[Coral-List] Coral Reefs session at the 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting

[Andrea Grottoli]

Dear Colleagues:

We would like to invite you to submit an abstract to the CORAL REEFS 
session of the 2008 Ocean Sciences Meeting.  A full description of 
the session is given below.  This year, the AGU/ASLO joint sponsored 
Ocean Sciences Meeting is being held 2-7 March 2008 in Orlando, 
FL.  The abstract submission deadline is October 2, 2007.  Abstracts 
can be submitted online at 
http://www.aslo.org/meetings/orlando2008/.  We look forward to your 
participation in the session.

Sincerely,
Andrea Grottoli, Chris Shank, Tamara Pease, Ralph Mead, and Kimberly Ritchie


Session 144. Coral Reefs: Impacts of Environmental Alterations and 
Climate Change on Coral Biology and Biogeochemistry, and Links 
Between Dissolved Organic Matter

Organizers: Andrea G. Grottoli, The Ohio State University, 
grottoli.1 at osu.edu; G. Christopher Shank, University of Texas at 
Austin - Marine Science Institute, shank at utmsi.utexas.edu; Ralph 
Mead, University of Miami - RSMAS, rmead at rsmas.miami.edu; Tamara 
Pease, University of Texas, tamara at utmsi.utexas.edu; Kimberly 
Ritchie, Mote Marine Laboratory - Center for Coral Reef Research, 
ritchie at mote.org

Globally, coral reefs are increasingly exposed to unprecedented 
levels of stress due to regional and global environmental alterations 
and global climate change. As a result, incidents of coral bleaching 
and coral disease have increased substantially in recent years. In 
addition, these environmental changes degrade water quality 
surrounding the coral reefs and influence a variety of important 
biogeochemical cycles occurring within the reef ecosystem including 
coral-bacterial-zooxanthallae interactions. As the building blocks of 
tropical reef ecosystems, corals are critical for healthy ecosystem 
functioning and the maintenance of tropical biogeochemical cycles. 
This session will explore the following topics: 1- the various ways 
coral physiology, biology, and ecology are affected by stress 
conditions such as increases in sea-surface temperature, ultra-violet 
radiation, ocean acidification, nutrient loading, and sedimentation, 
2- organic matter cycling in waters surrounding coral ecosystems 
including terrestrial influences on dissolved organic matter (DOM) 
sources to coral reefs, 3- the links between DOM characteristics and 
the microbial community responsible for a variety of coral diseases 
and organic matter cycling within the coral-zooxanthallae community, 
and 4- the connections between the biological/ecological responses 
and biogeochemical cycles in the past (i.e., proxy records), present, 
and in the face of future environmental and climate change.

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Andrea G. Grottoli, Assistant Professor
Ohio State University
School of Earth Sciences
125 South Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210

office:  614-292-5782
lab: 614-292-7415
cell: 215-990-9736
fax: 614-292-7688
email: grottoli.1 at osu.edu

Grottoli webpage: http://www.earthsciences.osu.edu/~grottoli.1/
Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (SIB Lab): 
http://earthsciences.osu.edu/~grottoli.1/SIB_Lab.html
SES seminars: http://www.earthsciences.osu.edu/seminars.php

Office location: 329 Mendenhall Labs
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