Ocean Carbon & Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office

This award will support the activities of the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) Project Office, based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The OCB Program was created in 2006 as one of the major activities of the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program. OCB supports a large scientific network that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, informs new projects and funding opportunities, and advances understanding of the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle and the response of marine ecosystems to past, present, and future environmental changes. The OCB Project Office supports this network by coordinating interdisciplinary community workshops and activities; serving as a communication hub via web, social media, and newsletters; leading and supporting community science planning initiatives; and supporting capacity building and networking. High-level OCB science foci for this award period include changing ocean chemistry; ocean carbon uptake and storage; estuarine and coastal carbon fluxes; changing marine ecosystems; biological pump; and ocean observatories. OCB will continue to provide coordination and leadership to advance progress on critical ocean science and observing initiatives in support of its mission. With research priorities that transcend oceanographic disciplines and a demonstrated track record of bringing people together to accelerate big ideas, OCB is well poised to break new ground in many areas of convergent science. For example, extreme events and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) are contemporary challenges that will require OCB network expertise and broad collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Project Office activities include coordinating OCB's annual interdisciplinary summer workshop and community-driven scoping workshops, small group, training, and capacity building activities, which are grassroots, community-driven efforts determined through an annual open community solicitation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.