This year marks the 13th triennial International Conference on Paleoceanography (ICP13) as well as the first time the conference was held in the Southern Hemisphere as it was held in Sydney, Australia. I was given the opportunity to attend this conference in September thanks to the generous travel grant given by the Department of Multidisciplinary Sciences of the Graduate Program on Environmental Sciences at the University of Tokyo.
The aim of the ICP is to bring together experts in paleoceanography, the history of the oceans. It is an opportunity for researchers working on all timescales with a variety of proxies to gather and share their discoveries with all generations of scientists. The ICP features a number of well-known plenary speakers, all of whom must be invited to speak. As such, the presentations are given by highly respected experts in their respective fields. These meetings are very important as paleoceanography is tied together with paleoclimatology, which is an important part of the International Panel on Climate Change report.
The plenary sessions focused on a range of topics including ice sheet/ocean interactions, ocean circulation, new climate/ocean modeling tools, and the effects of paleoclimate changes on biology and evolution. The presentation given by Dr. Kaustubh Thirumalai of The University of Arizona was very interesting. He had created a model showing how the sea surface temperature variability of the Indian Ocean would change in the future given the currently changing climate. His model results show that the sea surface temperature variability would increase, which would affect wind patterns. He then compared these results to paleoclimate data which showed a similar occurrence had happened in the past. This lecture nicely illustrated the just one of the effects our changing climate will have on different climate systems.
In addition to the plenary lectures, there were four poster sessions throughout the week where I had the opportunity to present my paper on meltwater fluctuations in East Antarctica. My presentation received attention from other scientists also researching Antarctica, and they provided interesting insights and very helpful feedback on how to improve my research. Many also offered to provide additional data to compare my results to. These poster sessions were a wonderful way to meet and collaborate with other scientists.
Halfway through the week we were treated to a dinner cruise around Sydney Harbor. Pizza and sushi, along with iconic views of the Opera House, made for a memorable evening. The following evening was the Paleomusicology Concert, a series of performances put on by our fellow conference attendees. There were instrumental duets, singing, and dance performances. While the dinner cruise and concert were not strictly research-focused events, it was a good opportunity to socialize with other scientists in a non-professional and relaxed setting. This conference was a great experience, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been able to attend.
The fourteenth ICP will be held in Bergen, Norway in 2022.
Halfway through the week we were treated to a dinner cruise around Sydney Harbor. Pizza and sushi, along with iconic views of the Opera House, made for a memorable evening. The following evening was the Paleomusicology Concert, a series of performances put on by our fellow conference attendees. There were instrumental duets, singing, and dance performances. While the dinner cruise and concert were not strictly research-focused events, it was a good opportunity to socialize with other scientists in a non-professional and relaxed setting. This conference was a great experience, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been able to attend.
The fourteenth ICP will be held in Bergen, Norway in 2022.
Very much looking forward to the next one!
