Vision

The vision of Bio-GO-SHIP is to develop a deep understanding of the link between the physio-chemical environment and global ocean plankton diversity, abundance, and biogeochemical roles in the context of a changing ocean.

Mission

The mission of Bio-GO-SHIP is to quantify the molecular diversity, size spectrum, chemical composition, and abundances of plankton communities across large spatial, vertical, and eventually temporal scales.

This will be achieved through systematic, high-quality, and calibrated sampling of ‘omics, plankton imaging, particle chemistry, and optical techniques as operational oceanographic tools. Integration with regular GO-SHIP measurements and their analyses of the physical and chemical environment will allow us to understand (and eventually predict) how plankton communities respond to ocean changes and how biological processes feeds back on carbon, oxygen and nutrient cycles.

Community benefits

There are several community benefits to Bio-GO-SHIP. The community-led effort will generate a uniform global set of quantitative data of plankton communities. This will be achieved using a suite of vetted techniques that are rigorously curated and publicly available [Boss et al., 2020]. All biological data is coincident with measurements and analyses from the regular GO-SHIP program. We will train a cohort of students, research associates, and K-12 teachers in new oceanographic approaches and analyses.

What we measure

Systematic, high-quality, calibrated sampling of plankton communities as operational oceanographic tools.

  • 'Omics sampling

    Molecular measurements that quantify the diversity of plankton communities across ocean basins and depths.

  • Plankton imaging

    In situ and lab imaging to capture size spectra and community structure alongside other Bio-GO-SHIP observations.

  • Particle chemistry

    Chemical composition of particles that links plankton communities to carbon, oxygen, and nutrient cycles.

  • Optical techniques

    Calibrated optical methods that scale biological observations across large spatial and vertical ranges.

  • GO-SHIP integration

    Biological data is collected coincident with GO-SHIP physical and chemical measurements, so we can connect plankton to a changing ocean.

  • Training the next generation

    We train students, research associates, and K-12 teachers in new oceanographic approaches and analyses.

Cruise tracks

All cruise plans

Researcher in polar gear standing on snow beside a research ship

A changing ocean

How plankton communities respond - and feed back on carbon, oxygen, and nutrients

Recently added

The newest post, cruise plan, protocol, and publication on this site.

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