The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO convened an open symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO2 World on 10-12 May 2004 in Paris, France. The symposium addressed the biological and biogeochemical consequences of increasing atmospheric and oceanic CO2 levels, and possible strategies for mitigating atmospheric increases. Topics ranged from ocean physics, to chemistry and biology, including the impacts of elevated CO2 levels on marine life, the dissolution of calcium carbonate, and the impacts on coral reefs. Speakers also evaluated the possible benefits and impacts of surface fertilization and deep-ocean CO2 injection strategies. Symposium participants did not address whether it would be a good policy choice to sequester carbon dioxide in the ocean, but did identify what scientific information is available, and what is still needed, to make informed policy decisions.

The symposium included plenary presentations, discussion sessions on research priorities, and a poster session. To highlight some of the significant results from the symposium, a subset of results will be published in a special section of the Journal of Geophysical Research -Oceans. The papers in this special section will contribute to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to its Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. Research priorities identified at the symposium are published in a separate document for the benefit of ocean scientists and research program managers worldwide. IOC and SCOR are considering follow-up actions to the symposium, including recommendations to develop a Web-based information and communications service for scientists and the general public.

International Planning Committee Members:

Ralph Cicerone (Chair, USA)
James Orr (Vice-Chair, France)
Phil Boyd (New Zealand)
Peter Brewer (USA)
Peter Haugan (Norway)
Jim McWilliams (USA)
Liliane Merlivat (France)
Takashi Ohsumi (Japan)
Silvio Pantoja (Chile)
Hans-Otto Poertner (Germany)

Symposium Coordinators :

Ed Urban, Executive Director, SCOR
Maria Hood, Program Specialist, Oceans and Climate, IOC