ([email protected])
Megan Coffer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ([email protected])
Harriet Wilson, University of Stirling ([email protected])
Daniel Andrade, National Institute for Space Research (INPE) ([email protected])

There is a growing number of applications leveraging remote sensing technologies to monitor and manage water quality in inland waters. The use of remote sensing technologies, especially from satellites, is extremely valuable for limnological applications due to their ability to provide routine, large-scale analyses of spatio-temporal dynamics of key ecological variables and their use for time-series analysis through retrospective imagery. Because of this, remote sensing has played an important role in advancing water quality mapping by allowing the retrieval of optical and physical water properties from local to global scales. Several key factors have contributed to this increase: i) development of space science and technology which has increased the availability of Earth Observation data in the past decades; ii) development of new sensors with improved spectral resolution; iii) establishment of global networks in the field of water quality remote sensing (e.g., GEO AquaWatch, World Water Quality Alliance Earth Observations Workstream, Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network Aquatic Remote Sensing Working Group, and others), as well as open-source global datasets (e.g., GLORIA); and iv) improvements in computational power and the development of cloud computing platforms. Concurrent with these factors has been an increasing acceptance of remotely sensed water quality data worldwide; however, freshwater ecosystems are optically complex, have high biogeochemical variability, and high biological diversity, making common remote sensing products traditionally made for terrestrial systems unsuitable for freshwater. In this session, we aim to highlight efforts focused on applying satellite remote sensing data, developing methods and tools for the estimation of water quality parameters, and supporting capacity building strategies to bridge knowledge gaps in remote sensing studies of inland water quality. This session will contribute to the continuous growth and integration of remote sensing technology in limnology and contribute to the standardization of satellite-based water quality products to further improve the use of remote sensing technology for reliable inland water quality monitoring.

Keywords: bio-optical modeling, optical properties, aquatic atmospheric correction, earth observations, satellite image

SS30 Taking the Pulse of Mixotrophic Protists in Aquatic Ecosystems: Baseline and Response to Anthropogenic Change

Thomas Trombetta, University of Amsterdam ([email protected])
Susanne Wilken, University of Amsterdam ([email protected])
Shai Slomka, University of Amsterdam ([email protected])
Nicole Millette, Virginia Institute of Marine Science ([email protected])
Sarah Princiotta, Penn State Schuylkill ([email protected])

Mixotrophic protists, capable of both autotrophy and phagotrophy, are pivotal yet understudied components of aquatic microbial food webs. Through this unique trophic behavior mixotrophs are able to optimize nutrient and food uptake and likely enhancing primary production and energy transfer. Furthermore, mixotrophs significantly contribute to biogeochemical cycles and stabilize food webs, supporting higher trophic levels. Their distribution and diversity are primarily driven by light, nutrient and prey availability but also respond to a multitude of factors such as temperature, salinity, alkalinity or turbulence. They exhibit a remarkable range of strategies and functions, allowing them to thrive in various marine and freshwater environments. However, metabolic trade-offs triggered by environmental drivers are not well understood, making it difficult to predict their diversity, distribution and role in aquatic systems.

As we strive to take the pulse of our aquatic environments, understanding the dynamics and functions of mixotrophs and their contributions to marine food webs, becomes vital. Anthropogenic pressure on aquatic environments and climate change may trigger changes in mixotroph metabolism and their prevalence in the plankton community, which would alter their role in the food web and biogeochemical processes. However, mixotrophs metabolic activity and phototrophy/phagotrophy resource acquisition balance still remains methodologically challenging to study in situ. For example, ocean acidification is suspected to shift mixotroph behavior toward photoautotrophy and help capture anthropogenic CO₂ on the one hand, while global warming is suspected to favor phagotrophy, thus releasing more CO₂ in the atmosphere on the other hand. Yet none of these responses are well understood. Resolving the tight interplay between metabolic processes, environmental drivers, and food web interactions of mixotrophs will be crucial to assess the future health of our aquatic systems.

This session aims to shed light on the complex roles of mixotrophs in food webs, under both current and future conditions. We particularly foster contributions at the cutting-edge on research on mixotroph metabolism, diversity, and ecological role in the food web that can help to better assess the future of aquatic ecosystems.

