ALR, better known as 'Boaty McBoatface'

The BIO-Carbon 2024 Annual Science Meeting taking place from 27-29th February at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, brought together a wide range of experts interested in how marine life helps the ocean store carbon, including both BIO-Carbon and complementary international projects, as well as the wider research community.

With 2024 poised to be an intense and exciting year of BIO-Carbon fieldwork, the packed agenda provided a vital opportunity for cross-project communication and collaboration, featuring project presentations, lightning talks by early career ocean professionals and breakout sessions, all shining a spotlight on the major science questions, previously identified by the BIO-Carbon programme. 

Champion for BIO-Carbon, Dr Adrian Martin said “Particularly with the ambitious suite of cruises and autonomous vehicles which will be deployed by BIO-Carbon projects from May to October this year in the North Atlantic, this was a fantastic and diverse event that developed and strengthened links across the community.”

Attendees also heard presentations from Katy Hill, Lead Scientist for the Future Marine Research Infrastructure (FMRI) programme and NOC’s Head of Marine and Robotic Systems (MARS) Alex Phillips. This year, the FMRI programme will be launching two autonomous vehicles from Iceland to collect data in a way that is both low-carbon and novel in its approach to marine science, rendezvousing with the ship mid-criuse before making their way to Scotland. This joint FMRI-BIO-Carbon mission will showcase how new sensor and platform technologies can enable different and environmentally sustainable approaches to ocean science as highlighted by the FMRI Measurement Systems for 21st Century Oceanography report released in January.