Ambling Sampling: Ocean in a High CO2 World

The scientific conference went amazing, as did the film festival.

Monday, the conference opened, and schedules were determined. This was a very biology-heavy conference, as expected; it is really important to understand how specific organisms will react to Ocean Acidification (OA). However, my research deals in a tangential field (chlorophyll modeling), so I found I was available during sessions dominated by organism-specific topics or coral calcification.

Opening Ceremonies

Monday, therefore, I was attending some Industry Seminars at the Blue Ocean Film Festival, broken by organisms-specific light/chlorophyll interactions on the science side. The evening was spent watching a cute movie about sea otters, after listening to Jean-Michel Cousteau and Sylvia Earle speak.

Tuesday was mostly science. I learned about specific diatoms, multiple stresses (e.g. CO2 and Temperature), and gave my poster presentation. A lot of people were impressed with the length and breadth of data my lab had collected, and a few suggested some directions to take it.

Wednesday was split between the science and film. The science had a couple of really neat sessions on OA policy, while the festival had some self-help seminars on balancing work/life. A luncheon discussed OA monitoring off of California, and dinner was in the Monterey Bay Aquarium (future post for pics).

Alisha's Mom was in for the Film Festival

Thursday, I drove home to give a talk on Friday at the International Meeting for Students in Physical Oceanography (future post). The RAV4 performed admirably once more.

Fisherman's Wharf

Somethings Interesting:
--Each restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf is approximately the exact same place (moderately priced seafood). They offer free samples of clam chowder, drink deals, and free appetizers to draw in customers; still they're often found empty.

--I made some conference friends; people from other institutions who you create a connection the first day, stand with during coffee breaks, and sit with in sessions. They seemed pretty neat, especially a French Canadian dude named Robin, but I don't remember some of their first or any of their last names.

--This conference had a ticket system for providing beer; AGU and ASLO both just have beer until it runs dry.