Keywords: Mixotrophs, microbial food web, photosymbiosis, phagotrophy, metabolism trade-offs

SS31 Sargassum Accumulations in the Atlantic: Ecological Drivers, Impacts, and Predictive Models

Fabio Nauer, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) ([email protected])
Linda Amaral-Zettler, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) ([email protected])
Pierre-Yves Pascal, Université des Antilles ([email protected])

The proliferation of holopelagic Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea has significant ecological, economic, and environmental impacts. This session aims to bring together researchers from the international community to share their latest research on the causes, origins, and predictability of Sargassum accumulation and stranding events. The session will focus on several key areas to increase our knowledge and understanding of Sargassum ecology: 1. Insights into the genetic diversity of Sargassum across the Atlantic, including microbiome and geographic distribution, 2. Examination of the role of nutrient inputs from diverse sources, such as Amazon river outflow, upwelling systems, and atmospheric deposition (e.g., Saharan dust), in stimulating Sargassum growth, 3. Exploration of changing ocean currents and temperature on the patterns of distribution and intensity of Sargassum accumulations. 4. Development of models and predictive tools to forecast bloom events, integrating data from satellite observations, oceanographic measurements, and climate models to improve the accuracy of bloom predictions. 5. Assessment of the ecological consequences of large-scale Sargassum events on marine ecosystems, including impacts on biodiversity, fisheries, and coastal environments.

Keywords: Sargassum, Climate change, Bloom predictability, Ocean Circulation, Nutrient Dynamics

SS33 Impacts of hydrological variability on microplastic fate and transport

Zoraida Quiñones-Rivera, Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 ([email protected])
Björn Wissel, Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 ([email protected])
Stefan Krause, University of Birmingham ([email protected])

Despite the many benefits of living in the “plastic age”, there are pervasive environmental and public health impacts resulting from the durability, unsustainable use and inappropriate waste management of plastics. Compared to the environmental impacts of larger plastic objects there is growing concern that micro and nanoplastics (<5mm MnP) pose an even greater threat due to direct or indirect toxicity and their pervasiveness in habitats and biota. We are still in the early stages of learning about the diversity of MnP sources and their different activation mechanisms, as well as their fate and transport through streams and rivers towards oceans. Despite many studies identifying MnP concentrations in rivers worldwide, it remains unclear how hydrological variability such as event-based meteorological forcing, seasonal and inter-annual changes or man-made alterations of flow in rivers and lakes impact storage and transport of MnP. We are soliciting presentations that aim to advance our understanding of how hydrological dynamics including seasonal inundation of the floodplain, flash-floods, regulated rivers, river-control structures, and evaporation or abstraction, among others, affect local exposures and transport of MnP. This session aims to elucidate hydrological controls of residence time, break-down and transport of MnP. To assess how these processes vary on spatial and temporal scales, we invite contributions from empirical, experimental and modelling studies. Of particular interest are studies that characterize extreme hydrological events or long-term observations. Ultimately, this session will help explain the large variability in observed concentrations, storage, and residence time of MnP during their river, lake and reservoir conduits.

Keywords: Microplastics, Hydrology, Long-term observations, Extreme events, Contaminants

SS34 Reducing Nutrient Inputs to Coastal and Inland Waters: How Hard Can It Be?

Diane Lauritsen, LIMNOSCIENCES ([email protected])
Lorrayne Miralha, Ohio State University ([email protected])
Daniel Obenour, North Carolina State University ([email protected]
Nathan Hall, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill ([email protected])
Astrid Schnetzer, North Carolina State University ([email protected])

Nutrient over-enrichment is a critical driver of harmful cyanobacterial blooms world-wide. Point sources of nutrients have long been identified as management targets, while diffuse, non-point sources (e.g., agricultural sources, and onsite septic systems) are more challenging to assess and manage for nutrient reductions. In North Carolina, nitrogen levels have increased over time in many freshwater and estuarine systems, and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen has also increased, resulting in nitrogen hot spots; these are often associated with areas that have highly clustered confined animal operations. In addition to emissions to the airshed, these sources of nutrients can result in substantial hydrologic export of both nitrogen and phosphorus, particularly after extreme rainfall events mobilize nutrients stored in waste lagoons, pastures, and croplands. This session will bring together research that has been done in the Carolinas related to nutrient source assessments, including atmospheric deposition, monitoring of surface waters where nutrient levels have increased and phytoplankton blooms have developed, and nutrient management approaches. We also welcome submissions from researchers from a variety of disciplines (remote sensing, monitoring, modeling, etc.), who are working in other places where nutrient hot spots and climate interactions are impacting water quality and the formation of harmful blooms.

Keywords: Climate Change, HABS, Nitrogen, Non-Point Source Nutrients, Nutrient Management

SS35 Anthropogenic perturbations of carbon cycling and accumulation in inland waters

Tom Jilbert, University of Helsinki ([email protected])
Roxane Maranger, University of Montreal ([email protected])
Christopher Osburn, North Carolina State University ([email protected])
Eero Asmala, Geological Survey of Finland ([email protected])
Marie Korppoo, Finnish Environment Institute ([email protected])
Ana Lúcia Lindroth Dauner, University of Helsinki ([email protected])

Human activities in inland waters and their catchment areas have multiple impacts on carbon cycling. Land use changes such as deforestation, expansion of agriculture and urbanization directly influence the flux of dissolved and particulate carbon from catchments to inland waters. Accompanying changes in nutrient loading alter carbon cycling through eutrophication and autochthonous production. Meanwhile, management of shoreline ecosystems and introduction of invasive species modifies the functioning of the littoral zone as a carbon filter, while fisheries directly impact carbon fluxes through biomass removal. All these activities may influence the balance between release of carbon through greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon retention via sediment accumulation. Moreover, the overarching influence of climate change affects the magnitude and timeline of the impacts of each activity. In this session we aim to bring together researchers working on these topics to present the state of the art in current understanding of modified carbon cycling in inland waters. We welcome contributions from field and experimental studies as well as catchment hydrological and biogeochemical modelling, and coupled elemental cycles. In particular, we aim to identify the controls and predictors of carbon burial in freshwater sediments, including the role of previously understudied littoral zones. Global littoral extent of inland waters is four times greater than that of the coastal ocean. Limnologists can profit from marine coastal blue carbon approaches to more rapidly gain insight on the importance of littoral extent elemental cycling and burial.

Keywords: Carbon budgets, Littoral zones, Inland waters, Sediment burial, Nutrients

SS36 Coast-to-boundary current systems and the ecological, biogeochemical, and physical processes within

Christian Briseño-Avena, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])
Matthew McLean, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])
Winifred Johnson, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])
Bradley Tolar, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])

Coastal and shelf ecosystems are the most productive regions of the world’s oceans. Broad, shallow shelf ecosystems like those in the west Atlantic basin also interact with ocean boundary currents, creating conditions that play important roles in biogeochemical cycles. Here we seek to “take the pulse” of shelf systems in the context of shifting boundary currents with predicted environmental change, which requires a baseline understanding of current status and concerted efforts across multiple disciplines. This session welcomes research on coast-to-boundary current processes encompassing physical, chemical, biological, and biogeochemical studies of cross-shelf systems, particularly in areas that intersect western boundary currents (e.g., Gulf Stream, Kuroshio, East Australia, Brazil). We seek to showcase research from process studies, time-series, computational modeling, or other ecosystem assessments that address questions aimed at understanding the function within any region across this coast to boundary current continuum at all levels of ecological organization, from genes to ecosystems. Interdisciplinary studies that integrate multiple ecosystem processes are particularly encouraged. Our goal for this session is to bring together the community of scientists across the globe focused on these comprehensive regional studies to combine efforts and enhance collaborative and comparative opportunities across our datasets.

Keywords: Shelf Systems, Boundary Current, Exchanges, Process Studies, Interdisciplinary Research

SS37 Benthic-pelagic coupling along the land ocean continuum

Marshall Bowles, LUMCON ([email protected])
Kanchan Maiti, LSU ([email protected])
Christof Meile, UGA ([email protected])
Cristina Schultz, Northeastern ([email protected])

The terrestrial and oceanic systems have long been recognized as important components of the global carbon cycle but the aquatic continuum that connects land and ocean has often been overlooked. This land-ocean interface is extremely heterogeneous in terms of lateral input, marine primary productivity, air-sea fluxes, benthic fluxes and sediment transport processes. Climate change and human perturbation has the potential to influence the carbon cycle along this continuum through changes in weathering, river discharge, vegetation, nutrients and organic matter delivery, and transformation processes, all mechanisms which can be changed or exacerbated by climate change and human activity. Within the last several years there has been an increased focus on carbon cycling at the land-ocean interface, especially on continental shelves and marginal seas.   Oceanographers, wetland scientists, ecologists, biogeochemists, hydrologists, and modelers often have varied viewpoints regarding the importance of processes occurring along this land-ocean continuum and how they might change in future. The session aims to bring together these different communities working in freshwater, brackish and marine settings to discuss the advancement in our current understanding of these interconnected processes that drive carbon, nutrient and metal cycling and transport along this critical transition zone with special emphasis on sediment-water interactions on local, regional and global scales. This includes field-based, satellite-based, and numerical modeling studies focused on mechanisms and drivers of biogeochemical cycling across the sediment water interface and impact of benthic-pelagic coupling on burial, cycling and lateral transfers of carbon, nutrients and trace metals, as well as efforts that improve the representation of these dynamic and spatially complex shallow coastal environments in Earth System Models to improve our ability to forecast Earth’s response to a changing climate.

Keywords: Benthic-pelagic coupling, land-ocean transition, carbon, coastal shallow water environments, benthic fluxes

SS38 Leveraging Aquatic Ecosystems to Address Society's Grand Challenges

Zackary Johnson, Duke University ([email protected])
Brian Silliman, Duke University ([email protected])
Chris Osburn, NC State ([email protected])
Christina Omran, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ([email protected])

From carbon capture to fisheries production to cultural identity and many other areas, aquatic ecosystems naturally provide numerous “services” to environmental health and human societies. But as populations grow and demands for resources expand, there is a renewed interest in using, restoring, repairing, modifying or otherwise “engineering” aquatic ecosystems to further help societies address some of their most pressing challenges. For example, to meet the Paris climate goals, CO₂ will need to be removed from the atmosphere at rates of up to 10 GtCO₂/y. And by 2050 it is projected that global food production will need to increase by >50% to meet the demands of increased population and per capita consumption. Aquatic ecosystems can play a direct or indirect role in addressing these and other grand challenges for society. Aquatic scientists, engineers, policy makers, entrepreneurs and others are among those exploring numerous approaches to leverage these special ecosystems to address local and global issues.

In this session we welcome all contributions that investigate, test, analyze, model or otherwise explore increasing the role of aquatic ecosystems in addressing broader issues of sustainability as well as coastal habitability. From marine carbon capture including ocean fertilization, alkalinization and biomass sequestration to repair and restoration of coastal salt marshes for enhanced carbon capture and storage, we seek solutions based submissions that leverage aquatic ecosystems. Aquatic energy and food production or enhanced coastal resiliency, whether on land or in the ocean, in ‘natural’ or highly engineered systems, that utilize processes and ecological and biochemical principles, are also welcome. Theoretical, experimental, social, for-profit or other modes of research are encouraged.

Multiple submissions for a specific "case study" or system are also encouraged. For example, as hurricanes and other storm events increase, and coastal flooding surges in Florida become more frequent, living shorelines and restored habitats provide a braided solution of green and grey infrastructure that also results in protecting many imperiled species. Enhanced salt marshes and oyster reefs, as green infrastructure installations and habitat restoration projects, are natural buffers reducing coastal erosion by absorbing wave energy. These projects, as part of Florida's Modern Approach: Landscape Conservation & Habitat Resiliency, often utilize native plants and geological materials to increase fish and wildlife access in critical habitat areas.

We expect a diverse portfolio of presentations, but with the common theme of aquatic ecosystem based solutions; these presentations are welcome to be single submissions or grouped into case studies or other themes.

Keywords: sustainability, carbon capture, food production, solutions, engineering

SS39 Taking the pulse of phosphorus sustainability: challenges and solutions across the freshwater to marine continuum

James Elser, University of Montana ([email protected])
Eric McLamore, Clemson University ([email protected])

Phosphorus (P) is essential for food production, but current patterns of phosphorus use are not sustainable. High-quality phosphate rock reserves, the primary source of phosphorus fertilizers, are limited, raising concerns about future availability while losses of phosphorus of P from farms and cities drive eutrophication in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal oceans.

This session seeks to develop interdisciplinary perspectives on the phosphorus sustainability challenge and welcomes submissions across all pertinent areas of the food-energy-water nexus:

· Phosphorus biogeochemistry in marine and fresh waters · Impacts of P on water quality in freshwater and marine ecosystems · Nutrient management and ecological restoration · Connections between eutrophication and greenhouse gas emissions · Watershed studies and modelling of P sources and sinks · Advancements in P sensors and analysis · Impacts of agricultural practices on P losses to surface waters · P recycling from human wastewater and animal manure · Food system studies including economic perspectives · Impacts of diet and food waste on P cycling · Phosphorus and public policy

Keywords: phosphorus, sustainability, eutrophication, food system, agriculture

SS40 Understanding, forecasting and mitigating global challenges for aquatic ecosystem functioning and resilience using mesocosms and other ecosystem-scale experimental approaches

Jens C Nejstgaard, IGB - Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries ([email protected])
Stella A Berger, IGB - Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries ([email protected])
Paraskevi Pitta, HCMR - Hellenic Centre for Marine Research ([email protected])
Meryem Beklioğlu, METU - Middle East Technical University ([email protected])
Behzad Mostajir, MARBEC - Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation, University of Montpellier-CNRS-Ifremer-IRD ([email protected])

Mesocosms and other ecosystem-scale experimental approaches are among the very strongest tools to “take the pulse and assess the state of our aquatic systems, whether that is through reconstructing the past, observing the current state, or predicting the future of our lakes, rivers, estuaries, and oceans.” Mesocosms are not only powerful tools to obtain a mechanistic quantitative understanding of how various global change and other perturbations drive ecosystem responses, they also offer the unique ability to test possible measures to mitigate or counteract anthropogenic pressures through environmental engineering and nature-based solutions.

We welcome presentations on studies where scientific questions about various aspects of aquatic ecosystem functioning have been tested through using mesocosms or similar ecosystem level experimentations. We particularly invite scientists that study effects of increasing variability and extreme events on ecosystem responses including resistance, resilience, recovery of ecosystem structures, biodiversity or regime shifts that change ecosystem functions in response to global climate and environmental change. We strongly encourage early career participants to present results. We also encourage to present plans for future activities open to external participation, as this session also aims to serve as a meeting point for all persons interested in ecosystems scale experimentation on a global scale (see e.g. https://mesocosm.org). We indeed aim to host a session that will “reflect on how our decisions today will manifest in the environment tomorrow” by promoting a lively session fostering new collaborations across areas and disciplines, extending the success of the 3-day mesocosm session at ASLO-ASM 2023 Mallorca meeting.

Keywords: Mesocosm, Ecosystem, Global change, Mitigation, AQUACOSM

SS41 Advancing the chemical and isotopic characterization of dissolved organic matter across the land–ocean aquatic continuum

Jennifer Bowen, Stanford University ([email protected])
Benjamin Granzow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography ([email protected])
Margot White, ETH Zurich ([email protected])

Dissolved organic matter plays a critical role in aquatic biogeochemical cycles, fuels microbial metabolism, and stores as much carbon as the atmospheric carbon reservoir. Because the reactivity and fate of dissolved organic matter is largely controlled by its chemical composition, a wide range of analytical approaches including ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, natural abundance isotopic analyses, and fluorescence spectroscopy, have been employed to trace its sources and transformations along the land–ocean continuum. Applying these approaches to environmental samples requires overcoming significant logistical challenges, including high salinity, sample volatility and degradation, and low organic carbon concentrations. In addition, each method captures only a subset of the total dissolved organic matter pool. As a result of these challenges and others, our understanding of the environmental role of dissolved organic matter within aquatic biogeochemistry remains limited.

In this session, we welcome studies that integrate various analytical approaches to characterize the composition and/or fate of dissolved organic matter along the land–ocean continuum. We also welcome contributions focused on novel techniques for isolating, concentrating, and purifying organic matter prior to analysis. We hope that by highlighting analytical advances made throughout the aquatic continuum across salinity and organic carbon concentration gradients, the insights gained may inform future efforts as a community to characterize dissolved organic matter in a changing environment. Submissions by students and early career researchers, and researchers from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other underrepresented identities are highly encouraged.

Keywords: dissolved organic matter, biogeochemistry, organic geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, land-ocean continuum

SS42 Abrupt Changes in Aquatic Ecosystems: Impacts of Anthropogenic Stressors

Skylar Hooler, university at Albany ([email protected])
Aubrey Hillman, University at Albany ([email protected])

Aquatic ecosystems worldwide are facing unprecedented stress from anthropogenic activities and climate change. This session explores the question: How are aquatic ecosystems responding to these pressures, and have they experienced abrupt changes in their ecological states? Abrupt changes, defined as sudden and significant transitions between distinct ecological conditions, can manifest as smooth, threshold-like, or bistable changes, altering ecosystem structure and function. We invite contributions that use paleo records, contemporary research, or models to explore or assess these abrupt changes across diverse aquatic environments. The session will focus on deepening the understanding of climate influences, ontogenetic processes, and/or anthropogenic impacts on driving these abrupt changes. Additionally, we welcome research on ecosystem resilience, referring to the capacity of systems to withstand or adapt to stress, including the ability to maintain core functions despite undergoing abrupt changes. Given the current lack of knowledge on recovery following such changes, we are particularly interested in exploring whether ecosystems can rebound or stabilize after these significant transitions. We also invite contributions on remediation efforts and strategies aimed at managing or mitigating the impacts of abrupt changes to preserve ecosystem function.

Keywords: regime shifts, thresholds, anthropogenic stress, ecological stability, tipping points

SS44 Ocean and Freshwater Zooplankton Ecology

Yuuki Niimi, Arizona State University ([email protected])
Leocadio Blanco-Bercial, Arizona State University/Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science ([email protected])
Susanne Neuer, Arizona State University ([email protected])

Zooplankton are fundamental to aquatic ecosystems, influencing not only biogeochemical cycles but also broader ecological dynamics. As primary consumers, they link lower trophic levels, such as phytoplankton, to higher trophic levels, including fish and other predators, thereby shaping food web structures. This session will delve into the ecological roles of zooplankton across aquatic environments, with a focus on their contributions to biogeochemical cycles and their adaptive responses to environmental changes.

In both marine and freshwater systems, zooplankton contribute to carbon cycling through the biological pump. They graze on phytoplankton, respire carbon dioxide, and repackage organic matter into fecal pellets that can sink to deeper waters or sediments, a process crucial for sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide. Additionally, zooplankton excrete dissolved inorganic nutrients that are rapidly assimilated by phytoplankton, sustaining primary production in nutrient-depleted areas.

We invite contributions on the latest findings in zooplankton ecology, including their distribution, behavior, and interactions with other organisms in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. The session will also encompass studies on zooplankton-mediated carbon and nutrient cycling, examining factors that influence export efficiency, such as species traits, community dynamics, and environmental changes like climate change, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation.

The session will also highlight cutting-edge methodologies advancing our understanding of zooplankton ecology. Innovations in imaging, molecular tools, and biogeochemical modeling are providing new insights into zooplankton distributions, behaviors, and ecological roles. We encourage presentations showcasing these technologies and their applications in contemporary research.

This session aims to synthesize current knowledge, identify research gaps, and prioritize future studies in zooplankton biogeochemistry. We will explore how these small but ecologically vital organisms can be integrated into global biogeochemical models, with implications for climate predictions and resource management.

By bringing together experts in aquatic biology, ecology, limnology, oceanography, and biogeochemistry to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. It is designed to attract researchers, educators, policymakers, and students focused on the ecological and biogeochemical roles of zooplankton and their responses to environmental change. Through this exchange, we aim to deepen our understanding of the ecological importance of zooplankton and their role in maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems.

The session’s importance lies in its potential to advance our understanding of the critical roles zooplankton as ecological keystones in aquatic environments. As we face unprecedented environmental challenges, it is crucial to integrate zooplankton ecology into broader scientific frameworks to preserve aquatic biodiversity and ensure the sustainability of global biogeochemical cycles.

Keywords: Zooplankton, Carbon Export, Nutrient Cycling, Ecology, Biogeochemistry

SS45 North Carolina’s coast at the doorstep of climate change

Hans Paerl, UNC-Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences ([email protected])
W. Judson Kenworthy, Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, Albemarle National Estuary Partnership ([email protected])
Rachel Noble, UNC-Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences ([email protected])
Reide Corbett, East Carolina University, Coastal Studies Institute ([email protected])

North Carolina’s coastal region is a continuum of riverine, estuarine, coastal and oceanic ecosystems that includes the USA’s second largest estuarine complex, the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound system, bounded by the Outer Banks, the Gulf Stream and W. Atlantic Shelf. The NC coast is located at a biogeographic boundary; the intersection of the Gulf Stream and the Labrador current; the leading edge for tropical animals and plants and the trailing edge of temperate species on front line of climate change. These ecosystems are at the interface of human impacted eutrophication, habitat loss and global climatic changes taking place, including warming, sea-level rise and a recent (since the mid 1990’s) upsurge in tropical cyclones (36 at last count), interspersed by more episodic and record-breaking extra-tropical rainfall and major drought events. The rapid rise in these events and trends have had major hydrologic, geologic, biogeochemical, trophic, human health and societal impacts, the combined effect being a major research and management challenge in a rapidly changing structural and functional coastal landscape.  In particular, shifting coastal development trends place increased pressures on wastewater, stormwater, and groundwater sources, with profound effects on loading, delivery and effects of nutrients, chemical and microbial contaminants. In this session, we encourage contributions from diverse disciplines (and their interactions) addressing these challenges. Furthermore, we would like to highlight the utilization of new technologies, such as autonomous sensors and rapid contaminant quantification tools, as we aim to understand the ramifications for North Carolina and similarly-impacted coastal regions on larger regional and global scales.

Key Words: NC coastal ecosystems, climatic and human perturbations.               

Amplifying Voices Session

The Amplifying Voices session is for early career presentations that will be prerecorded and shown at the meeting.

AV01 Amplifying Voices in Climate Change Impacts on Aquatic Systems (Prerecorded Presentations)

Bianca Rodríguez-Cardona, International Institute of Tropical Forestry ([email protected])
Mina Bizic, Technical University of Berlin ([email protected])
Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, University of Auckland ([email protected])
Pascal Bodmer, Cornell University ([email protected])
Heili Lowman, Duke University ([email protected])
Members of the Early Career Committee (ECC), Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, ASLO ([email protected])

In an era of accelerating global change, it is crucial to pause and reflect on how our actions today affect and alter our planet. Addressing the pressing current and future environmental issues requires international and multidisciplinary research efforts to ensure inclusive, holistic, and innovative solutions. The Early Career Committee (ECC) of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) seeks to enhance global collaboration and networking opportunities for early career researchers (ECRs*). To achieve this, we have hosted a series of online "Amplifying Voices" webinars, highlighting the work of ECRs from underrepresented** groups.

After a successful launch at the ASM in Madison, Wisconsin in 2024, we are excited to bring "Amplifying Voices" to ASM again this year, inviting ECRs worldwide who cannot attend the conference in person to present their research in a pre-recorded format. As we “take the aquatic pulse”, we must recognize that rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and encroaching sea levels are reshaping aquatic environments. These changes have far-reaching consequences, affecting aquatic ecosystem processes, distribution, behavior, and abundance of freshwater and marine species. For this special “Amplifying Voices” session, we invite all presentations that address the impacts of climate change, industrial byproducts, or tourism pressures, amongst many other topics, on freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Selected talks for the session will be ordered by topic to form a cohesive session broadly addressing climate change issues in aquatic systems. Abstract submission fees are waived for this session, and accepted participants will have their registration fee waived, as they will not be attending the conference in person. Presenters must submit a pre-recorded talk with contact information so viewers can follow up with questions.

*ECR in this context includes both PhD students and non-tenured researchers who have received their highest degree within the last 10 years.

**These include ethnic origin and ethnicity, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, geographic location, or any other component of identity underrepresented in science, which may vary in different countries.

Keywords: Early Career, Ecosystem Transformation, Inclusive Solutions, DEIJ, Shifting Baselines

Education and Policy Session

EP01 Open science and data science initiatives to advance aquatic ecosystem research

Lorena Silva, University of Missouri and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ([email protected])
Greg Silsbe, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science ([email protected])
Michael Meyer, Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch - Observing Systems Division, U.S. Geological Survey ([email protected])
John Gardner, University of Pittsburgh ([email protected])

Over the past several decades, advances in satellite remote sensing, autonomous sensor networks, as well as robust modeling frameworks have collectively created extraordinary opportunities to expand aquatic science research across spatial and temporal scales. With an added emphasis on open science, the gradual integration of big data analyses and increasing access to intensive computing infrastructures offer potential for a more diverse, inclusive, and globally connected scientific community. Moreover, the harmonization of diverse data streams is a ripe frontier that can help link limnological, hydrological, oceanographic, and ecological processes and principles to understand fundamental, applied, and emerging areas of research at local-to-global and subdaily-to-decadal scales.

This session seeks to broadly address open aquatic science initiatives to build a conversation around multifaceted developments in remote sensing, modeling, and other data intensive areas of research. We envision this session will host a range of presentation topics, including but not limited to novel applications of remote sensing, scaling analyses in cloud and other high-volume computing environments, assessing water quantity and quality through space and time, quantifying long-term changes in physical dynamics, merging process-based modeling and deep learning, and applying data-intensive techniques for basic and applied research questions. While submissions may focus on methodological and technical hurdles encountered in remote sensing and data science fields, we encourage submissions that seek to advance holistic application of these tools in the aquatic sciences, thereby advancing basic science questions with applied science methods.

We enthusiastically invite submissions by early career researchers as well as by researchers from BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized identities. An intentional focus on research that breaks down barriers to entry for underrepresented scientists in the fields of remote sensing and aquatic data science, through open science, will yield insight into the power and potential of the next frontier in emergent properties of aquatic systems.

Keywords: Remote Sensing, Data Science, Machine Learning, Synthesis, Emergent Properties

EP02 Building Data Literacy Skills in the Next Generation of Aquatic Scientists

Denise Bristol, Hillsborough Community College - SouthShore ([email protected])
Anna Pfeiffer-Herbert, Stockton University ([email protected])
Janice McDonnell, Rutgers University ([email protected])

Research and management of aquatic ecosystems toward resiliency goals requires long-term monitoring. Monitoring systems, such as the Integrated Ocean Observing System, Long Term Ecological Research Networks, and the Ocean Observatories Initiative, stream large volumes of data. These datasets are complex in not only their size, but also in the variety of types of data and multiple overlapping signals in real-world systems. The next generation of aquatic scientists need strong data literacy skills to be able to synthesize these datasets and interpret drivers of ecosystem change. Therefore, it is critical that higher education experiences build students’ skills in working with authentic data at all levels. Presentations focused on new opportunities to engage undergraduate students in authentic data experiences using real-world datasets to teach aquatic science processes are welcomed. Discussions may include classroom curriculum, other training of data skill development at the undergraduate or graduate level, data management, use of software for accessing and interacting with data, data visualization, pattern interpretation, and related skills needed to make meaning of complex, real-world data.

Keywords: Education, Data literacy, Ocean observing, Data visualizations, Big Data

EP03 Migating Barriers and Re-imagining Geosciences to Harness the Power and Brilliance of  US STEM Academic Programs for our Current and Future Workforce

Paul Kemp, University of Hawai`i at Manoa (ret.) ([email protected])
Rebecca North, University of Missouri ([email protected])

This session will bring together professionals in the ASLO community to discuss opportunities for scholars in geosciences and the value of research internships, fellowships and graduate programs to enhance the current and future STEM workforce.

EP06 Communicating Science to the Public

Brittany Schieler, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography ([email protected])
Janelle Layton, Institution: Oregon State University ([email protected])

Contributed session.

EP07 Adventures, Challenges, and Benefits of Conducting International Collaborative Research

Brittany Schieler, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography ([email protected])
Adina Paytan, University of California Santa Cruz ([email protected])
Mike Pace, University of Virginia ([email protected])
Linda Duguay, University of Southern California ([email protected])

Aquatic sciences are increasingly global in nature, transcending political boundaries and requiring collaboration with foreign scientists and working in other countries. Planning and executing collaborative research projects overseas, however, is not trivial. Challenges include communicating with scientists in a different country, obtaining funding for international work, overcoming technical obstacles such as shipping and permits, and navigating language and cultural barriers. The recent global pandemic has added a new layer of challenge to carrying out international research. We invite participants of all career stages to share their experiences from both productive and not so successful adventures in conducting international collaborative research.

We seek presentations on international collaboration related to funding, identifying collaborators, executing projects, overcoming obstacles, developing teams, leveraging mutual advantages and infrastructure, handling difficulties, and successful outcomes. The session will include submissions by students participating in ASLO’s NSF-funded program “Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX)” which aims to foster international research collaborations through professional development and a research exchange for graduate students. We hope this session will help others avoid pitfalls, take advantage of opportunities, and increase likelihood of effective and fun international collaborations in the aquatic sciences.

Spotlight Session

SPOT Author Spotlight: Recent high-impact publications from the ASLO journals

Erin Peck, University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography ([email protected])
James Cloern, ASLO, Limnology & Oceanography Letters ([email protected])
Laura Falkenberg, ASLO, Limnology & Oceanography Bulletin ([email protected])
K. David Hambright, ASLO, Limnology & Oceanography ([email protected])
Krista Longnecker, ASLO, Limnology & Oceanography: Methods ([email protected])

The ASLO journal editors convene this invitation-only special session to recognize authors who published highly cited or highly downloaded articles in 2022-2023 in one of the ASLO family of journals: Limnology and Oceanography, Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, Limnology and Oceanography: Letters, and Limnology and Oceanography: Bulletin. Authors publish their finest work in ASLO journals, making them a success. We therefore greatly appreciate authors’ contributions to our science and the ASLO community. This session is an opportunity to celebrate authors and their work, highlighting some of the most influential research advances and trends in recent years. We invite the lead author (or any co-author) to present updates to the selected article, describe their evolving research directions, or present a review of the state of the art in their field. Author Spotlight presentations showcase both the breadth of the aquatic sciences and cutting-edge research currently underway. Articles are selected based on their average monthly rate of downloads and/or citations, both of which serve as indicators of reader interest.

Keywords: ASLO publications, highly cited, most downloaded,

Contributed Sessions

CS01 Aquatic Food Webs

Rita Franco-Santos, CSIRO ([email protected])

CS03 Aquatic Landscape Ecology

Sandra Clinton, University of North Carolina Charlotte ([email protected])

CS04 Biodiversity

Remington Poulin, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])

CS05 Community Ecology

Paola Ayala-Bord, University of Lethbridge ([email protected])
Frieda Taub, University of Washington ([email protected])

CS06 Coral Reef Ecosystems

Katie Barott, University of Pennsylvania ([email protected])
Kelly Luis, NASA Water Resources ([email protected])

CS07 Fish and Fisheries

Mariana Hill Cruz, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre ([email protected])
Shannon Powers, University of South Carolina ([email protected])

CS08 Global Oceanography and Limnology

Meg Blome, East Carolina University ([email protected])
James Wainaina, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ([email protected])

CS09 Harmful Blooms

Remington Poulin, University of North Carolina Wilmington ([email protected])
Bianca Rodríguez-Cardona, International Institute of Tropical Forestry ([email protected])

CS11 Models and Modelling

Serghei Bocaniov, University of Waterloo ([email protected])

CS12 Novel Methods

Phillipe Wernette, Michigan Technological University ([email protected])

CS13P Physical Dynamics

Mitchelle Agonsi, University of Georgia ([email protected])

CS15 Polar Ecosystems

Margaret Baker, Rice University ([email protected])
Jasmine Saros, University of Maine ([email protected])

CS16 Primary Production

Tammi Richardson, University of South Carolina ([email protected])

CS17 Restoration

Patrick Fink, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research ([email protected])

CS18 River and Stream Ecology

Abigail Kreuser, University of South Carolina ([email protected])

CS23P Zooplankton Ecology and Physiology

Laura Treible, Savannah State University ([email protected])
Katalin Patonai, Université de Montréal ([email protected])